The WAVR-21 is an Example of a “SPJ” tool – A Structured Professional Judgment Guide Understanding SPJs
Structured Professional Judgment (SPJ) is a methodological framework used in risk assessment, combining empirical data and professional discretion in what are typically dynamic, unfolding contexts. SPJ recognizes that evidence is typically incomplete or flawed, especially initially. Unlike purely algorithmic approaches, SPJ allows assessors to incorporate their professional judgment, enhancing the accuracy and relevance of risk evaluations by individualizing each case. SPJ refers not just to instruments, but denotes a certain process – a way of thinking, evaluating, and deciding how to proceed in dynamic contexts of uncertainty, based on what is known at varying points in time.
Why SPJ is the Preferred Approach for Threat Assessment
Enhanced Assessments: SPJ facilitates assessments both comprehensive and context-specific, integrating objective data and qualitative insights.
Recognition of Evaluators’ Discretion: Practitioners and experts may apply their judgment and clinical insights, ensuring assessments are thoughtful and nuanced.
Dynamic Risk Management: SPJ supports ongoing risk evaluations, allowing for adjustments in response to new information, crucial for adaptive and tailored risk strategies. ●
Bias Reduction and Legal Responsibilities: SPJ guards against decisions being solely data-driven, overly subjective, or influenced by bias, unconscious or otherwise. SPJ incorporates professional judgment to navigate complex or competing ethical and legal obligations.
The WAVR-21 Advantage
The WAVR-21 offers a structured and transparent framework for assessing workplace and campus violence risk:
- Comprehensive Indicators: A set of empirically grounded risk and protective factors for assessing the potential for violence, with a specific focus on work or campus contexts.
- Utility: Demonstrated practicality and accessible terminology for practitioners in workplace and campus environments.
- Ethical and Legal Compliance: The WAVR as an SPJ does not presume to predict behavior or engage in demographic profiling. The focus is on identifying and managing evidence-based behaviors and patterns of concern in the present.
- A Gateway Instrument: The WAVR allows for the addition of more specialized risk assessment instruments, such as the SRP (Stalking Risk Profile), SARA (Spousal Assault Risk Assessment), and the TRAP-18 (Terrorist Radicalization Assessment Protocol) when appropriate.
How to Use SPJ Responsibly
- Training and Expertise: Ensure assessors are adequately trained in SPJ principles and the specific use of The WAVR-21 tool, in a manner consistent with the expectations of their role in the risk mitigation process.
- Balanced Approach: Combine SPJ with other risk assessment methods to enhance overall risk management strategy.
- Continuous Monitoring: SPJ is not a one-time assessment but a process that requires ongoing evaluation and adaptation until a case is resolved and becomes “inactive.”
- A Team Approach: SPJ is ideally suited for multidisciplinary threat assessment and management team contexts, where members bring their differing expertise, obligations, and organizational knowledge to the range of workplace and campus scenarios.
- Connection with Experts: A best practice protocol includes the availability of expert resources to threat assessment teams for case and protocol consultations.