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Dynamic Risk Assessment Systems

DyRiAS-School

DyRiAS-School assesses the behavior of (former) students regarding their risk potential. The focus lies exclusively on individuals of concern who have drawn attention to themselves by threats of violence or amok fantasies.

DyRiAS has been designed for experts of all professions who deal with risk assessment and case management in their respective fields. These professions are expected to assess the risk of violence presented by an individual of concern – often with no additional forensic training. DyRiAS makes this possible.

 

What are the additional benefits of DyRiAS-School?

    • Scientifically sound state-of-the art risk assessment for cases of amok and targeted violence against self or others in a school context
    • Risk assessment in cases of threats of amok or death threats by adolescents in a school context
    • Assessment of the risk of suicide in adolescents
    • Case-work assisting, structured risk assessment
    • Identification of dangerous case developments
    • Detailed case report
    • Case summary regarding specific risk factors
    • DyRiAS Risk Assessment as a basis for case management and networking

 

The scientific basis of DyRiAS-School was provided by a review of over 250 scientific publications on homicide, amok, school shootings, threat management, and risk assessment. In addition, DyRiAS-School is empirically based on an in-depth analysis of cases of targeted violence and amok at schools from across the world as well as the comparative analysis of the behavior of threatening adolescents with no intention to actually commit a violent act.

DyRiAS-School is as yet the only scientifically developed and validated tool for risk assessment in the context of the prevention of school shootings world-wide. A first version was launched in 2009; an advanced version 2.0 has been available since 2012. In a scientific validation study, the current version was successful in correctly identifying high risk cases and also in identifying cases with a low risk potential as only mildly risk-related (Hoffmann, Roshdi & Allwinn, 2013). Finally, the system was developed with the support of an international advisory board of experts.

 

DyRiAS provides you with the confidence of working at a state-of-the-art level of risk prognosis and relevant scientific research. A total of 30 questions guide you through the program.

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For every question, you are supplied with detailed background information. This is provided by videos of experts who talk about the topic in question, examples of actual cases as well as scientific background information.

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You can analyze an unlimited number of cases. In addition, you can feed new information into the system at any time and generate a new assessment on this basis. In the timeline analysis you can then discern whether the risk for escalation is increasing or decreasing.

 


At a first level, the risk report presents an overall assessment of the question of whether there is currently a mild, moderate or high risk of serious violence. At a deeper level, it presents a detailed presentation of the actual risk profile, i.e. of the factors that indicate an increased risk in a given case. As the DyRiAS user is requested to enter a descriptive account of the given case-related situation for each risk factor, a case documentation is always available (e.g. "A friend reports that the student of concern has repeatedly mentioned suicide in conversations.”) DyRiAS allows you to open a given case file at any time and to change the input to the risk factors. In this way, a progress report can be generated that outlines the way in which the risk of violence has developed over time and whether it has increased or decreased.

After information has been entered, a risk report is automatically generated and made available to the user in PDF format. This shows that DyRiAS is neither a check list nor a psychological test, but rather a behavior-based assessment tool. The individual risk factors are not simply added up, but are captured in complex interrelations and are analyzed with the help of statistical methods.

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Via the timeline analysis, risk assessment can be carried out over the course of a given case. The user can discern whether the risk potential of a student of concern is increasing or decreasing.

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      • Do you work in a context in which you are confronted with threats of amok or death threats at schools?
      • Is the assessment of threats of violence against others made by adolescents in a school context part of your professional responsibilities?
      • Are you expected to identify adolescents who are developing a suicidal disposition?
      • Are you expected to identify potential school shooters?
      • In the assessment of threats of amok or death threats made by students or former students in a school context, do you sometimes experience a feeling of concern regarding the development of a given case and do you wish to substantiate this in a well-founded way?

 

If you have answered one or more of these questions with a ‘yes’, DyRiAS-School can support you in your work. Through a scientifically sound risk assessment of a case at hand you can reach a sound assessment and plan targeted measures of intervention.