Interrater and intra-rater reliability of the VERA-2R tool.

Introduction: The Violent Extremism Risk Assessment - Version 2 Revised (VERA-2R) is an evidence-based structured professional judgement (SPJ) tool for ideologically motivated violence. Use of the tool can help professionals in risk assessment and risk management of suspected and convicted terrorists and violent extremists at different stages within the criminal process. It is important that the tool leads to reliable and valid risk assessments.

Using the VERA-2R, professional and organisational aspects.

Introduction: Violent extremism risk assessments of individuals suspected or convicted of terrorism are relevant for legal decisions, in prison and probation settings, and in inter-professional risk collaboration. These risk assessment reports by professionals should be applicable to and usable for the different judicial contexts. Informal and formal clinical practice evaluations, in the form of practitioners feedback and standardised evaluation of professional violent extremism risk reports are needed to gain insight in the use and quality of violent extremism risk assessments.

Psychopathology in female offenders of terrorism and violent extremism: a systematic review.

Introduction: Terrorism and violent extremism are major social threats worldwide and are committed not only by men but also by women. Previous research has shown indications of psychopathology, among other personal and contextual factors, as a potential risk factor for perpetrating terrorist and violent extremist crimes. Despite the fact that women have engaged in acts of terrorism and violent extremism throughout history, the vast majority of literature on psychopathology so far has been mainly focused on men with terrorist and violent extremist behavior.

Psychopathology of Young Terrorist Offenders, and the Interaction With Ideology and Grievances.

Psychopathology might be a risk factor for terrorist offending as it is for violent offending. Therefore, we examined the prevalence of psychopathology in young and adult Jihadist terrorist offenders on the basis of primary source judicial information and forensic mental health reports with the European Database of convicted Terrorist offenders (EDT). We hypothesised that psychopathology might be associated with ideological risk factors, and that these associations might be different for young and adult terrorist offenders.

Quality improvement of forensic mental health evaluations and reports of youth in the Netherlands.

Quality improvement of forensic mental health evaluations and reports is needed, but little information is available on how this can be attained, and relatively little conceptual analysis has been undertaken. The STAR, a standardized evaluation instrument of the quality of forensic mental health reports of youth, is developed on the basis of concept mapping to clarify the different perspectives on usability of these reports. Psychometric data are provided, demonstrating the reliability and supporting the validity of the STAR.

Crime and mental disorders among native Dutch and ethnic minority juvenile defendants in the Netherlands.

We examined the prevalence of mental disorders and the recommendations regarding criminal responsibility and treatment in pre-trial mental health evaluations requested by Dutch juvenile courts for youths between the ages of 12 to 17. Youths of native Dutch (n=2694) and of ethnic minority background (n=1393) were compared. The prevalence of mental disorders was similar for both groups (76.

Assessment of violence risk in youth for juvenile court: relevant factors for clinical judgment.

Background: Assessment of violence risk in youth for juvenile court needs to be improved.

Aim: To determine which items of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) are recorded in pre-trial mental health evaluations and which of these items are associated with the clinical judgment of the risk of violent recidivism.

Method: A total of one hundred forensic diagnostic juvenile court files were rated with regard to the presence or absence of the thirty SAVRY risk items: ten historical, six contextual and eight individual items, and six protective items.