NCJ Number
175401
Date Published
1996
Length
111 pages
Annotation
Written for mental health professionals and others who are involved in the assessment of child molesters, this book is an outline of the issues involved in assessing child molesters and a guide to the relevant literature; the author advises that it is not a how-to-do-it assessment manual.
Abstract
Readers are expected to learn what characteristics do and do not differentiate child molesters from other men; what situational factors are related to child molestation; what instruments are used in the assessment of child molesters, together with the strengths and weaknesses of each; how assessment information is used to appraise risk and guide treatment; the elements of a useful assessment report; and ethical and legal issues in the assessment of child molesters. The child-molester characteristics discussed are social competence, cognitions and beliefs, sexual preferences, personality and psychopathology, hormonal and brain dysfunction, typologies of child molesters, and situational predictors of sexual offenses against children. A discussion of implications for practice focuses on the assessment (interview, psychological tests, phallometric assessment, and polygraph testing); appraising risk; treatment planning; ethical issues; and the assessment report. Recommended assessment instruments for a standardized battery are listed; they measure the risk of recidivism, treatment needs, and supervisory issues. 221 references and appended knowledge test and checklist for continuing education credit