Aaron J. Kivisto

Does the R-PAS Meet Standards for Forensic Use? Considerations with Introducing a New Rorschach Coding System

The Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS) was introduced in 2011 as an alternative to Exners Comprehensive System (CS). This article critically evaluates the contemporary use of the R-PAS in forensic contexts. The standing of the R-PAS in relation to relevant legal standards, professional guidelines, and published professional models is considered. Normative reference data, revised administration procedures, and general acceptance are discussed, and questions surrounding the comparability of the R-PAS to the CS are explored. Historical transitions to revised versions of existing assessment procedures are reviewed with particular attention to the recurrent question of comparability and how such concerns were addressed. Although the R-PAS shows significant promise, fully adopting it into current forensic practice may be premature.

Firearm Legislation and Fatal Police Shootings in the United States

Objectives To examine whether stricter firearm legislation is associated with rates of fatal police shootings. Methods We used a cross-sectional, state-level design to evaluate the effect of state-level firearm legislation on rates of fatal police shootings from January 1, 2015, through October 31, 2016. We measured state-level variation in firearm laws with legislative scorecards from the Brady Center, and for fatal police shootings we used The Counted, an online database maintained by The Guardian. Results State-level firearm legislation was significantly associated with lower rates of fatal police shootings (incidence rate ratio = 0.961; 95% confidence interval = 0.939, 0.984). When we controlled for sociodemographic factors, states in the top quartile of legislative strength had a 51% lower incidence rate than did states in the lowest quartile. Laws aimed at strengthening background checks, promoting safe storage, and reducing gun trafficking were associated with fewer fatal police shootings. Conclusions Legislative restrictions on firearms are associated with reductions in fatal police shootings. Public Health Implications Although further research is necessary to determine causality and potential mechanisms, firearm legislation is a potential policy solution for reducing fatal police shootings in the United States.

Violence Risk Assessment and Management in Outpatient Clinical Practice.

OBJECTIVE The aims of this review were to highlight fundamental distinctions between risk assessment in forensic versus therapeutic settings, review the best available evidence regarding key risk and protective factors for violence of particular relevance to clinicians in outpatient therapeutic settings, and describe an approach to evaluating and managing violence risk in outpatient treatment. METHOD An integrative literature review was undertaken to examine violence risk and protective factors most relevant to outpatient clinicians in therapeutic settings. RESULTS Based on the available research, the Integrative Outpatient Violence Risk Assessment and Management (IVRAM) model, a 5-step strategy for evaluating and managing violence risk in therapeutic contexts, is introduced. The IVRAM emphasizes the integration of nomothetic and idiographic data through a focus on empirically derived dynamic risk and protective factors in the context of an individualized anamnestic analysis. CONCLUSION Clinicians working in forensic and therapeutic settings will increasingly benefit from the contributions of the other as the distinctions between risk assessment and risk management continue to decrease.

The Inventory of Legal Knowledge (ILK) and adults with intellectual disabilities

Purpose Adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) entering the legal system in the USA are at heightened risk of being incorrectly labeled as malingering. The Inventory of Legal Knowledge (ILK) was recently developed to assess response style of individuals undergoing competency to stand trial (CST) evaluations. The purpose of this paper is to present preliminary data on the utility of the ILK with adults with ID. Design/methodology/approach In total, 32 adults were recruited from an American day program for adults with ID. Using a simulation design, the first 24 participants were assigned to the honest responding group and the remaining eight were assigned to the fake bad group. The normative performance of the honest responding group was compared to established norms for adults without ID, the most efficient ILK cut-off score was examined, and convergent validity of the ILK and other malingering measures tested. Findings Compared to the established mean score, the recommended cut-off score, and two independent published samples of non-ID adults, the normative performance of the honest responding ID group was significantly lower. Analyses of area under the curve revealed that the ILK lacked sufficient ability to discriminate adults with ID instructed to respond honestly from those instructed to feign incompetence, and correlational analyses failed to support the convergent validity of the ILK in this sample. Research limitations/implications The present findings do not support the use of the ILK with adults with ID, even with adjusted cut scores. The development of novel malingering measures that can be used in the context of CST evaluations with adults with ID is needed. Originality/value The present study is the first to examine the psychometric properties of the ILK with adults diagnosed with ID and without concomitant psychiatric symptomatology.