Assessing Risk: Gender
responsive considerations
Samantha Crawford & Sarah Passmore
Higher 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
Age Women
group
Men
25-29
796
14,695
30-39
1,266
21,474
40-49
830
13,815
www.justice.gov.uk/statistics
Sentence Length
Women: 12 months – less
than 4 years 1,189
Men: 4 years or more
(excluding indeterminate)
23,406
Offence Type
Men
Male
% Change
from 2007
Women
Women
% Change
from 2007
Violence against the
person
28.5%
+1.3%
26.7%
+6.2%
Drug Offences
14.5%
-0.9%
21.2%
-10%
Theft & Handling
Stolen Goods
5.5%
+0.1%
13.2%
+2%
Sexual Offences
14.3%
+2.9%
2.4%
+1%
www.justice.gov.uk/statistics
“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/Accommodation
Loucks, 2004; Corston, 2007; A Distinct Approach: A Guide
to Working with Women Offenders – NOMS 2012
Self Harm
Separation
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)
Why have more gender
specific risk
assessments?
HCR-20
Assessing Risk for Violence (Webster, Douglas,
Eaves & Hart, 1997)
Historical
(Past)
H1. Previous Violence
H2. Young Age at First
Violent Incident
H3. Relationship Instability
H4. Employment
Problems
H5. Substance Use
Problems
H6. Major Mental Illness
H7. Psychopathy
H8. Early Maladjustment
H9. Personality Disorder
H10. Prior Supervision
Failure
Clinical
(Present)
Risk Management
(Future)
C1. Lack of Insight
R1. Plans Lack Feasibility
C2. Negative Attitudes
R2. Exposure to
Destabilizers
C3. Active Symptoms of
Major Mental Illness
R3. Lack of Personal
Support
C4. Impulsivity
C5. Unresponsive to
Treatment
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.
Profile
Miss A: 26 year old female
Index offence: Murder
Previous offences: theft, assaulting a constable
Background Information
Parents separated age 7
Neglect and physical and sexual abuse as a child
Witnessed domestic violence
Behavioural difficulties at school
Taken in to care age 12
Substance misuse
Pregnancy at young age
Postnatal depression
Prostitution
Prison Behaviour
Self harm
Low self esteem
Manipulation
Borderline personality disorder
• H6 Major Mental Illness
• H10 Prior supervision failure
• H7 Psychopathy
• H11 Prostitution
• H8 Early Maladjustment
• H8a Problematic
Circumstances during
childhood
• H8b Problematic behaviour
during childhood
• H9 Personality Disorder –
cluster B PDs
De Vogel, de Vries Robbe, van Kalmthout & Place, 2011
• H12 Parenting difficulties
• H13 Pregnancy at young age
• H14 Suicidality/Self harm
• H15 Victimization after
childhood
Clinical Items
Risk Management Items
• Covert/Manipulative
behaviour
• Problematic child care
responsibility
• Low self esteem
• Problematic intimate
relationship
Index offence: Murder
Pregnancy at young
age
Prostitution
Self harm
Manipulation
Neglect and physical
and sexual abuse as
a child
Borderline personality
disorder
Postnatal
depression
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.