Evil and Human Agency: Understanding Collective Evildoing

Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI), Early Assessment Risk Lists for Boys and Girls (EARL-20-B and EARL-21-G), and the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY), the authors report that although the field lacks consensus about the range of risk factors resulting in youth violence, there is nonetheless a small percentage of males who engage in such delinquency at an early age and later display antisocial behavior as adolescents and adults. They state that it is this segment of the population who commit more than 50 percent of all crimes. There were several chapters in Section V that I particularly liked and found effective. The discussion comparing the terms “clinical judgment,” “actuarial assessments,” and “structured professional judgment” was excellent, as was the review of the guidelines necessary for effective implementation of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI). The latter requires reflection in the agency’s mission statement that screening and assessment tools are necessary and that all relevant personnel, including judges and lawyers, receive training in the utilization of the tool. This type of an implementation process helps to promote cooperation, collaboration, and effective communication throughout the system. Again, significant information is included for administrators comparing various tools prior to purchase. The Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) was also reviewed in Section V. The authors suggest that, while not intended as a measure to assess risk, it can be valuable in identifying those youth who may pose serious institutional problems and require more resources. The stigmatization of adolescents as “psychopaths” is also addressed, and the reader can easily connect this discussion to Chapter 2 with its review of childhood psychopathology and the instability of youth. The last section of the book is entitled “Forensic Assessment Tools” and focuses on forensic and legal questions posed by the court. Chapter 21 reviews the Risk-Sophistication-Treatment Inventory (RST-I), which targets three specific areas: a juvenile’s level of dangerousness, the child’s level of maturity or sophistication, and the degree to which the child is amenable to treatment. Chapter 22, entitled “Instruments for Assessing Understanding and Appreciation of Miranda Rights,” is equally interesting, as the authors provide an outstanding case review surrounding police interrogation and “perception of coercion.” In it they describe a young boy who during a police interrogation understood a “right to remain silent” as an obligation to remain silent until he was questioned by officers. At that point, he believed he was obligated to speak with the police. He further believed the judge would order him to answer questions and that his lawyer had no right to argue the judge’s order. Examples like this are clear and pragmatic and make their points cogently. As a caveat, the authors remind us that tools intended to measure a youth’s capacity to understand his or her rights at the time of the evaluation were typically not made available until months, or even years, after the interrogation took place. In this context, a child’s understanding and appreciation of his or her rights may have improved due to attorney contact and/or maturation, among other possibilities. While this concept may seem basic to a forensic examiner, it is extremely important information for those whose focus is in other areas such as policy, mental health, corrections, or law enforcement. In summary, this is an excellent book and one that provides an outstanding overview for mental health professionals, judges, lawyers, and others involved with youth and the juvenile justice system. The organization of the book allows the reader to translate complicated material into practical terms, as all too often books reviewing psychometrics leave readers caught in a web of statistical detail and vocabulary for which they are ill prepared. While this book may be somewhat elementary for a forensic examiner, it provides a comprehensive review of screening and assessment tools and should stand as one of the premier desk references for mental health and legal professionals alike.