Patrick Lussier

Criminal Trajectories of Adult Sex offenders and the Age Effect: Examining the Dynamic Aspect of Offending in Adulthood

Several policies have been implemented to manage the risk of sex offenders in the community. These policies, however, tend to target older repeat sex offenders. This is the first study to examine and describe the offending trajectories of adult sex offenders from early adolescence to adulthood. The current study is based on a quasipopulation of convicted adult sex offenders in the province of Quebec, Canada. The number of convictions was examined from the period of adolescence up to age 35 using a group-based modeling technique. The study uncovered four offending trajectories: (a) very low-rate group (56%); (b) late-bloomers (12%); (c) low-rate desistors (25%); and (d) high-rate chronics (8%). These trajectories differed on several key criminal career dimensions such as age of onset, frequency, diversity, and specialization in different offence types. The study findings challenge the conception of sex offenders’ risk as high, stable, and linear. The implications for the risk assessment and the risk prediction of recidivism are discussed.

A narrative review of the effectiveness of aggression management training programs for psychiatric hospital staff

&NA; Workplace violence, including patient‐perpetrated violence in healthcare settings, is increasingly being recognized as preventable. Staff training has been identified as a necessary component of any initiative aimed at preventing or reducing incidents of aggression and violence in the workplace. This narrative review of the literature evaluates the effectiveness of staff training programs designed to prevent and manage violence and aggression in psychiatric hospitals. An exhaustive review of the literature was performed on all articles published in English between January 1, 1990 and April 1, 2007 that evaluate an aggression management training program. Twenty‐nine studies met the inclusion criteria for a full review and were summarized using a qualitative narrative approach. Aggression management training has been proven effective in some areas, such as reducing the use of restraints and other coercive control devices, but more methodologically rigorous research is needed to firmly establish whether it is effective in reducing aggression and staff injuries. Implications: The findings of this study suggest that relying too heavily on aggression management staff training will have limited effect on addressing the range of issues related to patient‐perpetrated violence in psychiatric hospitals. Mental healthcare organizations must look beyond staff training if they are to achieve meaningful reductions in aggressive incidents and staff injuries.

Merging Developmental and Criminal Career Perspectives Implications for Risk Assessment and Risk Prediction of Violent/Sexual Recidivism in Adult Sexual Aggressors of Women

Currently, a majority of actuarial risk-assessment tools for sexual recidivism contain static risk factors that measure various aspects of the offender’s prior criminal history in adulthood. The goal of the current study was to assess the utility of extending static risk factors, by using developmental and criminal career parameters of offending, in the actuarial assessment of risk of violent/sexual recidivism. The current study was based on a sample of 204 convicted sexual aggressors of women incarcerated in the province of Quebec, Canada between April 1994 and June 2000. Semistructured interviews were used to gather information on the offender’s antisocial history prior to adulthood, and police records were used to collect data on the criminal career of these offenders in adulthood. For an average follow-up period of approximately 4 years, the violent/sexual recidivism rate for the sample was 23.7%. The results provided support for the inclusion of both developmental and criminal career indicators for the prediction of violent/sexual recidivism. More specifically, recidivists were characterized by an early onset antisocial trajectory and a pattern of escalation of antisocial behavior between childhood and adolescence. The findings suggest that risk assessors should look beyond broad adult criminal history data to include aspects of antisocial development to improve predictive accuracy.