Historical-Clinical-Risk Management-20 (HCR-20)

The HCR-20 is a commonly used violence risk assessment measure belonging to the Structured Professional Judgment model of violence risk assessment that sets out 20 risk factors across three scales: Historical, Clinical, and Risk Management. Violence risk assessment plays a pivotal role within criminal and forensic psychology, in [Page 593]that it is used to determine the level of violence risk posed by persons typically under some form of legal supervision or incapacitation. For instance, it is commonly used at admission to, within, and discharge from prisons, forensic hospitals, and psychiatric facilities. This entry provides an overview of the HCR-20, including a brief description and history, its purpose, its applications, its core assumptions, its contents, how it was developed, how it is used in practice, and ...