CRC VIO ASSESSM INTVEN PDF

Preface

 Welcome to our guide. We are writing this book for you, the practitioner who is faced on a regular basis with receiving calls from frightened people who want you to keep them safe. It doesn't matter whether you are a mental health practitioner, a security or human resources professional, an attorney, police, probation or parole officer, or a risk evaluator in the mental health field; when you receive that call you realize you do not have the luxury of having perfect information, but you may still need to act now. This book is for you.

Between the two of us, we have handled these phone calls for more than 40 years in a variety of contexts. This includes experience in federal and municipal law enforcement, and as consultants to federal and state agencies, as well as private and public corporations. We continue to handle them on a daily basis as part of our practice. Although this book's primary focus is anchored in North American laws and nuances, both of us have worked and continue to work internationally. From this experience, we have learned that core assessment and resolution principles, being behaviorally based, are universal, regardless of culture or geography.

We have structured the book into three main sections for the purpose of addressing different approaches to the material and to provide us an opportunity to show different aspects of the entire process. The first section, titled Fusion, will show the process and flow of our violence assessment model from the perspective of the initial call or "notice event" and the essential steps to initially quantify the situation as well as make the first decisions concerning proper and immediate response. We will show that it is in managing this "notice event" and understanding its place in the continuum of the behavior (what has come before and what may come after), success or failure of the resolution can be found. You may find this section reflects the most similarity with what you do every day; it will serve as an overview for the entire guide.

Section two, Assessment, has been structured to provide information concerning the essential informational components and processes required to provide a thorough and accurate assessment. The chapters in this section cover information gathering, victimology and formulas for assessment. In the appendices of these chapters are practical tools developed by the authors and others for use in guiding the assessment process, speeding information gathering and providing actuarial frameworks for information analysis. We have not attempted to provide a detailed log of every available instrument or tool that we might have used or believe may prove to be valuable to you, because our intent is not to make judgments. We simply want to provide you with practical information we know to be useful and effective based on our day-to-day work.

In section three, Case Management, we cover organizational influences, security issues and the laws related to violence assessment. In this section we not only want to cover the obvious issues, but to provide a perspective that might allow you to go beyond your current perception of these elements and acquire new appreciation and understanding of how these areas can provide better case outcomes.

For the professionals reading this guide, we have attempted to provide references to the literature, when applicable. However, we do not intend this guide to be a detailed academic work that attempts to reflect the breadth of literature available for assessing potential violent behavior. We want this book to provide practical, proven ideas and tools for case evaluation and management. If you come away with at least one new idea, tool or practical solution to an assessment or intervention problem, we have accomplished our goal.

We would also hope that reading and using this guide will motivate you to share your knowledge with others, whenever and however you can. Only in the sharing of practical, effective methods of violence assessment and intervention can we continue to increase the safety of the people we are all responsible for protecting.

We hope that you enjoy our handbook and continue to be interested in improving the safety of the communities you serve.