[Methods and Current Issues Related to Risk Assessment of Other-Directed Violence]. / Les méthodes et enjeux relatifs à l'évaluation du risque de la violence hétérodirigée.

Objectives This article provides an overview of the approaches and instruments used to assess the risk of other-directed violence, with particular focus on risk formulation. Issues pertaining to the development and implementation of these instruments are briefly reviewed. Method A critical analysis of the literature pertaining to the methods and current issues related to risk assessment of other-directed violence is proposed. Results Violence risk assessment instruments are used to manage offenders struggling with mental health issues. They help inform decisions regarding monitoring, supervision, treatment and sentencing in correctional and forensic mental health settings. There are different approaches to violence risk assessment and numerous instruments offered to professionals working in these settings. Considering the structured professional judgement (SPJ) tools, they have considerably evolved in the last years with regard to the types of violence and the methods used to assess and manage risk. Examples of these innovations include taking into consideration victim safety planning and strategies to facilitate risk communication such as scenario planning based on an explanatory framework informed by risk formulation. Risk formulation is a relatively new step in the administration SPJ tools, and invites users to go beyond documenting the presence and relevance of specific risk factors by allowing them to consider the nature and the etiology of violence in an individualized manner. Risk formulation integrates both relevant risk and protective factors that facilitate the process of scenario planning and the identification of successful risk management strategies. Conclusion Although structured approaches to violence risk assessment of offenders struggling with mental health issues have become more and more frequent in many settings, some methodological and implementation issues still have to be tackled. In spite that these issues warrant further discussion based on new empirical data, their contribution to risk reduction and to the success of social rehabilitation of the individuals at the centre of these assessments is undeniable.

Familicide: A Systematic Literature Review.

Familicides have received relatively little attention and are mostly discussed in studies with broader aims. Here, we reviewed 67 studies from 18 countries on familicides, in which an offender killed or attempted to kill their current or former spouse/intimate partner and one or more of their biological or stepchildren. We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. Eight studies investigated familicide specifically, while the remaining reported on familicide cases as a subsample. We retrieved data on offenders' gender, age, and background as well as on victims and their relationship to the offender. We also retrieved data on contextual factors and offense characteristics (i.e., modus operandi, offense location, premeditation, and whether or not the offender had committed suicide). We also coded methodological aspects of the studies. Familicides were almost exclusively committed by men and about half of the familicide cases led to the suicide of the offender. Mental health problems, relationship problems, and financial difficulties were prevalent. Because few studies reported population base rates of the investigated characteristics, it is difficult to draw conclusions about specific risk factors. Future research should further investigate typologies of familicide and examine risk factors for different types of familicides.