Frank Urbaniok | Universität Konstanz (original) (raw)
Papers by Frank Urbaniok
Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice, 2017
ABSTRACT In the forensic field, a reliable and valid assessment of domestic perpetrators who pose... more ABSTRACT In the forensic field, a reliable and valid assessment of domestic perpetrators who pose a high risk of reassaulting an intimate partner is needed to implement effective risk management strategies. The purpose of the present study was to examine the accuracy of two violence risk assessment methods in identifying high-risk perpetrators of IPV, comparing forensic experts with psychology students. For a cohort (n = 30) of domestic violent cases that required an expert evaluation in the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland, violence risk was assessed by certified forensic psychiatrists using unstructured clinical judgment (UCJ) and by undergraduate and graduate research assistants scoring the actuarial Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) instrument. After a mean follow-up period of 8.0 years, the base rate of violent recidivism was 20.0%. Students were significantly more accurate than clinical experts in assessing long-term violent recidivism (AUC = 0.78 vs. 0.44). Raters without extensive clinical training could differentiate those spouses who carried on assaulting their intimate partner from those who desisted from violent behavior. Potential explanations are clinical assessment biases and the mediating effect of interventions. Further research should address the lack of use of mechanical instruments in clinical forensic practice.
Fortschritte der Neurologie · Psychiatrie, 2011
Fortschritte der Neurologie · Psychiatrie, 2010
European Psychiatry, 2007
Forensic prognostic instruments assess an offender's risk of re-offending. Thus they assign o... more Forensic prognostic instruments assess an offender's risk of re-offending. Thus they assign of-fenders to risk categories, which contain a certain probability of recidivism within a certain period of time after release from prison. Most instruments however do not evaluate the effect which dy-namic processes such as therapies have on individual risk disposition. This gap FOTRES aims to close. The FOTRES (Forensic Operationalized Therapy/Risk Evaluation System) is a clinical instrument for the assessment and standardized documentation of all types of offenders. It consists of 700 items and assesses 3 main dimensions, namely the structural risk of recidivism, the mutability of an offender's disposition and the dynamic risk reduction provided by therapy. All items of the ‘structural risk of recidivism’ relate to the offender's past or the offense itself. The items explore the offender's personality and disposition to delinquency. They also cover specific problem areas relevant to the offense and the pattern of the offense itself. The second dimension assesses the mutability of the offenders risk disposition through therapy or coping strategies. The third dimension measures the actual risk reduction which has been attained through therapy or the implementation of such coping strategies. Thus the FOTRES does not only serve as an in-strument of prognosis but also as tool for planning assessing therapy progress. The FOTRES is currently being used by more than 200 clinicians in the German speaking area. It is presently being translated into English and Dutch and is being validated on different offender populations in Switzerland.
Evaluation der psychiatrischen Versorgung in der Bundesrepublik, 1995
Legal and Criminological Psychology
Purpose. Relapse prevention is an important goal in correctional settings. Although there is stro... more Purpose. Relapse prevention is an important goal in correctional settings. Although there is strong evidence for the effectiveness of certain treatment programs for juvenile offenders, those for adults lack such evidence. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a risk-need-responsivity (RNR)-based intervention. Methods. A quasi-experimental, observational study design and cox regression analysis were used to compare treated violent and sexual offenders (n = 171) with untreated offenders (n = 241). Results. Both groups were observed for an average of 7.9 years. Recidivism rates of treated offenders (11.7%, n = 20) were similar to those of control offenders (15.8%, n = 38; p = .25). When controlling for confounding variables, the hazard of recidivism in the treatment group was 5.2% lower than that in the control group. Subdividing the treatment group resulted in lower hazard ratios for offenders still in therapy when released and offenders cancelling therapy. However, none of the group differences was statistically significant. Conclusion. Our results show that control and RNR-based treatment groups had comparable recidivism rates with a trend towards a positive treatment effect, especially for people in outpatient treatment. However, criminal history, age at the start of followup, and actuarial risk of recidivism were significantly associated with recidivism. Future research needs to apply elaborate methodological approaches to detect robust treatment effects and consider different criteria of treatment effectiveness. Furthermore, the influence of prison climate, motivational factors, intervention quality, and factors supporting the success of outpatient treatment should be considered in future studies of larger offender samples.
European Psychiatry, 2009
Every person has the right to not become a victim of violent or sex offenses. There is neither ab... more Every person has the right to not become a victim of violent or sex offenses. There is neither absolute certainty, nor "the solution" when dealing with violent and sex offenders. A society has many options for lowering the risks and for protecting its citizens. The focus on aspects of prevention in handling offenders plays a central role. Unfortunately, many countries show sizable deficits in areas of prevention:
Psychotherapie Wissenschaft, Oct 1, 2003
Störungsorientierte Psychotherapie, 2008
Praxis, Jan 4, 2009
When comparing different studies on prison violence, it must be taken into account that correctio... more When comparing different studies on prison violence, it must be taken into account that correctional facilities vary considerably among one another. Studies conducted in Switzerland have shown that every one inmate in four is violent at least once during incarceration. These violent acts differ in regard to manifestation and a specific characterization of violence according to type, target, implication and trigger appears to be necessary. Existing criminal prognostic instruments are not suitable for estimating the risk of violent behavior in prisons. Therefore, the development of specific models is essential. International studies have identified various risk factors. However, due to the aforementioned differences in facilities, these predictors can only partly be transferred to a Swiss setting.
Schweizer Archiv Fur Neurologie Und Psychiatrie, 2006
Schweizer Archiv Fur Neurologie Und Psychiatrie, 2009
The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry Psychology, Mar 1, 2006
Abstract The Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG) is a widely used actuarial risk assessment inst... more Abstract The Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG) is a widely used actuarial risk assessment instrument and has been validated in different countries. However, there is no investigation supporting the predictive accuracy of the VRAG in the German language ...
Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice, 2017
ABSTRACT In the forensic field, a reliable and valid assessment of domestic perpetrators who pose... more ABSTRACT In the forensic field, a reliable and valid assessment of domestic perpetrators who pose a high risk of reassaulting an intimate partner is needed to implement effective risk management strategies. The purpose of the present study was to examine the accuracy of two violence risk assessment methods in identifying high-risk perpetrators of IPV, comparing forensic experts with psychology students. For a cohort (n = 30) of domestic violent cases that required an expert evaluation in the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland, violence risk was assessed by certified forensic psychiatrists using unstructured clinical judgment (UCJ) and by undergraduate and graduate research assistants scoring the actuarial Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) instrument. After a mean follow-up period of 8.0 years, the base rate of violent recidivism was 20.0%. Students were significantly more accurate than clinical experts in assessing long-term violent recidivism (AUC = 0.78 vs. 0.44). Raters without extensive clinical training could differentiate those spouses who carried on assaulting their intimate partner from those who desisted from violent behavior. Potential explanations are clinical assessment biases and the mediating effect of interventions. Further research should address the lack of use of mechanical instruments in clinical forensic practice.
Fortschritte der Neurologie · Psychiatrie, 2011
Fortschritte der Neurologie · Psychiatrie, 2010
European Psychiatry, 2007
Forensic prognostic instruments assess an offender's risk of re-offending. Thus they assign o... more Forensic prognostic instruments assess an offender's risk of re-offending. Thus they assign of-fenders to risk categories, which contain a certain probability of recidivism within a certain period of time after release from prison. Most instruments however do not evaluate the effect which dy-namic processes such as therapies have on individual risk disposition. This gap FOTRES aims to close. The FOTRES (Forensic Operationalized Therapy/Risk Evaluation System) is a clinical instrument for the assessment and standardized documentation of all types of offenders. It consists of 700 items and assesses 3 main dimensions, namely the structural risk of recidivism, the mutability of an offender's disposition and the dynamic risk reduction provided by therapy. All items of the ‘structural risk of recidivism’ relate to the offender's past or the offense itself. The items explore the offender's personality and disposition to delinquency. They also cover specific problem areas relevant to the offense and the pattern of the offense itself. The second dimension assesses the mutability of the offenders risk disposition through therapy or coping strategies. The third dimension measures the actual risk reduction which has been attained through therapy or the implementation of such coping strategies. Thus the FOTRES does not only serve as an in-strument of prognosis but also as tool for planning assessing therapy progress. The FOTRES is currently being used by more than 200 clinicians in the German speaking area. It is presently being translated into English and Dutch and is being validated on different offender populations in Switzerland.
Evaluation der psychiatrischen Versorgung in der Bundesrepublik, 1995
Legal and Criminological Psychology
Purpose. Relapse prevention is an important goal in correctional settings. Although there is stro... more Purpose. Relapse prevention is an important goal in correctional settings. Although there is strong evidence for the effectiveness of certain treatment programs for juvenile offenders, those for adults lack such evidence. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a risk-need-responsivity (RNR)-based intervention. Methods. A quasi-experimental, observational study design and cox regression analysis were used to compare treated violent and sexual offenders (n = 171) with untreated offenders (n = 241). Results. Both groups were observed for an average of 7.9 years. Recidivism rates of treated offenders (11.7%, n = 20) were similar to those of control offenders (15.8%, n = 38; p = .25). When controlling for confounding variables, the hazard of recidivism in the treatment group was 5.2% lower than that in the control group. Subdividing the treatment group resulted in lower hazard ratios for offenders still in therapy when released and offenders cancelling therapy. However, none of the group differences was statistically significant. Conclusion. Our results show that control and RNR-based treatment groups had comparable recidivism rates with a trend towards a positive treatment effect, especially for people in outpatient treatment. However, criminal history, age at the start of followup, and actuarial risk of recidivism were significantly associated with recidivism. Future research needs to apply elaborate methodological approaches to detect robust treatment effects and consider different criteria of treatment effectiveness. Furthermore, the influence of prison climate, motivational factors, intervention quality, and factors supporting the success of outpatient treatment should be considered in future studies of larger offender samples.
European Psychiatry, 2009
Every person has the right to not become a victim of violent or sex offenses. There is neither ab... more Every person has the right to not become a victim of violent or sex offenses. There is neither absolute certainty, nor "the solution" when dealing with violent and sex offenders. A society has many options for lowering the risks and for protecting its citizens. The focus on aspects of prevention in handling offenders plays a central role. Unfortunately, many countries show sizable deficits in areas of prevention:
Psychotherapie Wissenschaft, Oct 1, 2003
Störungsorientierte Psychotherapie, 2008
Praxis, Jan 4, 2009
When comparing different studies on prison violence, it must be taken into account that correctio... more When comparing different studies on prison violence, it must be taken into account that correctional facilities vary considerably among one another. Studies conducted in Switzerland have shown that every one inmate in four is violent at least once during incarceration. These violent acts differ in regard to manifestation and a specific characterization of violence according to type, target, implication and trigger appears to be necessary. Existing criminal prognostic instruments are not suitable for estimating the risk of violent behavior in prisons. Therefore, the development of specific models is essential. International studies have identified various risk factors. However, due to the aforementioned differences in facilities, these predictors can only partly be transferred to a Swiss setting.
Schweizer Archiv Fur Neurologie Und Psychiatrie, 2006
Schweizer Archiv Fur Neurologie Und Psychiatrie, 2009
The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry Psychology, Mar 1, 2006
Abstract The Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG) is a widely used actuarial risk assessment inst... more Abstract The Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG) is a widely used actuarial risk assessment instrument and has been validated in different countries. However, there is no investigation supporting the predictive accuracy of the VRAG in the German language ...