Investigating the effectiveness of forensic case formulation recommendations

Figures & data

Table 1. Inclusion Criteria.

Inclusion Criteria	Rationale
1. Case must have an associated level 2 OPDP formulation on file	As the study was concerned specifically with recommendations made within OPDP formulations, each selected case was required to have an OPDP formulation on file. Only level 2 formulations were deemed suitable for inclusion within the current study, as level 1 formulations are typically very brief in nature (and so may have been unlikely to include comprehensive recommendations), and level 3 formulations are very rarely completed within the OPDP.^5 It was considered important to compare recommendations across formulations of the same level, so that any differences identified (i.e. in terms of the impact of these recommendations) could not be simply attributed to differences in formulation level.
2. The level 2 formulation must have been completed between 2018–2019	It was considered important to examine recent cases, so that any findings obtained would be reflective of ‘typical’ practice as it currently exists. Formulations completed within 2020 were not sought, as these were thought to be unlikely to reflect ‘typical’ practice due to the anomalous outbreak of COVID-19 within this year, and one-year outcomes would not have yet occurred by the time data collection began.

Figure 1. List of Key Questions Outlined in the Study Protocol.

Figure 2. Boxplot Displaying the Number of Relevant Formulation Recommendations Made within Cases with Positive Versus Negative Outcomes.

Note: ‘Unaddressed Issues’ refer to particular areas of risk or need identified in each case which would have been relevant to address within the formulation recommendations but were not.

Figure 3. Boxplot Displaying the Number of Feasible Formulation Recommendations Made within Cases with Positive Versus Negative Outcomes.

Figure 4. Boxplot Displaying the Number of Formulation Recommendations Utilised within Cases with Positive Versus Negative Outcomes.

Figure 5. Logic Model Operationalising the Process by Which Formulation Recommendations May Influence Outcomes.

Note. The impact of each step is dependent on the successful completion of all prior steps in the chain. ^aIt may also be helpful for these recommendations to be prioritised so that those of most importance can be easily identified by the OM. ^bThis may also involve re-visiting the formulation to generate further recommendations.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to their sensitive nature.