Evaluator agreement in placement recommendations for insanity acquittees.
Research has examined differences between psychologists and psychiatrists in opinions on trial competency and criminal responsibility, but there is little research on such differences in risk assessment. This study examined the impact of disciplinary affiliation on opinions regarding whether new insanity acquittees should be hospitalized or released, and the risk factors given the most weight by each discipline. There was no significant difference between disciplines in the frequency of recommendations for hospitalization versus release. However, the concordance rate at the individual case level was only moderate when controlling for chance, which raises questions about the reliability and validity of forensic risk assessments in real-world settings. A number of variables emerged as significant in the decision-making of each discipline, with some differences noted.
Department of Behavioral Health and Develomental Services, Richmond, VA 23318, USA. rebecca.stredny@dbhds.virginia.gov
Rebecca V
RV
Stredny
Amber L S
AL
Parker
Ashley Engels
AE
Dibble
D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057237:Criminals / Q000523:psychology*; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007298:Insanity Defense; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D015588:Observer Variation; D011570:Psychiatry; D011584:Psychology; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods