assessment of sex offenders. learning objectives identify information and assessments that reliably...
TRANSCRIPT
Assessment of Sex Offenders
Learning Objectives
• Identify information and assessments that reliably estimate risk posed by sex offenders;
• Describe some of the areas of uncertainty in risk assessment of sex offenders; and
• Describe expected qualifications of professionals who conduct specialized, sex offender-specific assessments.
Overview
Types of Assessments That Can Inform Decision-Making
Static and Dynamic Risk Factors
Commonly Accepted Sex Offender-Specific Risk Assessment Tools
What to Expect in Assessments and From the Professionals Completing Them
Common Questions Courts Face in Cases Involving Sex Crimes
• Is this defendant truly a “sex offender”?
• What type of sentence is warranted?
• How can justice and public safety concerns be reconciled in this case?
• Will this individual re-offend?
Questions Addressed through Post-Conviction Assessments
• What level of relative risk does this individual pose?
• What factors indicate that this person is a greater (or lesser) risk to recidivate?
• Which strategies may be effective for this individual?
• Is this person likely to be amenable to strategies the court may utilize to positively affect risk reduction/management?
TYPES OF ASSESSMENTS THAT CAN INFORM DECISION-
MAKING
Key Assessments
• Risk assessments– General and sex offender-specific
• Pre-sentence investigations
• Psychosexual evaluations
Important Assessment Considerations
• Objectives
• Timing
• Method, approach
• Evaluator expertise
• Information access and sharing
Sources of Information for Assessments
• Offender interviews
• Collateral interviews
• Official records
• General psychological measures
• Sex offender-specific measures
• Empirically supported risk assessment tools
Identifying Higher vs. Lower Risk Offenders
• Professional judgment
• Research-supported risk assessment tools
– General offenders
– Sex offenders
Predictive Accuracy of Risk Assessment Strategies with Sex Offenders
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
.70.70.42.42
Professional Judgment
Empirical Actuarial
Greater Accuracy
LessAccuracy
(Andrews & Bonta, 2007; Grove, et al., 2000; Hanson & Morton-Bourgon, 2007)
STATIC AND DYNAMIC RISK FACTORS
Two Categories of Risk Factors
• Static: generally unchangeable
• Dynamic: variable over time
Examples of Static Risk Factors for Sex Offenders
Examples of Dynamic Risk Factors for Sex Offenders
Variables Not Linked to Sex Offenders’ Recidivism
• Maltreatment history
• Emotional/psychological difficulties
• Poor clinical presentation
(Hanson & Morton-Bourgon, 2005)
Key Risk Factors in Case Studies
Static vs. Dynamic Risk Factors
• Previous conviction for sex offense• Desert Storm veteran• Methamphetamine user• Incest-only offense• Clinically depressed offender• Victim needs therapy for PTSD
COMMONLY ACCEPTED SEX OFFENDER-SPECIFIC RISK
ASSESSMENT TOOLS
Risk Assessment Tools
• Minnesota Sex Offender Screening Tool -Revised (MnSOST-R)
• Rapid Risk Assessment for Sexual Offense Recidivism (RRASOR)
• Sex Offender Risk Appraisal Guide (SORAG)
Risk Assessment Tools (cont.)
• STABLE- and ACUTE-2007
• STATIC-99, STATIC-2002
• Vermont Assessment of Sex Offender Risk (VASOR)
• SVR-20
Sample Assessment: Static-99
1. Age (25 is cut-off)
2. Relationship > 2 years
3. Non-sexual violence with index event
4. Any prior non-sexual violence
5. Prior sex offense convictions (1, 2-3, 4+)
6. Prior sentencing dates
7. Non-contact convictions
8.-10. Unrelated, stranger, or male victims
Sexual Reconviction by Static-99 Score (%): Group Estimates
5 Years 10 Years 15 Years
Stan
1. Age: 22
2. No stable relationships
3. No sexual violence with offense
4. No prior non-sexual violence
5. No prior sex convictions
6. Prior sentencing dates: (less than four)
7. Two non-sexual assault convictions
8.-10. Known, but unrelated, male victim
Additional Tools
• Polygraph
• Viewing Time Measures (e.g., Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest (AASI-2))
• Plethysmography
Polygraph
Pre-Sentence Report
2 victims/5 offenses
Sexual History Disclosure Form
8 victims/20 offenses
First Polygraph 10 victims/22 offenses
Second Polygraph 11 victims/23 offenses
Polygraphs: Compare AdmissionsMedium Number of Victims/Offenses Reported
Similarly, the reported age of the first offense dropped from 28 to 12 from PSIs to polygraphs.
(Ahlmeyer, et al., 2000)
Polygraph: Compare Victim Reports
Type of Crossover Court Polygraph
Adult & Child Victims 7% 70%
Male & Female Victims 9% 36%
(Heil, Ahlmeyer, Simons, 2003)
223 Sex Offenders Participating in SOTMP TC at the Colorado Department of Corrections
Plethysmography
• Instrument to assess sexual arousal
• Arousal does not mean offender
• Ability to manage arousal may decrease recidivism risk
Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest TM
• Assesses sexual interests via relative time spent viewing different visual stimuli
• Some research: can discriminate between offenders and non-offenders
• Undermined by websites that disclose the basis of the test
Commonly Accepted General Risk Assessment Tools
• Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R)
• Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG)
• Statistical Information on Recidivism (SIR)
• Wisconsin Risk and Needs
• Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS)
• Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R)
Pre-Sentence Investigations
• Index offense
• Prior criminal history
• Social supports
• Health, mental health
• Employment, financial, residential stability
Pre-Sentence Investigations (cont.)
• Victim impact
• Aggravating, mitigating circumstances
• Findings from psychosexual evaluations
• Recommended criminal justice interventions
Commonalities Between General Psychological and Sex
Offender-Specific Evaluations
• Intellectual, cognitive functioning
• Personality, psychopathology, diagnosis
• Interpersonal, social history
• Developmental, family history
• Risk of harm to self, others
WHAT TO EXPECT IN ASSESSMENTS AND FROM
THE PROFESSIONALS CONDUCTING THEM
Expanded Content Important for Psychosexual Evaluations
• Sexual development, attitudes, behaviors, adjustment
• Sexual interests, arousal, preferences
• Sexual, violent recidivism risk
..
PSYCHOSEXUAL EVALUATION
I. Identifying information
II. Referral source and question
III. Informed consent
IV. Records review
V. List of assessment tools and strategies used (including offender interview)
VI. Background information, psychosocial history, employment
VII. Criminal history, responses to interventions
VIII.Sexual history
IX. Interpretations of assessment data, case formulation (including diagnosis, summary of intervention needs)
X. Recommendations
Assessing Evaluators’ Expertise
● Relevant advanced degree
● Forensic training, experience
● Specialized training, clinical supervision
● Licensure, professional affiliations
● Continuing education
Summary
• Assessments are essential for understanding sex offenders on a case-by-case basis.
• Research reveals specific factors linked to recidivism risk for sex offenders.
• Specialized, research-supported assessment tools increase accuracy of estimating risk.
Summary (cont.)
• Psychosexual evaluations provide added value over general psychological evaluations.
• Thorough, complementary assessments by quality evaluators can inform sentencing decisions.