NCJ Number
206077
Journal
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2004 Pages: 107-120
Date Published
April 2004
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study evaluated the predictive validity across ethnicity of the Rapid Risk Assessment for Sexual Offense Recidivism (RRASOR) and the Static-99 actuarial risk assessment procedures for sexual offenders.
Abstract
Although actuarial procedures for the assessment of sexual offender recidivism risk have been shown to be moderately accurate, little is known about whether these measurement tools are equally effective across ethnic minority offenders. The predictive validity across ethnicity of the RRASOR and the Static-99, two popular actuarial risk assessment procedures, was examined in a National sample of 1,303 adult male sex offenders released from Swedish prisons between 1993 and 1997. The subjects were grouped into three categories: Nordic ethnicity, non-Nordic ethnicity (European), and African Asian ethnicity. Follow-up for recidivism measurement began at release from prison and ended on December 31, 2000. Average follow-up time per offender was 5.7 years. RRASOR and Static-99 scores were made on the basis of subjects’ correctional services files and from computerized data registers on prior sexual and nonsexual criminal convictions. Results of statistical analyses indicated that the RRASOR and the Static-99 were equally effective at measuring sexual and violent nonsexual recidivism among the Nordic and European subgroups, but neither measure accurately predicted sexual or violent recidivism among the African Asian subgroup. Among the variables that differed among the two ethnic minority subgroups, European and African Asian, were sociodeomgraphic, criminological, and psychiatric variables. The findings suggest that the predictive validity of some risk assessment tools may not generalize across ethnicity or migration. Replication of the findings is encouraged as the current findings may be the result of differing risk factors involved in the onset of offending. Tables, references