Strategies for Assessing and Preventing Inpatient Violence in Forensic Hospitals: A Call for Specificity

Violence within inpatient forensic hospitals is a significant and enduring problem that leads to harm to staff and patients and causes significant expenditures. This paper provides comprehensive recommendations for developing and implementing violence reduction strategies within forensic settings th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European psychologist 2020-04, Vol.25 (2), p.146-154
Main Authors: Dexter, Erin, Vitacco, Michael J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Environment
Forensic Assessment
Hospital Administration
Hospitalized Patients
Human
Inpatient
Intervention
Patient Violence
Prevention
Risk Factors
Violence
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Summary:Violence within inpatient forensic hospitals is a significant and enduring problem that leads to harm to staff and patients and causes significant expenditures. This paper provides comprehensive recommendations for developing and implementing violence reduction strategies within forensic settings that are predicated on appropriate evaluation for violence risk. This paper posits that proper strategies must take into account subtypes of violence and classifying risk with systematic and continuous evaluations. Treatment interventions should be geared to patients most at-risk for violence. By recognizing the dynamic nature of violence, hospital administrators can work closely with institution staff to provide support for improving the environment of forensic hospitals. By employing empirically based treatment interventions on both acute and long-term units, forensic hospitals can provide a safer environment.
ISSN:1016-9040
1878-531X
DOI:10.1027/1016-9040/a000393