Ralph C Serin
Biographic Data
| ID | 5875643 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ralph C Serin |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ralph C |
| FAMILY NAME | Serin |
| SIGNATURE | SERIN R C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Carleton University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3570-5775 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 12 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1992 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Make It Easier, Not More Complex
Rising public scrutiny has put immigration detention systems under pressure to defend their decision‐making practices. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has drawn attention in this area, largely due to its partnerships with correctional agencies. Critics challenge CBSA's framework for placing noncitizens in these facilities, characterizing its risk assessment practices as opaque, arbitrary, and subjective. To address these concerns, CBSA c…
Optimized Risk Assessment in Forensic Practice
As correctional jurisdictions and risk instrument developers look to optimize scoring for specific population needs, an open question remains ‐ which method is optimal. Popular scoring methods range from manual simple scoring approaches (e.g., Burgess) to more complex machine learning algorithms (e.g., random forests). Prior comparisons between approaches have produced similarly acceptable levels of predictive validity. This study compares scorin…
Examining Trajectories of Change on the Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-Entry (DRAOR)
Dynamic risk scales have largely been evaluated using singular assessment scores, including those obtained at the start of supervision. While this approach includes assessment of dynamic factors, it ignores changes with reassessment, failing to examine whether an instrument is truly dynamic in nature. This is problematic, as proximal risk assessments have consistently outperformed baseline assessments in the prediction of recidivism. In the curre…
Informing Large-Scale Emergent Decarceration Efforts
Large-scale emergent decarceration efforts introduce challenges for time and resources that prohibit jurisdictions from employing best practices in release decisions. Best practice includes a structured professional judgment approach by paroling authorities to incorporate group-level predicted risk and individual-level assessment of current risk and suitability for release. Absent the ability to expand parole review, jurisdictions should ensure d…
Peer Mentors as Prison Volunteers
One creative way that Departments of Corrections offset costs is by relying on volunteers. Prison volunteers are a heterogeneous group, who provide various programs to incarcerated populations. One unique subset of prison volunteers are peer mentors, who are individuals who have experienced criminal justice interventions and have desisted from criminal activities. These mentors provide unique guidance to individuals who are currently incarcerated…
Trajectories of Change in Acute Dynamic Risk Ratings and Associated Risk for Recidivism in Paroled New Zealanders
Parole Decision-Making and Empirical Practice
Paroling authorities should have a clear understanding of the empirical support for factors considered in suitability determinations. We presented a survey to paroling authorities across the United States and Canada to examine their purview and information considered in decision-making. We situated the findings among existing empirical research suggesting best practices for consideration of specific factors in parole decision-making. Paroling aut…
Combining Static and Dynamic Recidivism Risk Information Into the Five-Level Risk and Needs System
Communicating recidivism risk is individualized to each assessment. Labels (e.g., high, low) have no standardized meaning. In 2017, the Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSGJC) proposed a framework for standardized communication, but balancing the framework’s underlying principles of effective risk communication (and merging static and dynamic information) adds complexity. In this study, we incorporated dynamic risk scores that case ma…
Dynamic risk factors reassessed regularly after release from incarceration predict imminent violent recidivism
OBJECTIVE: In community-based corrections, reassessment of dynamic risk factors improves the prediction of recidivism relative to initial risk assessment at the time of release. However, there is less evidence for predictions of violent recidivism. We examined whether reassessment proximity or aggregation of reassessments improved the prediction of imminent violence in a sample of paroled individuals on community supervision. HYPOTHESES: We hypot…
Hostile attributions in incarcerated adult male offenders
Hostile attributions were examined in 150 incarcerated males to test the possibility that there are two pathways associated with hostile attributions: one related to psychopathy as assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised [PCL-R; Hare, 1991] and one related to depressogenic attributional style, as assessed using the Inferential Styles Questionnaire [ISQ; Rose et al., 1994]. Ten hypothetical vignettes were used to assess attributions of in…
A model for the assessment of static and dynamic factors in sexual offenders
A sample of 519 sexual offenders who were consecutive admissions to the Ontario Region of Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) were assessed with reference to a large series of variables thought to be related to sexual offending. We grouped these variables into five domains: criminality, social competence, sexual deviance, substance abuse and treatment readiness. We standardized scores on each of these domains to facilitate the calculation of tot…
The Multidimensional Anger Inventory
The present study examined the item factor structure and reliability of the Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI) with 372 male inmates referred for assessment. Examination of the first rotated principal component and item-remainder correlations suggested that five items were not measuring the same content as the other 32 items. After deletion of these five items, a two-factor solution was rotated to a varimax criterion. These two factors reflec…
Hostile attributions in incarcerated adult male offenders
Hostile attributions were examined in 150 incarcerated males to test the possibility that there are two pathways associated with hostile attributions: one related to psychopathy as assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised [PCL-R; Hare, 1991] and one related to depressogenic attributional style, as assessed using the Inferential Styles Questionnaire [ISQ; Rose et al., 1994]. Ten hypothetical vignettes were used to assess attributions of in…
The Multidimensional Anger Inventory
The present study examined the item factor structure and reliability of the Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI) with 372 male inmates referred for assessment. Examination of the first rotated principal component and item-remainder correlations suggested that five items were not measuring the same content as the other 32 items. After deletion of these five items, a two-factor solution was rotated to a varimax criterion. These two factors reflec…
A model for the assessment of static and dynamic factors in sexual offenders
A sample of 519 sexual offenders who were consecutive admissions to the Ontario Region of Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) were assessed with reference to a large series of variables thought to be related to sexual offending. We grouped these variables into five domains: criminality, social competence, sexual deviance, substance abuse and treatment readiness. We standardized scores on each of these domains to facilitate the calculation of tot…
Hostile attributions in incarcerated adult male offenders
Hostile attributions were examined in 150 incarcerated males to test the possibility that there are two pathways associated with hostile attributions: one related to psychopathy as assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised [PCL-R; Hare, 1991] and one related to depressogenic attributional style, as assessed using the Inferential Styles Questionnaire [ISQ; Rose et al., 1994]. Ten hypothetical vignettes were used to assess attributions of in…
Dynamic risk factors reassessed regularly after release from incarceration predict imminent violent recidivism
OBJECTIVE: In community-based corrections, reassessment of dynamic risk factors improves the prediction of recidivism relative to initial risk assessment at the time of release. However, there is less evidence for predictions of violent recidivism. We examined whether reassessment proximity or aggregation of reassessments improved the prediction of imminent violence in a sample of paroled individuals on community supervision. HYPOTHESES: We hypot…
Combining Static and Dynamic Recidivism Risk Information Into the Five-Level Risk and Needs System
Communicating recidivism risk is individualized to each assessment. Labels (e.g., high, low) have no standardized meaning. In 2017, the Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSGJC) proposed a framework for standardized communication, but balancing the framework’s underlying principles of effective risk communication (and merging static and dynamic information) adds complexity. In this study, we incorporated dynamic risk scores that case ma…
Trajectories of Change in Acute Dynamic Risk Ratings and Associated Risk for Recidivism in Paroled New Zealanders
Parole Decision-Making and Empirical Practice
Paroling authorities should have a clear understanding of the empirical support for factors considered in suitability determinations. We presented a survey to paroling authorities across the United States and Canada to examine their purview and information considered in decision-making. We situated the findings among existing empirical research suggesting best practices for consideration of specific factors in parole decision-making. Paroling aut…
Peer Mentors as Prison Volunteers
One creative way that Departments of Corrections offset costs is by relying on volunteers. Prison volunteers are a heterogeneous group, who provide various programs to incarcerated populations. One unique subset of prison volunteers are peer mentors, who are individuals who have experienced criminal justice interventions and have desisted from criminal activities. These mentors provide unique guidance to individuals who are currently incarcerated…
Make It Easier, Not More Complex
Rising public scrutiny has put immigration detention systems under pressure to defend their decision‐making practices. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has drawn attention in this area, largely due to its partnerships with correctional agencies. Critics challenge CBSA's framework for placing noncitizens in these facilities, characterizing its risk assessment practices as opaque, arbitrary, and subjective. To address these concerns, CBSA c…
Optimized Risk Assessment in Forensic Practice
As correctional jurisdictions and risk instrument developers look to optimize scoring for specific population needs, an open question remains ‐ which method is optimal. Popular scoring methods range from manual simple scoring approaches (e.g., Burgess) to more complex machine learning algorithms (e.g., random forests). Prior comparisons between approaches have produced similarly acceptable levels of predictive validity. This study compares scorin…
Examining Trajectories of Change on the Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-Entry (DRAOR)
Dynamic risk scales have largely been evaluated using singular assessment scores, including those obtained at the start of supervision. While this approach includes assessment of dynamic factors, it ignores changes with reassessment, failing to examine whether an instrument is truly dynamic in nature. This is problematic, as proximal risk assessments have consistently outperformed baseline assessments in the prediction of recidivism. In the curre…
Informing Large-Scale Emergent Decarceration Efforts
Large-scale emergent decarceration efforts introduce challenges for time and resources that prohibit jurisdictions from employing best practices in release decisions. Best practice includes a structured professional judgment approach by paroling authorities to incorporate group-level predicted risk and individual-level assessment of current risk and suitability for release. Absent the ability to expand parole review, jurisdictions should ensure d…
Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis (10 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending (9 works) · Clinical Psychology (7 works) · Risk assessment (7 works) · Crime Patterns and Interventions (6 works) · Poison control (5 works) · Computer Science (4 works) · Medicine (4 works) · Recidivism (4 works)