NCJ Number
216187
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 70 Issue: 2 Dated: September 2006 Pages: 36-43
Date Published
September 2006
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the current state of sex offender risk assessment and presents a framework for sex offender risk assessment and community supervision practice.
Abstract
The author points out that the risk assessment and management of sex offenders is heavily influenced by the unique social and political context in which our society views sex crimes and sex offenders. Specialized sex offender risk assessment emerged in the 1990s and focused on identifying the risk factors associated with sexual recidivism and then integrating those risk factors into structured assessment instruments. Risk factors for sexual reoffending are reviewed and include deviant sexual preferences, antisocial lifestyle or orientation, prior sexual offenses, and single marital status. While the knowledge concerning sexual recidivism has been growing, a number of methodological issues have constrained the research in this area, including the problem of sex crime underreporting, the diverse nature of sex offenders, and limited follow-up periods for recidivism studies. Moreover, while researchers have a good understanding of the static factors that are likely to influence sexual reoffending, less is known about the dynamic, or changing, factors that influence sexual recidivism, such as cognitions and treatment compliance. Actuarial assessments for sex offenders are described followed by a discussion of structured clinical decision tools and a comparison of both types of assessment approaches (actuarial versus clinical judgment). Next, a framework for sex offender risk assessment and community supervision practice is presented, which contains five key dimensions: (1) primary orientation; (2) risk emphasis; (3) risk factors, (4) primary methods; and (5) frequency of assessment. Baseline planning for sex offender management is discussed, which involves the initial establishment of baseline levels of risk, followed by a description of the case management phase of supervision as well as acute intervention for high-risk offenders. Figure, references