Evaluation of a modified procedure for rating the presence of <scp>HCR</scp> ‐20  <scp>V3</scp> risk factors

Abstract Introduction We evaluated a modified procedure for making more detailed ratings of the presence of risk factors for violence using the HCR‐20 V3 in a field study. Method Participants were 225 offenders recruited from correctional and forensic mental health institutions who were assessed by trained clinicians. We examined the measurement precision and predictive validity of ratings made using the modified procedure compared to ratings made by the same clinician using the standard procedure. Results Ratings made using the modified procedure had equivalent or superior internal consistency to the original rating procedure and had equivalent predictive accuracy (validity) with respect to future violence according to logistic regression analyses. Discussion and conclusion These findings suggest that the modified procedure may increase the sensitivity of Presence ratings of the HCR‐20 V3 risk factors.