Forensic psychological public safety risk assessment integrated with culturally responsive treatment for juvenile fire setters: DSM‐5 implications

Date15 March 2013
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/20093821311307767
Published date15 March 2013
Pages49-64
AuthorRonn Johnson,Heidi Beckenbach,Samantha Kilbourne
Subject MatterHealth & social care,Public policy & environmental management,Sociology
Forensic psychological public safety risk
assessment integrated with culturally
responsive treatment for juvenile fire
setters: DSM-5 implications
Ronn Johnson, Heidi Beckenbach and Samantha Kilbourne
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to present an overview of a variety of risk assessment issues that are of
particular relevance for work with juvenile fire setters in clinical and forensic settings. The paper seeks
to consider Juvenile Fire Setting (JFS)-Youthful Misuse of Fire (YMF) across a broad array of clinical
domains, including developmental, prognostic, and the diagnostic utility anticipated by using the
DSM-5. National standards and risk assessment levels are to be examined.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper includes a comprehensive review of the research and
practices related to juvenile fire setters. This review included assessment and intervention resources
that are used in diverse practice environments. The authors reviewed the literature to establish a nexus
between risk assessment and community-based interventions which were illustrated by a nationally
recognized YMF mental health program (FATJAM).
Findings – The paper provides empirically-based insights into key issues for working with these
forensic cases. It offers discussion regarding diagnostic issues that are relevant to the DSM-5.
Research limitations/implications Because of the conceptual or theoretical approach used, the
research basis for generalizations is restricted to the practice-based analyses provided by the authors.
Therefore, practitioners and researchers are urged to further test the observations and conclusions
presented.
Originality/value – This paper is unique in that it increases the knowledge base related to the
diagnostic applications with the DSM-5, as well as evidence-based interventions for JFS as it pertains to
public safety.
Keywords Juvenile fire setters, Public safety, Young adults, Risk assessment, Fire, Social behaviour,
Perhaps youthful misuse of fire
Paper type Conceptual paper
Scope of the youthful misuse of fire problem and need for risk assessment
Over the past three decades, Juvenile fire setting, or as it will soon be changed to, Youthful
Misuse of Fire (YMF), has received considerable attention from the fields of clinical and
forensic psychology over the past three decades. YMF is a major problem due in large part
to the resulting economic costs, as well as physical destruction, injuries and even death
(Johnson, 2010). The bulk of research over the past several decades has primarily used
more of a syndromal approach in which dysfunctional behaviors are assessed as clinical
indicators or symptoms of some underlying phenomenological mental disease. Although
YMF is not expected to be included in the projected DSM-5, it is still important to develop a
culturally responsive approach to assessing the maladaptive functions of YMF behavior.
A culturally responsive approach may include assessing the actual function of maladaptive
YMF behaviors. One important question is what purposes do fire setting behaviors have in a
youth’s immediate biopsychosocial experience? For example, each of the fire setting
DOI 10.1108/20093821311307767 VOL. 3 NO. 1 2013, pp. 49-64, QEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2009-3829
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PAGE 49
Ronn Johnson is based at
the University of San Diego,
San Diego, California, USA.
Heidi Beckenbach is based
at the Southern California
American Indian Center
(SCAIR), El Cajon,
California, USA.
Samantha Kilbourne is
based at the Alliant
International University,
San Diego, California, USA.
behaviors could independently function as a means of avoiding an undesirable emotional
state or prompting change in the behavior of others in a desired direction.
On the surface, a case of twin pre-school fire setters was seemingly the byproduct of a
developmentally delayed mother who received numerous child protective service contacts
because of her inadequate supervision and decision to carelessly leave her cigarette
lighters around the house. The boys started several fires, burned themselves on the stove,
and pulled fire alarms on their very first day of school. Yet in reality these dysfunctional
behaviors serve a purely functional purpose and are not necessarily a signal of an
underlying mental disease, but rather are purpose-driven, ill-advised behaviors used to
secure some desired end. Since behaviors may serve different functions for different youth,
the ability to assess the functions of behavior has important implications for an integrated
clinical evaluation and treatment of YMF clients.
This paper uses an evidence-based review of YMF across a broad array of clinical and
forensic domains including developmental, predisposing risk assessment factors,diagnostic
(DSM-5), prognostic utility, and clinical outcome measures. Various measurement tools are
discussed for these types of cases. The projected value of integrating risk assessment and
culturally responsive treatment are also discussed. The paper has more of a prescriptive
focus as to how to practice integrating risk factor assessment, use the DSM-5, national
standards, risk, and deliverculturally responsive treatment. The conclusion section discusses
implications for future research.
National standards setting the stage for risk assessments
YMF programs thathave shown great promise in recidivism reductionand prevention utilize a
community-basedmultidisciplinary approachthat brings together mental healthcomponents,
social/human services, law enforcement, and fire service. The US National Juvenile Fire
Setter/ArsonControl and Prevention Programresearched what factors enablesuccess of YMF
programs, which include: good program management, appropriate screening/evaluation
procedures, intervention services, appropriate referral procedures, publicity, appropriate
monitoring systems, and developing relationships with juvenile justice (Federal Emergency
ManagementAgency,1994, as cited in Palmeret al., 2007, p. 114). The followingsections focus
on some of these important factors (appropriate screening/evaluation procedures,
intervention services, appropriate monitoring systems and developmental perspectives) in
order to help educatethose working with the YMF population.
A developmental perspective on YMF risk assessment
Developmental factors are a key element in appropriate integration of risk assessment and
treatment for YMF clients. There are theories of development that discuss in great detail the
sources of the underlying issues that are especially relevant for working with these youth.
We believe that development has imm ediate clinical implicatio ns because of the
presumptive core characteristics articulated in the theories, which are often relied upon
during risk assessments. In general, despite the abundance of developmental theories,
most risk assessment tools do not focus on developmental aspects of the offender
specifically. Developmental histories combined with family histories and dynamics are data
that is often gathered as a supplement to risk assessment results. Although this is important
data, it is unfortunately not seen as a measureable factor that contributes to an offender’s
level of risk or recidivism. Gathering and incorporating developmental information into risk
assessments for children in general and for YMF in particular should be paramount because
many of the YMF offenders, most of whom are male, ‘‘get their start’’ between the ages of
5 and 10 (Fineman et al., 2000; Jacobson, 1985a; MacKay et al., 2009).
Many of these children experience risk factors such as disrupted family dynamics, variants
of abuse (Kolko and Kazdin, 1990b), large family size, being younger, some medical
complications, psychiatric conditions, parental criminality, poor supervision, harsh or
inconsistent discipline, all of which contribute to their fire setting behavior (Del Bove and
Mackey, 2011; Dickens et al., 2009; Heath et al., 1985; Jacobson, 1985a, b;
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