Validating the SAPROF with Forensic Mental Health Patients

Assessing and managing level of violence risk among forensic mental health patients is a primary role of clinical staff. Forensic risk assessments are typically focused on risk factors and deficits, whereas patient protective factors are either partially included or excluded by clinicians. The Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for Violence Risk (SAPROF) is a recently developed measure of protective factors designed to augment the conventional use of risk assessment tools with a correctional/forensic population. In the current study, the psychometric properties of the SAPROF were examined in a sample of 50 forensic inpatients and outpatients found Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) at a psychiatric hospital in Ontario, Canada. The SAPROF was found to have adequate internal, intrarater, and interrater reliability. Using a subsample of inpatients only, incremental predictive validity was demonstrated for institutional misconducts at six-month follow-up over the HCR-20 V3. Taken together, the results suggest that the SAPROF may be a useful addition to clinical practice and inform review board decisions about risk prediction, risk management, and treatment planning.