Goal attainment scaling: usefulness of a tool to measure risk in violent mentally disordered offenders

Abstract

Measures of risk employed within mental health settings in the last twenty years have consisted of clinical scales that comprise both historical and clinical factors. Examples of such tools include the widely used HCR-20 (Webster, Douglas, Eaves, & Hart, 1997), SVR-20 (Boer, Hart, Kropp, & Webster, 1997) and VRS (Wong & Gordon, 2000). Such tools are time intensive and in the main, completed by an independent rater. At present, there are a lack of systems to guide teams to investigate salient risk factors related to mental state and violent offending that inform treatment effectiveness, change and ultimately risk assessment decisions. This paper describes the application of such a system. The Standard Goal Attainment Scaling for Sex Offenders (GAS-S) (Hogue, 1994) has been modified for use with violent offenders and is presented herewith. Application of the tool to the Violent Offender Treatment Programme (VOTP) is discussed alongside its potential usefulness in informing risk assessment and the effectiveness of treatment intervention