Public Policy Center, University of Nebraska
Date of this Version
12-2014
Citation
Published in Criminal Justice and Behavior 41:12 (December 2014), pp. 1406–1421; doi: 10.1177/0093854814548449
Abstract
We conducted an international survey in which forensic examiners who were members of professional associations described their two most recent forensic evaluations (N = 434 experts, 868 cases), focusing on the use of structured assessment tools to aid expert judgment. This study describes (a) the relative frequency of various forensic referrals, (b) what tools are used globally, (c) frequency and type of structured tools used, and (d) practitioners’ rationales for using/not using tools. We provide general descriptive information for various referrals. We found most evaluations used tools (74.2%) and used several (four, on average). We noted the extreme variety in tools used (286 different tools). We discuss the implications of these findings and provide suggestions for improving the reliability and validity of forensic expert judgment methods. We conclude with a call for an assessment approach that seeks structured decision methods to advance greater efficiency in the use and integration of case-relevant information.
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Comments
Copyright © 2014 International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology. Published by SAGE Publications. Used by permission.