Recidivism in female offenders: PCL-R lifestyle factor and VRAG show predictive validity in a German sample.

A clear and structured approach to evidence-based and gender-specific risk assessment of violence in female offenders is high on political and mental health agendas. However, most data on the factors involved in risk-assessment instruments are based on data of male offenders. The aim of the present study was to validate the use of the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R), the HCR-20 and the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG) for the prediction of recidivism in German female offenders.

[Evidence-based expert testimonies on psychiatric disorders--risk factors for invalidity].

Psychiatric symptoms often lead to a claim for disability pension. Surprisingly, there is very little empirical data available on which variables may predict permanent job disability. A new empirically based risk assessment instrument was developed to predict the final pension outcome.

Assessing measurement invariance of PCL-R assessments from file reviews of North American and German offenders.

Cross-cultural research on psychopathy necessitates assessment methods that are generalizable across linguistic and cultural differences. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis was used to compare the factorial structure of Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) assessments obtained from file reviews of North-American (N=2622) and German (N=443) male offenders. The analyses indicated that the 18 item, 4-factor model of the PCL-R obtained with the standard PCL-R protocol (interview and file review) also holds for file review data.

[Risk factors for invalidity in psychiatric disorders--development of an empirically based assessment tool].

The staggering amount of health-related disability associated with psychiatric disorders is increasing medical claim costs. Government-run health systems and social health insurances are under pressure in almost every developed country. The complex interrelationship of these disorders and disability pensioning poses a number of challenges and emphasises the need for specialists in psychiatric medicine.

[Structured psychiatric assessment of risk for violent recidivism in juvenile offenders].

The psychiatric assessment of violence in youth represents a critical and essential part of forensic expertise and clinical practice. New methodical approaches are offered by structured risk rating scales and checklists which encompass psychopathy. The recently translated German version of Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY), which is based on the Historical, Clinical, Risk Management Scheme (HCR 20), was evaluated in a sample of forensically assessed youth (n=83) regarding the predictive validity for criminal recidivism.