Assessing Risk: Gender responsive considerations

Samantha Crawford & Sarah PassmoreHigher Assistant Psychologists

• Statistics

• Female pathways into offending

• Issues women encounter in prison

• Risk Assessments

• Ways Forward

Women in prison 3,814 (4.82%) June 2013

www.justice.gov.uk/statistics

Age group

Women Men

25-29 796 14,695

30-39 1,266 21,474

40-49 830 13,815

Sentence Length

Women: 12 months – less than 4 years 1,189

Men: 4 years or more (excluding indeterminate)

23,406

www.justice.gov.uk/statistics

Offence Type Men Male % Change from 2007

Women Women % Change from 2007

Violence against the person

Drug Offences

Theft & Handling Stolen Goods

Sexual Offences

28.5%

14.5%

5.5%

14.3%

+1.3%

-0.9%

+0.1%

+2.9%

26.7%

21.2%

13.2%

2.4%

+6.2%

-10%

+2%

+1%

“The most common pathways to crime are based on survival (of abuse and poverty) and substance abuse” (Bloom, Owen &

Covington, 2003)

• Women as victims as well as offenders

• Relationships

• Mental illness

• Substance abuse

• Little education/work experience

• Homelessness/AccommodationLoucks, 2004; Corston, 2007; A Distinct Approach: A Guide

to Working with Women Offenders – NOMS 2012

Self HarmSeparation from

children

Location of prison from home area

Effects of separation on the children

Pregnancy/birth in prison Hormonal

difficulties

What are risk assessments?

“The assessment of risk for future sexual/violent behaviour in

patients/offenders with a violent history and/or mental disorder”

(De Vogel, 2012)

http://proactive-resolutions.com/old-site/bookletsmanuals/hcr-20-ver2_eu.html

Why have more gender specific risk

assessments?

HCR-20Assessing Risk for Violence (Webster, Douglas,

Eaves & Hart, 1997)Historical

(Past)Clinical (Present)

Risk Management (Future)

H1. Previous ViolenceH2. Young Age at First Violent Incident H3. Relationship InstabilityH4. Employment ProblemsH5. Substance Use ProblemsH6. Major Mental IllnessH7. PsychopathyH8. Early MaladjustmentH9. Personality DisorderH10. Prior Supervision Failure

C1. Lack of Insight

C2. Negative Attitudes

C3. Active Symptoms of Major Mental Illness

C4. Impulsivity

C5. Unresponsive to Treatment

R1. Plans Lack Feasibility

R2. Exposure to Destabilizers

R3. Lack of Personal Support

R4. Noncompliance with Remediation Attempts

R5. Stress

• The Female Additional Manual (FAM) is a recently developed addition to the HCR-20 for assessing risk for violence in women. (De Vogel, de Vries Robbe, van Kalmthout & Place, 2011)

• Several risk factors for violent behaviour in women differ substantially from those in men.

• The increased number of violent crimes being committing by women and the different pathways into crime is highlighting the need for gender specific risk assessments.

ProfileMiss A: 26 year old femaleIndex offence: MurderPrevious offences: theft, assaulting a constable

Background InformationParents separated age 7Neglect and physical and sexual abuse as a childWitnessed domestic violenceBehavioural difficulties at schoolTaken in to care age 12Substance misusePregnancy at young agePostnatal depressionProstitution

Prison BehaviourSelf harmLow self esteemManipulationBorderline personality disorder

• H6 Major Mental Illness

• H7 Psychopathy

• H8 Early Maladjustment

• H8a Problematic Circumstances during childhood

• H8b Problematic behaviour during childhood

• H9 Personality Disorder – cluster B PDs

• H10 Prior supervision failure

• H11 Prostitution

• H12 Parenting difficulties

• H13 Pregnancy at young age

• H14 Suicidality/Self harm

• H15 Victimization after childhood

De Vogel, de Vries Robbe, van Kalmthout & Place, 2011

Clinical Items

• Covert/Manipulative behaviour

• Low self esteem

Risk Management Items

• Problematic child care responsibility

• Problematic intimate relationship

Neglect and physical and sexual abuse as

a child

Pregnancy at young age

Postnatal depression

Prostitution Manipulation

Self harm

Borderline personality disorder

Index offence: Murder

The increased number of violent offences

committed by women have highlighting the

need for gender sensitive risk assessment.

The pathways into offending seem to differ

from those of males including substance

misuse, abuse and mental health problems,

prostitution and there are more likely to be missed in

traditional risk assessments.

FAM development are a step forward in adopting a more gender sensitive approach

to assessment and risk and an important factor when assessing risk on female

offenders.