Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START)

The START is a succinct structured professional judgment guide for the assessment of dynamic vulnerabilities and strengths associated with risk of violence, self-harm, suicide, unauthorized leave, substance abuse, self-neglect, and being victimized by others. Working with individuals in criminal justice, psychiatric, and community mental health contexts calls for practitioners to identify the risks that individuals might pose to themselves or others (e.g., violence, suicide, nonsuicidal self-injury) and to effect management plans to prevent undesirable outcomes (e.g., mental illness relapse, rehospitalization, violence, recidivism, substance use relapse, suicide, self-harm). Given the pervasive risks to self and others in these populations and the substantial personal and social burdens, risk assessment is a process with inherently high stakes. It is fraught with challenges, including the potential for liability risk ...