Violence Risk Scale (VRS)

The VRS, developed by Stephen Wong and Audrey Gordon, is a forensic risk assessment tool designed to assess the risk of violence, identify treatment targets for violence reduction treatment, assess an individual’s readiness for treatment, and evaluate treatment progress and posttreatment level of risk. Forensic risk assessments are widely used in clinical, forensic, and correctional practices and offender management. The VRS has been referred to as a treatment-friendly risk assessment tool because, unlike tools with only historic or static predictors that are not amenable to change, the VRS uses dynamic risk predictors that can change with time or treatment. Thus, the VRS integrates the tasks of violence risk assessment and treatment guidance within the same tool. This entry describes the structure and organization of the ...