Violence risk assessment in Australian Aboriginal offender populations: A review of the literature.

Abstract

The utilization of violence risk instruments in forensic populations is increasing and a plethora of empirical investigations support their ability to predict recidivistic outcomes. However, the generalizability of these findings to culturally diverse populations is problematic given dissimilarities in cultural traditions, norms, and experiences. The present study explored this subject in relation to Aboriginal Australians. First, a concert of violence risk markers that are more prevalent among Aboriginal Australian offenders compared with non-Aboriginal offenders were examined in light of their social and historical context. Next, studies employing violence risk instruments on cohorts of Aboriginal Australian offenders were reviewed. Findings demonstrated moderate predictive accuracy for violence and commensurate utility with non-Aboriginal offenders although results should be treated with caution due to the paucity of available studies for consideration. Implications for clinical practice and culturally appropriate assessment models are discussed.

Cross-Cultural Validity of Actuarial Risk Assessment Instruments for Individuals in North America with a History of Sexual Offending: Static-99R and Static-2002R

“…compared to Whites. This pattern of results is consistent with the general research on risk assessment with Indigenous peoples (e.g., Babchishin, Blais et al, 2012;Olver et al, 2018;Perley-Robertson et al, 2018;Shepherd et al, 2014).…”

“…An important finding for the current study is that Indigenous individuals in the criminal justice system score higher on the majority of established risk factors for general and violent recidivism than non-Indigenous individuals (i.e., Central Eight risk/needs factors; Andrews & Bonta, 2010). For example, Indigenous individuals in the criminal justice system have lengthier criminal histories (e.g., Holsinger, Lowenkamp, & Latessa, 2006;Perley-Robertson, Helmus, & Forth, 2018;Shepherd, Adams, McEntyre, & Walker, 2014), higher rates of substance abuse (e.g., Ellerby & MacPherson, 2002;Shepherd et al, 2014), more problems with family/marital relationships (e.g., Shepherd et al, 2014;Trevethan, Moore, & Rastin, 2002), and less education/employment (Holsinger, Lowenkamp, & Latessa, 2003;Shepherd et al, 2014;Trevethan et al, 2002) than non-Indigenous individuals in the criminal justice system.…”

Indigenous Perspectives on Operation RESET: An Initiative to Improve the Identification and Prosecution of Child Sexual Abuse Incidents in Remote Indigenous Communities

“…Whilst there has been some evidence in previous literature of a hesitancy to report offenders due to fear of them being exposed to risk in prison, this was not evident in these interviews (Cunneen, 2009;Shepherd, Adams, McEntyre, & Walker, 2014). Removal of perpetrators from the communities was perceived positively by both family members and service providers, and participants expressed relief when perpetrators were charged.…”

Closing the (incarceration) gap: assessing the socio-economic and clinical indicators of indigenous males by lifetime incarceration status

“…Explanations for Indigenous over-incarceration are well documented. Proximal factors include substance abuse, low educational obtainment, child maltreatment, exposure to violence, unemployment, family/neighbourhood dysfunction, anti-social behaviours, negative peer group influence, mental disorder and financial strain [7,[12][13][14][15]. Representative surveys of Indigenous prisoners underscore the commonality of these factors [16][17][18][19][20].…”