Identifying and treating the problems or factors related to criminal and violent behavior are important for both prevention and intervention. Likewise, identifying and increasing protective factors—those factors that make it less likely that an individual will engage in criminal or violent behaviors—are developing strengths in significance. This entry reviews the rationale for considering protective factors in risk assessments and then discusses the conceptualization of protective factors and the application of protective factors in risk assessments.

Protective Factors and Risk Assessment

Historically, forensic and correctional psychologists have attempted to reduce recidivism by utilizing a deficit-based model that prioritizes the identification of risk factors. Risk factors have been defined as factors that provide information about who is likely to engage in criminal and violent behaviors. There have been numerous ...

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