Risk management strategies

Provides an avenue for early intervention. A behavioral threat assessment facilitates the delivery of appropriate interventions and resources as part of a violence prevention strategy that focuses on addressing the factors driving an individual toward violence.

The BTAU will then conduct an assessment to determine if the reported individuals pose a risk of violence, and if so, develop management strategies to reduce the likelihood of violent outcomes.

Early intervention is at the core of a BTAU’s involvement in managing concerning behaviors, with an emphasis on guiding the outcome of the situation to an end that does not result in violence or other criminal behavior.

individualized case management plans (see STEP 5: Develop Risk Management Strategies); and

The goal of a full assessment is to gather all relevant information from a range of sources in order to comprehensively assess the risk posed by an individual while also identifying potential strategies to mitigate that risk.

Provide an opportunity for the individual to suggest ways they can be supported in order to prevent the situation from escalating further.

Keep in mind that there is no need to wait until the BTAU has completed all interviews or addressed every theme before taking action.

As soon as an area for intervention is identified, suitable management strategies should be enacted.

Conversely, positive home life factors may include supportive families, healthy relationships, and other dynamics that could support intervention strategies to mitigate risk.

Gathering both positive details (e.g., caring and supportive family) and negative details (e.g., familial discord and violence) about these factors will establish the context of past, present, and impending circumstances within which the individual of concern is operating and will inform the BTAU’s intervention strategies.

For example, if an assessment reveals an individual is fixated on past attackers, has grown increasingly isolated, has posted concerning violent content on social media, and has been researching upcoming public gatherings, the BTAU will need to develop the appropriate strategies to manage the risk the individual may pose toward public spaces or other potential targets.

As information is gathered from interviews, records, and other sources, the BTAU must assess whether an individual does or does not pose a risk of violence, while also thinking about what intervention is required to move the individual toward a more positive outcome.

Even if the individual does not appear to pose a risk of violence at this time, the BTAU may decide to implement some management strategies to support the individual’s wellbeing and prevent the situation from escalating.

Protocols should also allow for implementing risk management resources to all cases, including those deemed low risk.

Based on the results of the assessment, the BTAU will then determine how to manage the risk of violence through interventions and supports, as described in STEP 5.

When individuals of concern are assessed as posing a risk of violence, BTAUs must work to manage the risk and reduce the likelihood of a violent outcome.

Along with more traditional law enforcement action, these efforts will often involve identifying the needs of the individual and the community resources available to address those needs.

The process of managing risk includes case planning, implementation, monitoring, and, eventually, case closure.

In behavioral threat assessment, management refers to the strategies and efforts pursued by a BTAU with the goal of reducing the likelihood of a violent outcome.

Management efforts may include short-term strategies that begin immediately upon receipt of information that indicates a safety concern, as well as long-term strategies driven by the assessment and other situational factors.

BTAUs will need to develop and document strategies to address the factors that are contributing to the individual’s desire or potential to cause harm.

The concept of management is rooted in the same principles as other intervention-based models of prevention in that the goal is for the BTAU to act in ways that reduce the potential for a negative outcome while increasing the likelihood of a positive outcome.

In behavioral threat assessment, management strategies for a case are constructed around the known factors that appear to make an individual more or less likely to engage in violent behavior.

When those factors are revealed by an assessment, the BTAU can implement strategies aimed at reducing the negative factors of concern, while increasing any identified factors that are positive.

The management phase of a behavioral threat assessment: • is a systematic risk management approach and • provides an avenue for early intervention.

Whenever possible, the BTAU should include the individual of concern and their support network (e.g., family and friends) in the process of developing an effective case management plan.

Maintaining a positive and collaborative rapport with the individual and their support systems will aid in the success of the management approach.

The planning phase of management requires the BTAU to identify strategies to reduce the risk of violence and to address the identified needs of the individual.

The BTAU should set clear expectations and actionable goals to create a comprehensive plan that can be executed and evaluated for success following implementation.

There are four elements that should guide the management of concerning behavior during a behavioral threat assessment. BTAUs should take steps to: • address factors of concern and promote positive factors, • redirect potential motives for violence, • create a situation less prone to violence, and • utilize the Systems Approach for management.

Address factors of concern and promote positive factors | Redirect potential motives for violence | Create a situation less prone to violence | Utilize the Systems Approach for management Identify negative factors and create strategies to support positive outcomes. | Identify possible motivations and direct resources to address them. | Create an environment in which violence is less likely. | Collaborate with community stakeholders who can contribute.

EXAMPLES: | EXAMPLES: | EXAMPLES: | EXAMPLES: ▪Employment | ▪Address workplace | ▪Limit access to | ▪Leverage campus assistance | grievances | weapons | resources ▪Substance abuse | ▪Intervene to stop | ▪Obtain restraining | ▪Identify counseling treatment | bullying | orders | services ▪Mental health | ▪Deescalate | ▪Seek GPS | ▪Engage family treatment | interpersonal conflicts | monitoring | for support

BTAUs should adopt a prevention mindset and work to address those factors that appear to make violence more likely while promoting any factors in an individual’s life that would reduce the likelihood of violence.

This approach should be tailored specifically to the individual and the factors identified utilizing the Systems Approach and the Assessment Themes described in STEP 4.

For example, a BTAU may learn that an individual who threatened violence is experiencing alcohol dependency and recently lost a job but also has a supportive family and is receptive to receiving assistance. In this case, the BTAU could connect the individual with a local employment assistance program and an alcohol abuse program while also leveraging the support of the individual’s family members.

Therefore, the BTAU should work to identify the relevant factors contributing to the motivation for violent behavior and then take steps to redirect those motives to more appropriate prosocial behavior and, ultimately, positive outcomes.

Risk management strategies should work to create a situation less prone to violence. One way to create a less volatile situation is to limit access to weapons when permissible under legal and constitutional protections.

For example, when an individual is assessed as posing a risk to a person at a specific location, the BTAU may take steps to restrict the individual’s ability to access that location.

Management planning and implementation should seek to maximize internal resources from the agency the BTAU belongs to, as well as consider instances when outside law enforcement partnerships may be utilized.

Law enforcement can support management by: • developing rapport with the individual of concern and their support systems (e.g., family members);

conducting wellness checks;

transporting individuals for voluntary or involuntary mental health evaluations;

deploying Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officers;

establishing cross-jurisdiction collaboration and information sharing with other state, local, or federal law enforcement partners as appropriate.

A multiagency threat management approach that allows for information sharing among criminal justice professionals, including prosecutors, courts, correctional practitioners, and community supervision officers, is critical in managing the risk posed by an individual of concern.

Understanding their school enrollment status can be a helpful management tool, as there are a variety of resources and interventions that can be leveraged through school systems and postsecondary educational institutions.

Employers can support management by: • providing employee assistance programs (EAPs) to support and counsel individuals experiencing work/life challenges; • providing short-term mental health counseling; • providing substance use treatment; • providing financial counseling; • providing alternative dispute resolution; • offering wellness and resiliency programs; • identifying workplace mentors to model and promote prosocial behavior and professional success; and • pursuing safe termination practices when termination is necessary (e.g., offering job placement services, severance packages, or extended healthcare coverage).

In some cases, connecting an individual with mental health evaluation and treatment services may be one of the most valuable strategies for a BTAU to pursue.

When utilizing mental health services as an intervention, the BTAU should strategize directly with the individual, their family, and the local mental health professionals on how to best maintain treatment compliance.

Mental health providers can support management by: • providing behavioral therapy; • assessing the individual’s risk of harming self or others from a clinical perspective; • developing a mental health treatment plan; • assisting in the development of the BTAU’s case management plan; • prescribing medication; and • offering referrals for additional resources.

For management planning, the BTAU should strategize about the role that the family may be able to play in initiating interventions, information sharing, and supporting the intervention plan.

When identifying opportunities to connect individuals with services and resources to address their needs, it can be helpful to connect an individual with an organization capable of addressing multiple needs simultaneously by offering wraparound services.

▪Develop rapport ▪Involuntary holds ▪Removal of firearms ▪Wellness checks ▪Physical security ▪Open source monitoring ▪Consensual encounters ▪Making an arrest ▪Cross–jurisdictional collaboration ▪Crisis intervention

In some instances, management strategies may need to be revised and adjusted. For example, if an individual initially agrees to group counseling as part of their management plan, but they do not feel comfortable sharing in front of a large group, the management plan may need to be adjusted to feature individual counseling sessions to promote engagement and effectiveness.

The ultimate goal of management is for the individual of concern to progress to a point where they no longer pose a risk of violence, at which time management can be discontinued.

Management: The strategies and efforts pursued by a BTAU with the goal of making a violent outcome less likely.

Management should always be driven by the results of the assessment, namely, the thinking and behavior of the individual of concern, along with other situational factors.