Forensic and Correctional Applications of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI)

The PAI has become increasingly popular in forensic and correctional mental health assessment over the past several years. This workshop, pitched at an intermediate level that assumes a basic familiarity with the instrument, will provide an overview of applications of the PAI with offender populations in an array of settings (e.g., pre-adjudication, post-adjudication) and in relation to various referral questions (e.g., institutional adjustment, response style, mental disorder, treatment outcome). Issues of legal admissibility will be addressed and case examples reviewed.

Learning Objectives:
To allow you to (1) discuss the basic design and structure of the PAI, as well as general interpretive strategies and guidelines; (2) prepare interpretive strategies for the detection of response distortion on the PAI; (3) analyze the utility of the PAI in identifying psychopathology and personality pathology in criminal populations; (4) discuss evidence concerning the utility of the PAI in identifying those at risk for recidivism and institutional misconduct; (5) list issues concerning the use and admissibility of the PAI in legal cases; (6) use specialized PAI computerized interpretive reports.

Presenter:
John F. Edens, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Psychology at Texas A&M University and a licensed psychologist (Texas). His clinical and research interests focus on forensic assessment issues and the role of mental health expertise in legal proceedings. He is a co-author of the PAI Interpretive Report for Correctional Settings.

Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START)

Clinicians are routinely required to make decisions and provide recommendations regarding the admission, discharge, and management of persons who may pose a risk of violence to self or others. This remains a challenging task, with divergent approaches and instruments available to assist with these decisions. This course will provide an introduction to the "Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability" (START), a 20-item clinical guide for the dynamic assessment of seven risk domains. START represents a refinement in the assessment of risk in that it provides for the differential coding of both patient strengths and vulnerabilities while allowing for the recording of case specific factors. START is intended for use with adults with mental, personality and substance related disorders and is expected to have relevance to correctional, civil, and forensic patients in the community or institutional settings. In this session, offered by the developers of the instrument, we will describe the design, format, and implementation of START, as well as discuss its utility as a clinical evaluation and research tool.

Please note that the cost of the START manual is not included in the conference/workshop fees. The presenters of this workshop recommend attendees purchase of a START manual prior to AP-LS if possible. To eliminate the need for additional shipping costs, it is possible for the START manual to be picked up at the workshop. All START manual orders can be sent to start@forensic.bc.ca. If you would like to pick up the manual at the conference, this should be noted in your order. Some manuals will also be available for purchase at the conference.

Learning Objectives:
To allow you to (1) explain the role of static and dynamic variables in violence risk assessment and management; (2) analyze the role of strengths and vulnerabilities in case management; (3) administer, interpret, and implement START assessments (i.e., scoring individual items, communicating final risk decisions).

Presenters:
Tonia Nicholls, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia and Senior Research Fellow at the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission, BC Mental Health & Addiction Services. Johann Brink, MB, ChB, FRCPC, is a psychiatrist and Director of Clinical Services and Scientific Director for the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission in British Columbia. Sarah Desmarais, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy at the University of South Florida.

Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)

SEM is quickly becoming a mainstay in psychological research. This introductory workshop is designed to provide participants with basic knowledge of these methods and demonstrate how SEM can be applied to strengthen existing research programs. Topics to be reviewed include SEM programming, path analysis, and mediation/moderation in an SEM framework. As time permits, advanced methods for analyzing growth and change, including latent and multilevel growth curve modeling will be introduced. It is strongly recommended that participants download the Mplus (unlimited days: http://www.statmodel.com/) and AMOS (16-day evaluation: http://www.spss.com/downloads/) demo versions to their personal laptop so that they can follow along with the workshop examples. Computer and software access will not be provided as part of the course.

Learning Objectives:
To allow you to (1) discuss SEM methods; (2) explain how SEM can be applied to existing research programs; (3) conduct basic SEM programming; (4) utilize mediation/moderation analysis in the SEM framework.

Presenter:
Candice Odgers, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at University of California, Irvine.

Meta-Analysis in Psychology and Law Research

This workshop introduces psychology and law students and researchers to the principles, methods, and problems of meta-analysis. Using a step-by-step approach, participants will be guided on how to conduct a simple meta-analysis. Topics that will be covered will include identifying a research question, formulating hypotheses, searching the literature in databases, coding information, establishing inter-coder reliability, calculating effect sizes, conducting a homogeneity test and finding outliers, distinguishing between fixed-effects and random effects meta-analysis, conducting moderator analyses and meta-regression, presenting results, and becoming aware of threats to validity (particularly publication bias).

Learning Objectives: To allow you (1) list the basic steps in conducting and presenting a simple meta-analysis; (2) discuss some of the pitfalls of meta-analyses; (3) analyze and consume more critically existing meta-analyses.

Presenter:
Siegfried L. Sporer, Ph.D. is a Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Giessen in Germany.

Doing the Thing You Think You Cannot Do (organized by Professional Development of Women Committee)

PRECONFERENCE EVENT - Thursday, March 18, 8 - 10 am, Salon F

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Successful women have the courage to take action, make mistakes, and gain strength from their experience. They are able to do the thing they think they cannot do. Pathways and pitfalls for women associated with taking bold but strategic risks will be explored in the first part of this presentation. In the second part, an interactive format will be used to focus on negotiation skills. Women who “work smart” are able to position themselves favorably for important workplace negotiations concerning salary, professional goals, administrative roles, and so on. Four areas will be covered: ways to enhance one’s future negotiating position; why women need to learn to negotiate; what “homework” to do to prepare; and how to conduct a negotiation.

A light breakfast will be served at this session. All AP-LS members—students, early/mid/later-career faculty, as well as male/female—are invited to participate.

Presenter:
Suzanna M. Rose, Ph.D., is Senior Associate Dean for the Sciences and Professor of Psychology & Women’s Studies in the College of Arts & Sciences at Florida International University, Miami. Dr. Rose has published extensively on issues related to women and gender, including professional networks, career development, leadership, and personal relationships. She also has lectured widely on strategic career planning and salary negotiation for women at more than thirty universities nationally and internationally.

Changing the Treatment Paradigm for Women Offenders: Gender-Responsive Alternatives to the Male Model of Correctional Treatment (organized by Corrections Committee)

Thursday, March 18, 5 - 6 pm, Salon E

The preferred treatment approach for rehabilitating offenders focuses on cognitive behavioral interventions targeted to high risk offenders. Risk/needs assessments are crucial to this approach because they classify offenders according to risk levels (high, medium, and low) and identify needs or risk factors that must be treated in order to reduce offender recidivism. Some critics fault this approach for focusing on needs that are most relevant to male offenders (attitudes, antisocial peers, impulsivity) and ignoring needs that are most relevant to females (mental health, trauma, relationships). In response the National Institute of Corrections and the University of Cincinnati, recently collaborated on the construction and validation of a risk/needs assessment instrument for women offenders. The research finds that needs pertaining to mental health, parental stress, relationship dysfunction, and abuse are indeed key to reducing women’s prospects for further involvement in the justice system. This talk reviews the NIC/UC research and discusses its policy implications. Dr. Van Voorhis will also discuss the effectiveness of several emerging programs designed to address these gender-responsive needs.

Presenter:
Patricia Van Voorhis, Ph.D., is a Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati. She received her doctorate degree in Criminal Justice from the State University of New York at Albany, and served on the faculty of the Department of Criminology at Indiana State University prior to assuming her current position at UC. Dr. Van Voorhis has published extensively in the leading criminology and criminal justice journals and is the author of Psychological Classification of the Adult, Male Prison Inmate, and lead author of Correctional Counseling and Rehabilitation, currently in its 7th edition. She has provided expertise to federal, state and local agencies on topics pertaining to correctional effectiveness, program implementation, evaluation techniques, women offenders, risk assessment and correctional classification. She is the former deputy editor of Justice Quarterly, and the co-founder of the Division of Sentencing and Corrections of the American Society of Criminology. She is an elected Executive Counselor of the American Society of Criminology and a member of the Board of Directors for the International Community Corrections Association. Dr. Van Voorhis was also recently elected a fellow of the Academy of Experimental Criminology and has received the Simon Dinitz Research Award from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction as well as the Marguerite Q. Warren and Ted B. Palmer Differential and Individualized Intervention Award. In August of 2009, she also received Volunteers of America’s Maud Booth Award for correctional reform. She has directed numerous federal and state-funded research projects on inmate classification, gender-responsive assessment, program implementation, cognitive-behavioral interventions, and correctional effectiveness. She recently concluded a federally-funded, multi-site study of the risk factors for female recidivism.

Detecting Deception (Opening Plenary Session)

Thursday, March 18, 12 - 2 pm, Salons ABC

Chair: Saul M. Kassin, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Presentations:
Outsmarting the Liars: Towards a Cognitive Lie Detection Approach - Aldert Vrij, University of Portsmouth

A New, Countermeasure-Resistant, Accurate, P300-Based Method for Detection of Concealed Information: Forensic and Anti-Terror Applications - Peter Rosenfeld, Northwestern University

Potential and Limitations of Neuroimaging Methods for Veracity Assessment - Giorgio Ganis, Harvard Medical School

The New Science of Detecting Deception: Too Wide an "Analytic Gap" Between Laboratory and Courtroom? - Jane Moriarty, University of Akron Law School

Terrorism and Extremist Violence (Friday Plenary Session)

Friday, March 19, 10:45 - 12 pm, Salons ABC

Chair: Mario Scalora, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Presentations:
Shadows of Ghosts: Developments in the Understanding of Terrorist Psychology - Andrew Silke, University of East London

Risk for Terrorism: A Multi-Level, Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Threat Assessment - Stephen D Hart, Simon Fraser University

How Do Children and Youth Become Terrorists and Suicide Bombers? A View from the Study of Child Soldiers - Michael Wessells, Columbia University