Papers by Astrid Rossegger
Societies, 2024
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2019
We investigated whether authoritarianism and militancy are essential characteristics of religious... more We investigated whether authoritarianism and militancy are essential characteristics of religious fundamentalism by exploring subtypes of religious fundamentalism in a sample of n ϭ 152 Muslims from Egypt. We applied Hood and colleagues' intratextuality as a basic type of fundamentalism and selected a range of differentiating factors, such as closed-mindedness, militancy, and religious reflexivity, to characterize different subtypes. A survey with questionnaires was conducted in Cairo, Egypt, in the summer of 2013. Latent class analysis was applied to the data set. A solution with three subtypes fitted the data best. Subtype 1 had flexible and open-minded characteristics, Subtype 2 matched the typical characterization of religious fundamentalism with features of authoritarianism and extremist thinking, and Subtype 3 was a moderate version of Subtype 2 without authoritarian features but still with a high level of closed-mindedness. These results show that authoritarianism and militancy are not essential parts of religious fundamentalism and suggest that a more differentiated concept of religious fundamentalism is reasonable.
Aktuelle juristische Praxis, 2023
Swiss Medical Weekly, 2023
BACKGROUND: Criminal courts of law rely on forensic psychiatric/psychological reports when clarif... more BACKGROUND: Criminal courts of law rely on forensic psychiatric/psychological reports when clarifying legal questions of culpability, dangerousness, and the need for therapeutic measures for offenders. Incorrect decisions owing to a lack of expert report quality and comprehensibility can have serious consequences for potential victims, offenders themselves, or societal use of resources. In this pilot study, we started from the hypothesis that forensic psychiatric/psychological reports meet the minimum requirements for legally admissible expert opinions. METHODS: Within the framework of assessment by the Concordat Expert Commission of Northwestern and Central Switzerland, 58 adult criminal law reports were randomly selected. Two researchers extracted and analyzed standardized data descriptively. For quality assurance, they followed the extended codebook of the Research and Development Department of the Zürich Office of Corrections and Reintegration. RESULTS: Psychopathological findin...
Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2023
Although the global diffusion of e-mental health has increased in recent years, research on the u... more Although the global diffusion of e-mental health has increased in recent years, research on the use of technologies in criminal justice settings is limited. To bridge this knowledge gap, we conducted an international online survey ( N = 555) of forensic and correctional mental health professionals from Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and 20 additional countries. Telecommunication technologies and mental health platforms had the highest numbers of users, the broadest scope, and the largest increase in use due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In contrast, the use of social media and advanced technologies was lower, narrower in scope, and remained the same or decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents’ age, professional discipline, country, and clinical setting significantly predicted total technology use in clinical practice. The study findings provide an overview of the current patterns of technology use and point to opportuni...
Praxis der Rechtspsychologie, 2023
Praxis der Rechtspsychologie, 2023
Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 2023
The effective communication of the risk of violent extremism using either numerical or semantic s... more The effective communication of the risk of violent extremism using either numerical or semantic systems represents an important challenge for police agencies. The aim of the present study was to examine the perceived usefulness of an 8-category risk communication scheme widely used by German police. An online survey was completed by members of both federal as well as state police threat management teams throughout the country (N = 158). Results suggest that threat managers perceive the use of a common risk communication scheme to be crucial for successful cooperation across different police agencies to prevent acts of violent extremism. However, it was also found that threat managers do not share a mutual understanding of the meaning behind the eight risk categories in the present scheme. The authors review established best practices in the nomothetic and idiographic communication of risk and make constructive recommendations about how to improve the utility of the currently used system. If these recommendations are implemented, they could result in more effective preventative efforts by threat management teams collaborating throughout Germany, with positive implications for public safety and national security.
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, Mar 1, 2022
There is ongoing debate about whether specialized treatment is effective to reduce sexual recidiv... more There is ongoing debate about whether specialized treatment is effective to reduce sexual recidivism in juveniles who have sexually offended (JSOs). Although most treatment programs are based on cognitive behavioral therapy principles for preventing sexual offending, accordant scientific evidence is poor. Following CONSORT guidelines, the present study aimed to evaluate two versions of a short-term outpatient treatment program for JSOs in Switzerland: (a) the Therapy Program for Adequate Sexual Behaviors Version 1 (ThePaS-I), which included offending-specific skills training; (b) the ThePaS-II, which included general socioemotional skills training. Based on changes in self-reported mental health, sexual behaviors, victim empathy, and therapist-rated risk, as well as comprehensive data on sexual and general recidivism, we found some similarities regarding the effects of the two treatments. ThePaS-II showed better short-term changes in self-reported mental health than the ThePaS-I. However, JSOs in the ThePaS-I showed lower rates of sexual reoffending (but not general reoffending) after treatment than those in the ThePaS-II. Despite some methodological limitations, the current findings favor offending-specific skills-based therapy over general skills-based ones for preventing sexual reoffenses. The findings may encourage further methodologically sound studies to examine different treatment approaches for juveniles and adults who have committed criminal offenses.
Victims & Offenders, 2022
This study focused on COVID-19 preventive behaviors and fears among prison staff members after th... more This study focused on COVID-19 preventive behaviors and fears among prison staff members after the first wave of the pandemic. Cross-sectional data from 171 participants were collected in Switzerland. The level of fears (58.5%) and protective behaviors (100%) were high. Correctional officers adhered less to preventive measures than other staff members (p = .001). Fears were related to a reduction of social contacts (p = .006) and worries about physical health was related to preventive behaviors in general (p = .006). There is a need to raise prison staff awareness regarding their vulnerability to the SARS-CoV-2 in order to improve the effectiveness of health campaigns in prison settings. Special attention should be given to correctional officers.
The Prison Journal, 2020
The efficacy of offender therapy depends on professionals' sharing common attitudes regarding bas... more The efficacy of offender therapy depends on professionals' sharing common attitudes regarding basic principles of offender treatment. Research in this area is lacking. This study explored attitudes of 264 professionals involved in or collaborating with the largest correctional system in Switzerland. The very encouraging findings are that the core ideas and general principles have been assimilated due to the long-lasting collaboration between professionals and institutions, as well as the alignment of standardized methods of intervention.
Fachzeitschrift Punktum, 2020
Das Risiko, Opfer eines Tötungsdeliktes zu werden, war noch nie so gering wie heute.1 Attentate w... more Das Risiko, Opfer eines Tötungsdeliktes zu werden, war noch nie so gering wie heute.1 Attentate wie dasjenige vom Berliner Breitscheidplatz, der Anschlag in Hanau oder auch die Angriffe auf Politiker werden medial stark aufgegriffen. Wenngleich es keine Anhaltspunkte für eine Zunahme der Kriminalitätsfurcht gibt,2 scheint die gesellschaftliche Akzeptanz für Gewalt abzunehmen und ein sehr hohes Mass an Sicherheit gefordert sowie, damit einhergehend, auch ein Anspruch an Politik und Staat gestellt zu werden. Bereits geringfügige Normabweichungen können dazu führen, dass eine Person als «verdächtig» in den Fokus der Strafverfolgung gerät. Junge Männer, die kampfsportbegeistert sind, gerne Egoshooter-Computerspiele machen oder verbal ausfällig werden oder sich für salafistisches Gedankengut interessieren, werden rasch als mögliche Attentäter eingestuft. Die allerwenigsten dieser Personen werden je die Schwelle zur Gewalt überschreiten. Eine angemessene Priorisierung der Fälle seitens der Polizei und der Strafverfolgung ist entsprechend essenziell. Einfache Kriterien wie eine hochspezifische Todesdrohung, radikale Überzeugungen oder unermüdliches Querulantentum sind zu wenig spezifisch, sie spülen aber viel zu viele angebliche «Risikopersonen» in das System.3 Herangehensweisen bzw. Instrumente des Bedrohungsmanagements müssen also nicht nur sensitiv sein und die problematischen Fälle identifizieren, sondern auch hinreichend spezifisch, um nicht auf zu viele Fälle zu fokussieren. Gerade im Bereich des Bedrohungsmanagements gilt, dass Risiken nicht statisch sind, sondern sich im zeitlichen Verlauf verändern können. Diesem Umstand muss genauso Rechnung getragen werden wie dem Umstand, dass die Beurteilung immer ein Konzept für das Risikomanagement beinhalten muss, das heisst, es gilt ein Fallverständnis aufzubauen, aus dem im Einzelfall geeignete risikosenkende Interventionen abgeleitet werden können. Herausforderungen im Bedrohungsmanagement können nur interdisziplinär gelöst werden. Es ist von Vorteil, wenn die verschiedenen Berufsgruppen eine gemeinsame Sprache mit einer gemeinsamen Systematik der Fallaufarbeitung finden. Mensch vs. Algorithmus Anhand welcher Methodik lassen sich das Rückfallrisiko eines Straftäters oder die Ausführungsgefahr einer Person, die eine Todesdrohung ausgesprochen hat, am zuverlässigsten schätzen? Mehr als 50 Jahre Forschung zu Methoden der Urteilsbildung -aus dem ganzen Spektrum der Psychologie -geben eine eindeutige Antwort:4 Die klinische Urteilsfindung (Expertenurteil) ist der algorithmusgestützten Beurteilung (Instrument) deutlich unterlegen. Die Überlegenheit der standardisier-ten Herangehensweise gilt dabei insbesondere für die Beurteilung des Gewaltrisikos. Noch eindrücklicher sind Ergebnisse von Studien, die intelligente Algorithmen als Grundlage für die Beurteilung verwendeten. So gelang es aufzuzeigen, dass mechanische Entscheide, die auf intelligenten Algorithmen beruhen, die Inhaftierungsquote um über 40 Prozent senken können, ohne dass es dabei einen negativen Einfluss auf die nachfolgende Kriminalitätsrate gibt.5 Wird hingegen das Ergebnis von mechanischen Algorithmen unter Berücksichtigung spezifischer Merkmale des Einzelfalls durch Kliniker adaptiert, verschlechtert dies gemäss einer Meta-Analyse von Hanson und Morton-Burgon6 die Güte der Prognose. Algorithmen schlagen erfahrene Gutachter selbst dann, wenn die Experten ihr Urteil auf Ergebnisse von Risk-Assessment-Instrumenten abstützen können. Gilt es, gewalttätiges Verhalten zu beurteilen, führt die Anwendung eines einfachen Risk-Assessment-Instruments zu akkurateren Ergebnissen als das Expertenurteil. Fokus Interventionsbedarf Dass sich forensische Experten und Gutachter schwer damit tun, Risiken zu quantifizieren, ist wenig überraschend. Wahrscheinlichkeitsaussagen führen allgemein schnell zu einer Überforderung.7 Die Frage lautet somit weniger «Mensch oder Algorithmus?», sondern «Welche Fragen können Experten gut beantworten?». Fragen, die ein Experte mit hinreichender Reliabilität und Validität beurteilen kann, sind beispielsweise jene FORENSIK Octagon-Intervention, ein interdisziplinäres Bedrohungsmanagement 1 Pinker, S. (2011). The better angels of our nature. New York, NY: Viking. 2 Reuband, K. H. (2001). Kriminalität, Kriminalitätsfurcht und die Rolle der Medien. Cassani, U., u.a. (Hrsg.); Medien, Kriminalität und Justiz, Zürich, 161-183. 3 Endrass, J., & Rossegger, A . (2017). Herausforderungen im Bedrohungsmanagement und das Octagon als neuer Ansatz. «format magazine», 7, 36-41.
Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2022
IntroductionResearch has established that justice-involved individuals experience significant men... more IntroductionResearch has established that justice-involved individuals experience significant mental health problems. However, mental healthcare in correctional settings is often not sufficiently accessible to meet the demand. Hence, to improve the availability of mental healthcare services, especially for pre-trial detainees, the first Swiss on-site psychiatric day clinic (PDC) was established in 2019. The present cross-sectional observational study aimed to evaluate the need of psychiatric care in pre-trial detention and the PDC's potential to improve it.MethodsFile record data were collected from the Office of Corrections and Rehabilitation of the Canton of Zurich. Differences in primary psychiatric care consultations and psychiatric hospital admissions between pre-trial detainees and sentenced prisoners were examined. In addition, a total cohort of pre-trial detainees of the first 18 months of PDC operations was examined to identify differences between three treatment groups...
Forensic Science International: Mind and Law, 2022
This study investigated correlates of domestic homicide (DH) and other violent crimes. Data were ... more This study investigated correlates of domestic homicide (DH) and other violent crimes. Data were collected retrospectively from criminal justice files on 617 persons in Switzerland (DH = 47). Multinomial logistic regressions revealed that, overall, DH perpetrators were more likely to be older, female, married, to have a psychiatric hospitalization history, and to be under the influence of delusions when they committed the crime. In addition, they were less likely to have prior convictions. Furthermore, the characteristics associated to DH perpetrators were more similar to domestic violence perpetrators than those of persons who committed nondomestic offenses. Based on the current sample, data, and methods, DH appears to be better explained by specialist theories than generalist views of crime, suggesting that DH and the homicide of non-family members are different phenomena. Therefore, domestic offenders may require specific assessment and intervention methods. However, replications of this study are necessary to generalize the current findings.
Praxis der Rechtspsychologie, Jun 27, 2022
The field of risk assessment was long dominated by the view that the scientific focus should be o... more The field of risk assessment was long dominated by the view that the scientific focus should be on the analysis of accuracy. The methods under investigation were considered valid if they succeeded in distinguishing recidivists from non-recidivists with a sufficient degree of accuracy. The forensic risk assessment process is part of a more complex event that has implications for different parties. The result of the risk assessment must be communicated to different audiences. Forensic risk assessment is thus the basis of forensic risk communication, which in turn is the basis of forensic intervention or risk management. We recommend that forensic risk communication be guided by Fischhoff's (1995) model. This is a seven-stage model to which we add reference literature from forensic research. Key questions are provided to facilitate the application of the model to practical work.
Forensische Psychiatrie, Psychologie, Kriminologie, 2021
ZusammenfassungEine Verschwörungstheorie kennzeichnet u. a., dass eine Gruppe einer anderen Grupp... more ZusammenfassungEine Verschwörungstheorie kennzeichnet u. a., dass eine Gruppe einer anderen Gruppe wahrheitswidrig ein destruktives Vorhaben unterstellt.Die Autoren dieses Artikels formulieren einen Vorschlag für eine typologische Einordnung von Verschwörungstheorien und skizzieren exemplarisch anhand der Protokolle der Weisen von Zion sowie QAnon die Entstehung sowie Auswirkungen von Verschwörungstheorien. Zudem wird auf die Persönlichkeit der Urheber und der Anhänger von Verschwörungstheorien Bezug genommen.Etwa 10–30 von 100 Deutschen glauben an eine Verschwörungstheorie. Wer sich für eine Verschwörungstheorie begeistert, interessiert sich i.d.R. auch für weitere. Die Persönlichkeiten von Verschwörungstheoretikern sind zwar nicht psychopathologisch auffällig, weisen aber ein salientes Persönlichkeitsprofil auf: Sie sind weniger verträglich, offen für neue Erfahrungen, schätzen sich als weniger intelligent ein, sie sind ansprechbar für Paranormales und weisen eine hohe externale F...
Swiss Medical Weekly, Jul 9, 2021
Objectives. To develop and validate a screening tool designed to identify detained people at incr... more Objectives. To develop and validate a screening tool designed to identify detained people at increased risk for COVID-19 mortality, the COVID-19 Inmate Risk Appraisal (CIRA). Design. Cross-sectional study with a representative sample (development) and a case-control sample (validation). Setting. The two largest Swiss prisons. Participants. (1) Development sample: all male persons detained in Pöschwies, Zurich (n=365); (2) Validation sample: case-control sample of male persons detained in Champ-Dollon, Geneva (n=192, matching 1:3 for participants at risk for severe course of COVID-19 and participants without risk factors). Main outcome measures. The CIRA combined seven risk factors identi ed by the World Health Organization and the Swiss Federal O ce of Public Health as prognosis of severe COVID-19 to derive an absolute risk increase in mortality rate: Age ≥60, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, chronic respiratory disease, immunode ciency, and cancer. Results. Based on the development sample, we proposed a three-level classi cation: average (<3.7), elevated (3.7-5.7), and high (>5.7) risk. In the validation sample, the CIRA identi ed all individuals considered vulnerable by national recommendations (having at least one risk factor). The category "elevated risk" maximized sensitivity (1) and speci city (.97). The CIRA had even higher capacity in discriminating vulnerable individuals according to clinical evaluation (a four-level risk categorization based on a consensus of medical staff). The category "elevated risk" maximized sensitivity and speci city (both 1). When considering the individuals classi ed as extremely high risk by medical staff, the category "high risk" had a high discriminatory capacity (sensitivity=.89, speci city=.97). Conclusions. The CIRA scores have a high discriminative ability and will be important in custodial settings to support decisions and prioritize actions using a standardized valid assessment method. However, as knowledge on risk factors for COVID-19 mortality is still limited, the CIRA should be considered preliminary. Underlying data will be updated regularly on the website www.prisonresearch.com, where the CIRA algorithm is freely available. Summary Boxes What is already known on this topic: Prisons are environments characterized by unsanitary conditions, insu cient provision of healthcare, and promiscuity. All these factors can favor the spread of the COVID-19. What this study adds: Our study proposed a standardized screening tool to identify detained people at increased risk for COVID-19 mortality. The COVID-19 Inmate Risk Appraisal (CIRA) appeared as a valid
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Papers by Astrid Rossegger