Continuing & Professional Studies, Palo Alto University

This self-paced training program on Promoting Risk Interventions by Situational Management (PRISM) is presented by Lorraine Johnstone, DClin.Psychol and David Cooke, PhD.

Violence prevention is a keystone of forensic practice. Structured professional judgment approaches (e.g., HCR-20, RSVP, SARA, etc.) have made a significant contribution to our understanding of the individual patient, prisoner or client. However, focusing merely on the individual neglects opportunities for violence prevention. People are violent not just because of who they are, but also because of where they are.

PRISM is an evidence-based process that systematically considers all elements of institutional structure and functioning; from security and control, through staff training, morale, and experience to organizational features including, management style, policies, and interventions to provide a framework for identifying aspects of the institution that are contributing to levels of violence therein. Just as a physical prism splits white light into its constituent elements, PRISM takes the whole organization and identifies the constituent elements that affect violence within the organization; it breaks down complexity in order that interventions can be approached in a measured and systematic manner. The PRISM process moves in seven steps from data collection through risk formulation, scenario planning towards the development of effective interventions for violence prevention. Through this course, participants will learn how to carry out the PRISM process using didactic sessions and a practice case.

In 2007 John Monahan remarked that: “PRISM is a model merging of cutting-edge academic research and state-of-the-art clinical practice. It deserves to be soon and widely implemented in a variety of institutional settings and in many countries.” PRISM has now been used in secure forensic settings, prisons, psychiatric hospitals and institutions for children and young people in New Zealand, Singapore, Barbados, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and the United States, as well as widely throughout the UK. Lessons learned from these cases are integrated into this course.