Testing the application of violent extremism risk assessment to individuals who have radicalised in Australia: The case of the VERA-2R

Abstract

Violent extremism risk assessment tools have become an important way of understanding and managing the threat posed by radicalised offenders in custodial and community settings. The aim of this study was to examine the applicability, interrater reliability and predictive validity of the Violent Extremism Risk Assessment—Version 2 Revised (VERA‑2R) against data on individuals who have radicalised in Australia. Two trained assessors—the authors—completed VERA‑2R risk assessments for a sample of 50 extremist offenders. Results showed differences in risk profiles between individuals who were violent and non-violent. It was found that the VERA‑2R had good interrater reliability but low predictive validity.