Screening Tools Assessing Risk of Suicide and Self-Harm in Adult Offenders: A Systematic Review

• NCJ Number: 232020
• Journal: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 54 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2010 Pages: 803-828
• Author(s): Amanda E. Perry; Rania Marandos; Simon Coulton; Mathew Johnson
• Date Published: October 2010
• Length: 26 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article presents a review of screening tools used for assessing the risk of suicide and self-harm in adult offenders.

Abstract

This systematic review assessed the validity of screening instruments to identify the risk of suicide and self-harm behaviour in offenders. A search of 11 electronic databases and grey literature resulted in the inclusion of 5 studies. The five studies revealed four screening instruments, including the Suicide Checklist, the Suicide Probability Scale, Suicide Concerns for Offenders in Prison Environment (SCOPE), and the Suicide Potential Scale. Two instruments, SCOPE and Suicide Potential Scale, shared promising levels of sensitivity and specificity. The reporting of information was generally varied across items on the Standards for the Reporting of Diagnostic accuracy (STARD). Research is needed to assess the predictive validity of tools for offender populations in the identification of those at risk, particularly those in probation and community settings. Tables, appendix, notes, and references (Published Abstract)