This paper summarizes the events that inspired the Ewert v. Canada webinar and this special edition. Moreover, this paper considers some of the issues that need to be cogitated in forensic, cross-cultural risk assessment. The issues discussed include (a) psychometric issues involved in cross-cultural risk assessment, (b) ethical issues presented in cross-cultural assessment, and (c) the use of psychological measures with groups that a measure was not originally normed on. Additionally, this paper presents a brief discussion of the Ewert case. The article offers numerous questions that may guide clinical considerations/discussion and future research in the area of cross cultural research.

Recent research expanded theoretical frameworks of criminality to include biosocial perspectives. This article advances the biosocial integration into traditional criminological theories by focusing on the potential contribution of executive function (EF) to Andrews and Bonta’s risk-need-responsivity (RNR) model. EF encompasses a collection of abilities critical to adaptive human functioning, many of which seem to underlie criminogenic risk and need factors. Although the assessment of EF can be elusive, research suggests that offenders with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) experience EF deficits. Theoretical analysis on neuropsychological and forensic concepts suggests that unitary and discrete EF domains underlie the “Central Eight” criminogenic factors that are related to criminal behavior and, by extension, the RNR model of forensic assessment and treatment. Research and conceptual limitations of the current neuropsychological and forensic literature are discussed along with the limits of our theoretical analysis. A call for more theoretical and applied forensic neuropsychological research is presented.

This is the first paper to look at the entire population of those found Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder (NCR) in Alberta, Canada. The Alberta NCR Project examined longitudinal data from the NCR population to describe sociodemographic, mental health, and criminological profiles. Data were collected for the period of 1941 (i.e., the first known case in Alberta) to October 15, 2015, using archived patient chart information. The majority of Alberta NCRs have not completed high school, are diagnosed with some form of psychosis, and were found by the court to be NCR due to a violent crime. The Alberta NCR population has grown by an average of seven NCR accused per year and, of those who have reached absolute discharge, each person spent an average of 5.7 years under the Alberta Review Board (the provincial body that oversees those found NCR). Those who committed a homicide had significantly longer hospitalizations than those under every other crime category, except attempted homicide.

BackgroundIslet autoantibodies (IAbs) are the most reliable biomarkers to assess risk of progression to clinical type 1 diabetes (T1D). There are four major biochemically defined IAbs currently used in clinical trials that are equally important for disease prediction. The current screening methods use a radio-binding assay (RBA) for single IAb measurement, which are laborious and inefficient for large-scale screening. More importantly, up to 40% of patients with T1D have other autoimmune conditions that can be identified through relevant autoantibody testing. Thus, there is a need to screen for T1D and other autoimmune diseases simultaneously.MethodsBased on our well-established electrochemiluminescence (ECL) assay platform, we developed a multiplexed ECL assay that combines 7 individual autoantibody assays together in one single well to simultaneously screen T1D, and three other autoimmune diseases including celiac disease, autoimmune thyroid disease and autoimmune poly-glandular syndrome-1 (APS-1). The 7-Plex ECL assay was extensively validated against single antibody measurements including a standard RBA and single ECL assay.FindingsThe 7-Plex ECL assay was well correlated to each single ECL autoantibody assay and each RBA.InterpretationThe multiplexed ECL assay provides high sensitivity and disease specificity, along with high throughput and a low cost for large-scale screenings of T1D and other relevant autoimmune diseases in the general population.Fund grants 2-SRA-2015-51-Q-R, 2-SRA-2018-533-S-B, grants DK32083 and DK32493. grants 81770777.

In Canada, public safety is a paramount concern for the provincial Review Boards that oversee individuals found to be Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder (NCR). There is limited research on recidivism rates for NCR populations to assist public policy and institutional practices. In response to this gap, the authors examined the recidivism characteristics of the population of NCR individuals who have passed under the Review Board of Alberta, Canada. The maximum follow-up period was 35 years and included 528 cases between October 1941 and December 2015. Results indicated that the overall general recidivism rate of NCR individuals was 19.7% (convictions). Of this percentage, 4.6% received a major violent conviction, 12.6% received a violent conviction, and 0.75% received a sexual conviction. The presence of a mood or psychotic disorder resulted in a slightly lower likelihood for recidivism, whereas longer criminal histories led to a greater likelihood of recidivism. The findings are discussed for their implications on forensic practice.