What is it about?

This chapter presents the ADViSOR project. ADViSOR aims to enhance risk evaluation using knowledge of offence-related behaviour observed by wing officers in prison. A secondary aim of ADViSOR is to recognise observed positive behaviours and so promote improved prisoner self-management.

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Why is it important?

Offender risk assessment has developed substantially over the past decades, but it remains largely driven by historical factors (e.g., previous convictions) and so is insensitive to change. At the same time, the contribution of behavioural risk assessment has been under-investigated. Present and future behaviour could be considered an extension of the behaviour in the past. Rarely, however, has observation of behaviour been systematically incorporated into assessment of risk of reoffending post-release.

Perspectives

Prison officers are observers of prisoners' day-to-day behaviours. Contributing risk information is in-keeping with the prison service’s duty under multi-agency public protection arrangements to share information with community-based probation. Professionals sometimes differ in opinion over whether observations of risk should be shared with the offender to 'correct it in real-time'. This project (ADViSOR) suggests the benefit to risk evaluation, of learning from patterns of low-level behaviour, i.e., behaviour that has been allowed to flow without challenge.

DR DOMINIC A PEARSON
University of Portsmouth

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This page is a summary of: Institutional Offence Behaviour Monitoring as an Aid to Community Supervision of High-Risk Offenders: Experience from Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements, March 2011, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1002/9780470970270.ch11.
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