Dr. Hart’s primary research interest is clinical-forensic assessment. Within this general topic, he has several specific areas of interest, outlined below:
Violence Risk
Dr. Hart has conducted research on a number of specific forms of violence risk, such as risk for intimate partner violence, sexual violence, stalking, child abuse and neglect, workplace violence, and terrorism and group-based violence, . He is particular concerned with the development, implementation, and evaluation of procedures for assessing and managing violence risk. Together with colleagues at Simon Fraser University, he established the Structured Professional Judgement (SPJ) approach to violence risk assessment. The goal of the SPJ approach is to prevent violence by improving risk management decisions in a manner that is scientifically, professionally, and legally defensible. He has co-authored a number of SPJ violence risk assessment guides, including the HCR-20, RSVP, SVR-20, SARA, B-SAFER, SAM, PATRIARCH, MLG, and EARLI.
Psychopathic Personality Disorder
Dr. Hart has conducted research on the assessment and management of psychopathic personality disorder in civil and criminal justice settings. He is particularly interested in psychopathy as a risk factor for violence, including intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and stalking. He is also interested in the etiology, course, and treatment of psychopathy. Together with David Cooke and Christine Michie at Glasgow Caledonian University and Caroline Logan the University of Liverpool, he developed a concept map of the disorder called the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP). Together with David Cox at Simon Fraser University and Robert Hare at the University of British Columbia, he wrote the Screening Version of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL:SV), which is well established as a measure of psychopathy for use in correctional, forensic psychiatric, civil psychiatric, and community settings.
Other
Dr. Hart has more general interests in forensic psychology. Together with colleagues at Simon Fraser University and elsewhere, he has conducted research on topics such as the identification and management of mentally disordered offenders in pretrial jails, and the assessment of criminal responsibility and competency to stand trial.