Devon L L Polaschek
Biographic Data
| ID | 4438537 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Devon L L Polaschek |
| GIVEN NAMES | Devon L L |
| FAMILY NAME | Polaschek |
| SIGNATURE | POLASCHEK D L L |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Waikato |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4827-0555 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 3 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Different Measures of Violent Attitudes May Not Be So Different After All
Previous research has produced mixed evidence regarding the distinctiveness of measures of violent attitudes. In two studies, we examined this issue further with different approaches. In the first study, 97 male undergraduate students were randomly assigned to a message to reduce violent attitudes or to a control condition and then responded to three self-report measures of violent attitudes (Evaluation of Violence Questionnaire, Violence Scale o…
“Taller Fences or Longer Tables”
Dynamic security has become the foundation of efforts to prevent violence in prisons around the world. This article discusses the meaning of the term and how it has been operationalized in practice, before identifying several issues that relate to when, where, and how it might be relied upon to support safer living and working environments. We conclude that, despite its presence in contemporary correctional policy and practice, dynamic security s…
Cross-Cultural Fairness of the PCL
Several studies have investigated the predictive validity of the Hare Psychopathy Checklists (PCL); however, the majority have used North American samples. The PCL can inform important decisions about people’s futures and therefore it is imperative to validate its psychometric properties within the jurisdictions it is used, particularly for Indigenous and non-European populations. In New Zealand, Botha and Polaschek (2023) concluded that the PCL:…
Measurement Invariance and Convergent Validity of the Psychopathy Checklist
The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV; Hart et al., 1995) in a sample of 514 male offenders in New Zealand; 333 identifying as Māori and 181 as NZ European. Correlational analysis showed convergent validity between PCL:SV Total, Factor and Facet scores and subscales of two dynamic item-based instruments used to monitor and manage people in prison or post-custody, althou…
Identifying Controlling Behaviors in Police Reports for Intimate Partner Violence
Purpose Practitioners and policy makers increasingly recognize controlling behaviors as forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) and potential indicators of risk of further harm. Accordingly, several countries have criminalized coercive control—the systematic use of controlling behaviors over time—in legislation and included controlling behaviors in risk assessment instruments for IPV. However, both intervening to prevent coercive control and usi…
Do Some Dynamic Risk Factors Signal Imminent Recidivism? Testing the Conceptual Distinction Between Stable and Acute Dynamic Risk Factors
In correctional practice, acute and stable dynamic risk factors are conceptually distinct. This distinction, however, has limited empirical support. We suggest that when compared with stable factors, change in acute risk factors over short time periods should demonstrate a stronger association with imminent recidivism. Using a sample of high-risk New Zealand male parolees, we examined recidivism and change in scores on the Acute and Stable subsca…
Does Risk Change Simply Indicate Current Risk for Recidivism or Something More? A Review of the Predictive Value of Intraindividual Change
In this review article, we critically analyze the relationship between change in dynamic risk (i.e., intraindividual change) and recidivism. We start by reviewing the empirical evidence, which indicates intraindividual change is associated with recidivism. However, we highlight how the predictive value of change scores needs careful interpretation. The finding that change scores predict incrementally over baseline scores may simply reflect the im…
High-risk Victims of Intimate Partner Violence
Purpose To support service provision, we sought to advance the existing evidence base about the characteristics of—and potential predictors of reported revictimization for—women identified as being at high risk of experiencing ongoing intimate partner violence (IPV). Method Our sample included 165 high-risk IPV cases with a female victim and a male aggressor managed by the Integrated Safety Response in New Zealand. Based on police and multi-agenc…
The Importance of Importance Sampling
Do Triarchic Psychopathy Components of New Zealand High-Risk Parolees Predict Probation Officer Relationship Quality, Quality of Life on Parole, and Recidivism
The Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) is a self-report scale based on the Triarchic Model that has been little used in research in the criminal justice system. We sought to examine associations between pre-release TriPM components, probation officer relationships, and parolee quality of life, both measured after 2 months in the community, and reconviction 12 months after release. Using data from 234 New Zealand male high-risk prisoners, we te…
How probation officers understand and work with people on community supervision sentences to enhance compliance
This study aimed to explore, describe, and interpret New Zealand probation officers’ insights into supervisees’ non-compliance with community sentences. Seventeen probation officers participated in two focus groups. Probation officers viewed problems with cognitive skills as a key barrier to sentence compliance. They reported that these problems underpinned other factors linked to compliance, such as meeting basic needs and skill acquisition. Pro…
A National Examination of the Spatial Extent and Similarity of Offenders’ Activity Spaces Using Police Data
It is well established that offenders’ routine activity locations (nodes) shape their crime locations, but research examining the geography of offenders’ routine activity spaces has to date largely been limited to a few core nodes such as homes and prior offense locations, and to small study areas. This paper explores the utility of police data to provide novel insights into the spatial extent of, and overlap between, individual offenders’ activi…
Pathways to Family Violence
This study is part of a larger research project that developed the event process model of family violence (FVEPM). The FVEPM was developed by applying grounded theory methods to the event narratives of 14 men and 13 women completing community-based family violence (FV) perpetrator treatment programs. The current study extends this work with the original sample, by examining the routes individual events take through the FVEPM. Three main pathways—…
Testing the Generalizability of the Event Process Model of Family Violence With an Incarcerated Sample
The event process model of family violence (FVEPM) presents a descriptive theory of a family violence (FV) event from the perpetrator’s perspective. Developed in a community setting, the FVEPM is comprised of four interrelated sections and describes three pathways to FV perpetration (Pathway 1: Conflict escalation, Pathway 2: Automated violence, and Pathway 3: Compliance). This study further developed the FVEPM by testing the generalizability of …
Predictive Validity of the Dyra and SAFVR
Rapid access to accurate risk assessment information is essential for effective police responses to family violence (FV) calls for service. This study describes the predictive validity of the Dynamic Risk Assessment (DYRA) for family violence and Static Assessment of Family Violence Recidivism (SAFVR), currently in use by the New Zealand Police. We used 1,817 police reports of FV episodes to predict recurrence (i.e., repeat call for police servic…
Predicting Women’s Recidivism Using the Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-Entry
Although men and women share risk factors for offending, some scholars suggest these factors operate differently across gender and that women-specific risk factors are neglected in existing “gender-neutral” risk assessment tools. This article explored the predictive validity of one gender-neutral risk assessment tool—the Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-Entry (DRAOR)—with matched samples of women and men serving community supervision sente…
The Wiley International Handbook of Correctional Psychology
[Publisher's description]: With contributions from an international panel of experts in the field, The Wiley International Handbook of Correctional Psychology offers a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the most relevant topics concerning the practice of psychology in correctional systems. The contributors explore the theoretical, professional and practical issues that are pertinent to correctional psychologists and other professionals in rel…
Psychopathic Personality
Few psychological concepts evoke simultaneously as much fascination and misunderstanding as psychopathic personality, or psychopathy. Typically, individuals with psychopathy are misconceived as fundamentally different from the rest of humanity and as inalterably dangerous. Popular portrayals of are diverse and conflicting, ranging from uncommonly impulsive and violent criminal offenders to corporate figures who callously and skillfully manuever t…
Psychological Science, Victim Advocates, and the Problem of Recovered Memories
Defined in hazy terms by Freud and bereft of attention for a century afterwards, the concept of repression suddenly gained public prominence in the 1980s, at the same time that child sexual abuse (CSA) was finally achieving widespread recognition as an important societal problem. However, despite its public and therapeutic popularity, a convincing scientific case still has not been made for the existence of repression. Recent research establishes…
Assessing relationship quality in mandated community treatment
Traditional measures of the therapeutic alliance do not capture the dual roles inherent in relationships with involuntary clients. Providers not only care for, but also have control over, involuntary clients. In 2 studies of probationers mandated to psychiatric treatment (n=90; n=322), the authors developed and validated the revised Dual-Role Relationships Inventory (DRI-R). The authors found that (a) relationship quality in mandated treatment in…
Theories of Sexual Offending
About the Authors Series Editors Preface Acknowledgements PART I 1 Theory construction, development, and evaluation PART II LEVEL I THEORIES (MULTIFACTORIAL THEORIES) 2 Finkelhor's Precondition Theory 3 Marshall and Barbaree's Integrated Theory 4 Hall and Hirschman's Quadripartite Theory 5 Ward and Siegert's Pathways Model 6 Malamuth's Confluence Model of Sexual Aggression 7 Evolutionary Theory and Sexual Offending PART III LEVEL II THEORIES (SIN…
Criminal attitudes to violence
Two studies report on the development and preliminary psychometric properties of a new scale measuring criminal attitudes to violence. In Study 1, the responses of a mixed sample of male prisoners were used to select 20 scale items from a larger pool. The final scale (the Criminal Attitudes to Violence Scale; CAVS) was designed so that it had a single‐factor structure and was uncorrelated with a measure of social desirability bias. It demonstrate…
Rehabilitating rapists
Rapists' rehabilitation attracts little attention compared to the rehabilitation of child sexual offenders. One consequence of being overlooked, is that there is surprisingly little research to guide whether and how rapists can be rehabilitated effectively. Examination of traditional cognitive-behavioural treatment programs for sex offenders suggests a common core of offence-specific treatment targets, but little agreement on other components of …
Criminal attitudes to violence
Two studies report on the development and preliminary psychometric properties of a new scale measuring criminal attitudes to violence. In Study 1, the responses of a mixed sample of male prisoners were used to select 20 scale items from a larger pool. The final scale (the Criminal Attitudes to Violence Scale; CAVS) was designed so that it had a single‐factor structure and was uncorrelated with a measure of social desirability bias. It demonstrate…
Psychological Science, Victim Advocates, and the Problem of Recovered Memories
Defined in hazy terms by Freud and bereft of attention for a century afterwards, the concept of repression suddenly gained public prominence in the 1980s, at the same time that child sexual abuse (CSA) was finally achieving widespread recognition as an important societal problem. However, despite its public and therapeutic popularity, a convincing scientific case still has not been made for the existence of repression. Recent research establishes…
Rehabilitating rapists
Rapists' rehabilitation attracts little attention compared to the rehabilitation of child sexual offenders. One consequence of being overlooked, is that there is surprisingly little research to guide whether and how rapists can be rehabilitated effectively. Examination of traditional cognitive-behavioural treatment programs for sex offenders suggests a common core of offence-specific treatment targets, but little agreement on other components of …
Criminal attitudes to violence
Two studies report on the development and preliminary psychometric properties of a new scale measuring criminal attitudes to violence. In Study 1, the responses of a mixed sample of male prisoners were used to select 20 scale items from a larger pool. The final scale (the Criminal Attitudes to Violence Scale; CAVS) was designed so that it had a single‐factor structure and was uncorrelated with a measure of social desirability bias. It demonstrate…
Theories of Sexual Offending
About the Authors Series Editors Preface Acknowledgements PART I 1 Theory construction, development, and evaluation PART II LEVEL I THEORIES (MULTIFACTORIAL THEORIES) 2 Finkelhor's Precondition Theory 3 Marshall and Barbaree's Integrated Theory 4 Hall and Hirschman's Quadripartite Theory 5 Ward and Siegert's Pathways Model 6 Malamuth's Confluence Model of Sexual Aggression 7 Evolutionary Theory and Sexual Offending PART III LEVEL II THEORIES (SIN…
Assessing relationship quality in mandated community treatment
Traditional measures of the therapeutic alliance do not capture the dual roles inherent in relationships with involuntary clients. Providers not only care for, but also have control over, involuntary clients. In 2 studies of probationers mandated to psychiatric treatment (n=90; n=322), the authors developed and validated the revised Dual-Role Relationships Inventory (DRI-R). The authors found that (a) relationship quality in mandated treatment in…
Psychological Science, Victim Advocates, and the Problem of Recovered Memories
Defined in hazy terms by Freud and bereft of attention for a century afterwards, the concept of repression suddenly gained public prominence in the 1980s, at the same time that child sexual abuse (CSA) was finally achieving widespread recognition as an important societal problem. However, despite its public and therapeutic popularity, a convincing scientific case still has not been made for the existence of repression. Recent research establishes…
Psychopathic Personality
Few psychological concepts evoke simultaneously as much fascination and misunderstanding as psychopathic personality, or psychopathy. Typically, individuals with psychopathy are misconceived as fundamentally different from the rest of humanity and as inalterably dangerous. Popular portrayals of are diverse and conflicting, ranging from uncommonly impulsive and violent criminal offenders to corporate figures who callously and skillfully manuever t…
The Wiley International Handbook of Correctional Psychology
[Publisher's description]: With contributions from an international panel of experts in the field, The Wiley International Handbook of Correctional Psychology offers a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the most relevant topics concerning the practice of psychology in correctional systems. The contributors explore the theoretical, professional and practical issues that are pertinent to correctional psychologists and other professionals in rel…
Predicting Women’s Recidivism Using the Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-Entry
Although men and women share risk factors for offending, some scholars suggest these factors operate differently across gender and that women-specific risk factors are neglected in existing “gender-neutral” risk assessment tools. This article explored the predictive validity of one gender-neutral risk assessment tool—the Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-Entry (DRAOR)—with matched samples of women and men serving community supervision sente…
A National Examination of the Spatial Extent and Similarity of Offenders’ Activity Spaces Using Police Data
It is well established that offenders’ routine activity locations (nodes) shape their crime locations, but research examining the geography of offenders’ routine activity spaces has to date largely been limited to a few core nodes such as homes and prior offense locations, and to small study areas. This paper explores the utility of police data to provide novel insights into the spatial extent of, and overlap between, individual offenders’ activi…
Pathways to Family Violence
This study is part of a larger research project that developed the event process model of family violence (FVEPM). The FVEPM was developed by applying grounded theory methods to the event narratives of 14 men and 13 women completing community-based family violence (FV) perpetrator treatment programs. The current study extends this work with the original sample, by examining the routes individual events take through the FVEPM. Three main pathways—…
Testing the Generalizability of the Event Process Model of Family Violence With an Incarcerated Sample
The event process model of family violence (FVEPM) presents a descriptive theory of a family violence (FV) event from the perpetrator’s perspective. Developed in a community setting, the FVEPM is comprised of four interrelated sections and describes three pathways to FV perpetration (Pathway 1: Conflict escalation, Pathway 2: Automated violence, and Pathway 3: Compliance). This study further developed the FVEPM by testing the generalizability of …
Predictive Validity of the Dyra and SAFVR
Rapid access to accurate risk assessment information is essential for effective police responses to family violence (FV) calls for service. This study describes the predictive validity of the Dynamic Risk Assessment (DYRA) for family violence and Static Assessment of Family Violence Recidivism (SAFVR), currently in use by the New Zealand Police. We used 1,817 police reports of FV episodes to predict recurrence (i.e., repeat call for police servic…
The Importance of Importance Sampling
Do Triarchic Psychopathy Components of New Zealand High-Risk Parolees Predict Probation Officer Relationship Quality, Quality of Life on Parole, and Recidivism
The Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) is a self-report scale based on the Triarchic Model that has been little used in research in the criminal justice system. We sought to examine associations between pre-release TriPM components, probation officer relationships, and parolee quality of life, both measured after 2 months in the community, and reconviction 12 months after release. Using data from 234 New Zealand male high-risk prisoners, we te…
How probation officers understand and work with people on community supervision sentences to enhance compliance
This study aimed to explore, describe, and interpret New Zealand probation officers’ insights into supervisees’ non-compliance with community sentences. Seventeen probation officers participated in two focus groups. Probation officers viewed problems with cognitive skills as a key barrier to sentence compliance. They reported that these problems underpinned other factors linked to compliance, such as meeting basic needs and skill acquisition. Pro…
Do Some Dynamic Risk Factors Signal Imminent Recidivism? Testing the Conceptual Distinction Between Stable and Acute Dynamic Risk Factors
In correctional practice, acute and stable dynamic risk factors are conceptually distinct. This distinction, however, has limited empirical support. We suggest that when compared with stable factors, change in acute risk factors over short time periods should demonstrate a stronger association with imminent recidivism. Using a sample of high-risk New Zealand male parolees, we examined recidivism and change in scores on the Acute and Stable subsca…
Does Risk Change Simply Indicate Current Risk for Recidivism or Something More? A Review of the Predictive Value of Intraindividual Change
In this review article, we critically analyze the relationship between change in dynamic risk (i.e., intraindividual change) and recidivism. We start by reviewing the empirical evidence, which indicates intraindividual change is associated with recidivism. However, we highlight how the predictive value of change scores needs careful interpretation. The finding that change scores predict incrementally over baseline scores may simply reflect the im…
High-risk Victims of Intimate Partner Violence
Purpose To support service provision, we sought to advance the existing evidence base about the characteristics of—and potential predictors of reported revictimization for—women identified as being at high risk of experiencing ongoing intimate partner violence (IPV). Method Our sample included 165 high-risk IPV cases with a female victim and a male aggressor managed by the Integrated Safety Response in New Zealand. Based on police and multi-agenc…
Cross-Cultural Fairness of the PCL
Several studies have investigated the predictive validity of the Hare Psychopathy Checklists (PCL); however, the majority have used North American samples. The PCL can inform important decisions about people’s futures and therefore it is imperative to validate its psychometric properties within the jurisdictions it is used, particularly for Indigenous and non-European populations. In New Zealand, Botha and Polaschek (2023) concluded that the PCL:…
Measurement Invariance and Convergent Validity of the Psychopathy Checklist
The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV; Hart et al., 1995) in a sample of 514 male offenders in New Zealand; 333 identifying as Māori and 181 as NZ European. Correlational analysis showed convergent validity between PCL:SV Total, Factor and Facet scores and subscales of two dynamic item-based instruments used to monitor and manage people in prison or post-custody, althou…
Identifying Controlling Behaviors in Police Reports for Intimate Partner Violence
Purpose Practitioners and policy makers increasingly recognize controlling behaviors as forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) and potential indicators of risk of further harm. Accordingly, several countries have criminalized coercive control—the systematic use of controlling behaviors over time—in legislation and included controlling behaviors in risk assessment instruments for IPV. However, both intervening to prevent coercive control and usi…
Different Measures of Violent Attitudes May Not Be So Different After All
Previous research has produced mixed evidence regarding the distinctiveness of measures of violent attitudes. In two studies, we examined this issue further with different approaches. In the first study, 97 male undergraduate students were randomly assigned to a message to reduce violent attitudes or to a control condition and then responded to three self-report measures of violent attitudes (Evaluation of Violence Questionnaire, Violence Scale o…
“Taller Fences or Longer Tables”
Dynamic security has become the foundation of efforts to prevent violence in prisons around the world. This article discusses the meaning of the term and how it has been operationalized in practice, before identifying several issues that relate to when, where, and how it might be relied upon to support safer living and working environments. We conclude that, despite its presence in contemporary correctional policy and practice, dynamic security s…
Psychology (20 works) · Crime Patterns and Interventions (15 works) · Medicine (13 works) · Social Psychology (13 works) · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending (12 works) · Clinical Psychology (11 works) · Computer Science (11 works) · Poison control (10 works) · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis (8 works) · Human Factors and Ergonomics (8 works)