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1
McWhaw, Andrew. "Online Child Pornography Offenders and Risk Assessment: How Online Offenders Compare to Contact Offenders Using Common Risk Assessment Variables." Thèse, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/20193.
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The aim of this study was to compare online child pornography offenders and contact offenders along the predictive items of the Static-2002 actuarial risk assessment tool, as well as, several other items and scales predictive of recidivism. In addition, the study wished to determine if the Static-2002 was a well-equipped to assess online offenders. 120 subjects were assessed in this study, 53 online child pornography offenders, 53 child molesters, and 7 offenders who committed both a contact and online offense. The research identified a number of similarities between the two groups of offenders, including a finding that the two groups did not significantly differ in age. The most pronounced differences were found on the several measures of criminality used in the study where contact offenders scored significantly higher. The Static-2002 was found to not be well suited for use with online offenders as the tool had difficulty assessing their sexual deviancy.
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Tully, Ruth. "Sex offender risk assessment." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2012. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.664317.
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This thesis examined sex offender risk assessment. A systematic review of the literature found that the predictive validity of tools that take an actuarial approach, and tools that take a structured professional judgement (SPJ) approach is promising, but that the quality of available research in this field is variable. Further evaluation of tools taking the SPJ approach was recommended, as was further validation of sex offender risk assessment tools on sex offender sub-groups. A case study of an adult male sex offender demonstrated the complexities involved in sex offender risk assessment in clinical practice, and the challenges clinicians face in making assessments and recommendations following sex offender treatment. Following this, the RM2000/S (Thornton et aI., 2003) was critically appraised, and finally an empirical research study was preformed whereby the predictive validity of the Structured Assessment of Risk and Need Treatment Needs Analysis (SARN TNA; Thornton, 2002) was assessed. Despite widespread use ofthe SARN TNA by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) of England and Wales, its level of predictive power was found to be small. The findings suggest that the SARN TNA should not be relied on as a predictor scale for sexual recidivism. This highlights the need for further evaluation of the tool, which could result in the method of assigning risk group being modified. The final chapter of the thesis summarises the findings of the thesis chapters, and concludes that further evaluation of the effectiveness of sex offender risk assessment tools is necessary to be able to use these tools to aid defensible decision-making.
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Henning, Christopher John. "An assessment of routinely collected information on internet sex offenders by criminal justice social workers and the police in Scotland : an exploratory study." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/31028.
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The number of offenders who have been convicted of possession, distribution or production of sexually explicit media involving children (SEMIC) has increased exponentially in the last decade. The majority of these cases have been facilitated by increased availability and affordability of the internet and mobile technology. This has led both practitioners and academics to question whether or not internet sex offenders are a new type of offender or whether they are similar to contact offenders who target children offline. Questions have also been raised as to whether or not such internet sex offenders are a homogenous group or whether they can be distinguished by their potential to recidivate or escalate to contact offences. This thesis contributes to this body of knowledge by assessing the information routinely collected on internet sex offenders by criminal justice social workers and the police in Scotland. The forensic reports produced by the police (N=80) alongside matched social enquiry reports from criminal justice social workers (N=30), on all of the offenders convicted for breach of section 52 of the Civic Government Scotland Act (1982) in a particular region of Scotland from 2002-2009, were assessed. Police reports contained detailed information relating to specific offending behaviours: the number of images/videos found on the offender’s computer; the age and sex of the children depicted; the severity of the SEMIC (based on the modified COPINE scale); where the SEMIC was from and how it was stored; whether the offender attempted to hide any images or videos, and whether or not he shared or produced any SEMIC. These reports also noted whether the offender had any previous convictions, as well as age at the time of the offence. Based on the social enquiry reports, the criminal justice social workers focused on demographic characteristics (age, educational background, employment history, family status) of the offenders as well as the attitudes or beliefs they might have held (expression of remorse or guilt and admission to being sexually attracted to children). The social enquiry reports also provided risk assessments, which assessed this group of internet sex offenders as a normally distributed range from low to very high risk to reoffend utilizing the RM2000 and Stable/Acute 2007. The criminal justice social workers did not differentiate between offenders in their management recommendations, which as reported in social enquiry reports, included: no use of the internet except for education or employment; no ownership of devices capable of taking or receiving images/videos, and no unsupervised access to children. Statistical analysis of this sample showed that distinctions between internet sex offenders could be made based on their offending behaviour, demographic information and attitudes they held about the crime. Correlation analysis suggested that offenders who were in possession of SEMIC depicting very young children were also likely to be in possession of SEMIC depicting boys and Level 4/5 images or videos (based on the modified COPINE scale). In addition, offenders who possessed very large collections of SEMIC were also the most likely to be in possession of the most deviant images and videos. Post-hoc analysis suggested offenders who were producers of SEMIC were more likely to have been in relationships and single offenders were more likely to be in possession of the more deviant collections. Contrary to what was expected, the size of an offender’s collection of SEMIC was negatively correlated with the risk assessment level reported by the criminal justice social workers. These results are discussed in the context of current research on risk assessment and management. Based on that current literature and the results of this research, it is recommended that criminal justice social workers utilize information relating the offender’s behaviour, or more specifically the quantity and deviancy of the SEMIC he possessed, in relation to his social circumstances when making recommendations for management and assessing his risk to reoffend.
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McGinnis, Wendy J. "The validity of the Iowa Sex Offender Risk Assessment for predicting recidivism in female sexual offenders." Diss., University of Iowa, 2015. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/1694.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of the Iowa Sex Offender Risk Assessment (ISORA) instrument used in the Iowa Department of Corrections to assess for future occurrences of female offender recidivism. Using a sample of 105 females convicted of a sexual offense in the State of Iowa, the current study examined rates of recidivism using the ISORA. The goal of this study was to determine the validity of the ISORA in predicting recidivism rates as measured by (a) new convictions for sex offenses and other violent crimes, (b) new convictions for sex crimes using a strict definition, and (c) any new conviction for any new crime. Data were collected on all female participants in this study using case file information from various database resources. Mean-cost rating scores and Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve analyses were conducted to explore the relationships between risk assessment categories on the ISORA and each type of recidivism as well as between raw ISORA scores and each type of recidivism. Results showed the overall recidivism rate of female offenders was 22% for this study, while the sexual recidivism rate in this study was 2%. Results also provided evidence that the ISORA can be used to predict sexual and violent recidivism (AUC = .85) as well as general recidivism (AUC = .64) for female sex offenders. In conclusion, the ISORA is a valid risk assessment tool when predicting general and sexual or violent recidivism for female sexual offenders. However, further research examining improvements in the instrument could be conducted to enhance the validity of the instrument.
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Beggs, Sarah Marie. "Treatment Outcome, Risk Assessment, and Recidivism among Sexual Offenders against Children." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Psychology, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1824.
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The sexual abuse of children is an issue that society must address with urgency and commitment, given the profoundly damaging effects and widespread occurrence of this kind of crime. Providing psychological treatment to identified offenders is an important endeavour of the criminal justice system, with the aim of reducing recidivism and thereby preventing future victims. This dissertation explores a number of areas relevant to the treatment of sexual offenders on a sample of 223 adult males who completed a prison-based programme for child sexual offenders in New Zealand. Specifically, the assessment of treatment outcome and its relationship with recidivism, risk assessment, and the influence of specific offender factors on estimates of treatment outcome and risk were investigated. Study 1 (N = 218) is an independent validation of the validity of the Violence Risk Scale: Sexual Offender Version (VRS:SO; Olver, Wong, Nicholaichuk, & Gordon, 2007), a recently developed risk assessment instrument for sexual offenders that incorporates both static and dynamic risk factors and contains protocols for the assessment of change as a result of treatment. Results indicate support for the inter-rater reliability, concurrent validity, and predictive validity of the VRS:SO with regard to sexual recidivism, with pre-treatment and post-treatment scores showing superior predictive validity relative to a widely used measure of static risk (Static-99; Hanson & Thornton, 1999) and a measure of "Deviance" based on a 4-factor battery of relevant psychometric tests (Allan, Grace, Rutherford, & Hudson, 2007). In Study 2 (N = 218), three separate methods of assessing proximal treatment outcome (representative of three categories of treatment outcome measures that have previously been applied in the literature) are applied and compared in terms of their predictive validity with regard to sexual recidivism, and the relative advantages and disadvantages of their use. These measures are: change on a battery of relevant psychometric tests administered prior to and following treatment; change across treatment on the VRS:SO; and post-treatment ratings of the attainment of treatment goals as measured by a modified version of Hogue’s (1994) Standard Goal Attainment Scaling for Sexual Offenders (SGAS). Results indicate that positive treatment outcomes as measured by all of these methods are associated with reduced sexual recidivism. SGAS scores are identified as being relatively simple and efficient to obtain, however the VRS:SO and the psychometric battery are both able to provide useful pre-treatment clinical information regarding potential treatment targets for a particular offender. Study 3 (N = 223) and Study 4 (N = 216) are explorations of the influence of particular offender characteristics on response to treatment and risk of recidivism. Of particular interest was the personality construct of psychopathy (measured using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, PCL-R; Hare, 1991), and both studies are attempted replications and extensions of previously reported interaction effects involving this construct (Heilbrun, 1979; Seto & Barbaree, 1999). The results of Study 3 indicate that there is no interaction effect between PCL-R scores and treatment outcome (as measured by the SGAS) on sexual recidivism, in contrast to an influential study by Seto and Barbaree (1999). Study 4 reports an interaction effect between PCL-R scores and intelligence on recidivism, such that higher than average IQ scores appear to moderate the well-known association between psychopathy and risk. Overall, the findings reported in this dissertation suggest the importance of considering dynamic factors as well as static factors in sex offender risk assessments, and support the premise that dynamic factors are changeable, with change being associated with changes in recidivism. The potential for certain offender characteristics to influence treatment response and risk of recidivism is highlighted, and several areas for further exploration are identified.
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Sjöstedt, Gabrielle. "Violent recidivism among sexual offenders : risk factors and assessment procedures /." Stockholm : [Karolinska institutets bibl.], 2002. http://diss.kib.ki.se/2002/91-7349-328-7/.
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Hersant, Jamie L. "Risk assessment of juvenile sex offender reoffense /." Available to subscribers only, 2006. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1208144681&sid=8&Fmt=2&clientId=1509&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Rowlands, Michael T. "Dangerous sex offenders: Recidivism and risk factors associated with serious sexual offending." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2018. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/116343/2/Michael_Rowlands_Thesis.pdf.
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There is limited research on dangerous sex offenders in Australia. The current PhD study examined reoffending rates of offenders classified as dangerous in Queensland Supreme Courts. A review of the literature noted that sex offenders generally have low recidivism rates. Offenders considered high-risk are more likely to re-offend with general offences, but the overall level of sexual and nonsexual violent recidivism was low. Further, early onset of offending, diverse criminal careers, diverse victimologies, ecological change, and substance misuse were factors for recidivism. Last, the project identified that conceptualising dangerousness is complex and fraught with ethical and legal concerns.
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Rombouts, Sacha, and n/a. "Development of a Risk Assessment Checklist for Juvenile Sexual Offenders: a Meta-Analytic Approach." Griffith University. School of Psychology, 2006. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20070123.151237.
Full textAbstract:
Over the last decade there has been a substantial research effort directed toward understanding recidivism and risk prediction among adult sex offenders. In contrast, the juvenile sex offender field has received much less empirical attention. Consequently, there are very few risk assessment instruments designed for use with young persons who have committed sexual offences. Available measures do not appear to take into account the higher rates of non-sexual recidivism typical of this population. This thesis aimed to identify risk factors for sexual and non-sexual recidivism among juvenile sex offenders (JSOs) and explore their utility in the context of a risk assessment instrument. In Study One, a meta-analysis was conducted on JSO research to examine risk factors for sexual recidivism. The meta-analysis involved 17 studies and 22 predictor constructs. Seven variables emerged as reliable predictors of sexual recidivism: an index sexual offence involving a stranger victim, a history of physical abuse in the offender's background, the presence of sexual deviance, a non-contact index sexual offence, sexually offending against a greater number of victims, a history of sexual offending, and a history of non-sexual offending. In Study Two, a meta-analysis was performed on JSO research to identify risk factors for non-sexual recidivism. The meta-analysis involved 14 studies and 19 predictor constructs. Six variables emerged as reliable predictors of non-sexual recidivism: a history of non-sexual offending, a history of sexual abuse (negative relationship), the presence of an antisocial orientation, an index sexual offence involving a child victim (negative relationship), a history of physical abuse in the offender's background, and the use of threats/force in the index sexual offence. Taken together, the two meta-analyses were able to identify risk factors specific to sexual recidivism (e.g., sexual deviance) and non-sexual recidivism (e.g., antisocial orientation) as well as risk factors common to both outcomes (e.g., a history of non-sexual offending). These studies therefore made an original and significant contribution to the understanding of recidivism among JSOs. Based upon the meta-analyses, Study Three involved the construction of a risk assessment checklist that could be easily scored from file information. The Juvenile Risk Assessment Checklist (J-RAC) contained 11 items based upon the most consistent operationalisations of the predictors that emerged from the meta-analyses. The J-RAC is unique in the JSO risk assessment field as it contains two scales designed to provide separate estimates of the risk of youth engaging in further sexual and non-sexual recidivism, respectively. The J-RAC was scored based on file information from 82 youth who had been found guilty of sexual offences and referred to a treatment service in Queensland, Australia. The majority of the items possessed good inter-rater reliabilities and the two scales both possessed high inter-rater reliabilities. An existing JSO risk assessment instrument, the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol Version 2 (J-SOAP-II; Prentky & Righthand, 2003), was also administered and the J-RAC possessed significant correlations with the majority of the J-SOAP-II scales. The J-RAC was also found to significantly discriminate between juveniles in detention and juveniles in the community, with those in detention found to be at higher risk on both scales. Thus, the reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the J-RAC was established. Consistent with current adult sex offender recidivism theory, the findings demonstrated the distinct roles of sexual deviance and antisocial orientation in the prediction of sexual and non-sexual recidivism of JSOs, respectively. The current thesis goes some way towards advancing a theory of juvenile sex offender recidivism by drawing upon the variables that emerged as reliable risk factors in the two meta-analyses. While the J-RAC could not yet be considered an actuarial instrument capable of assigning low, medium and high risk levels, the results of the research conducted in this thesis are encouraging. The utility of the J-RAC may be further enhanced through the aid of prospective research that incorporates substantial numbers of juvenile recidivists.
10
Rombouts, Sacha. "Development of a Risk Assessment Checklist for Juvenile Sexual Offenders: a Meta-Analytic Approach." Thesis, Griffith University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365598.
Full textAbstract:
Over the last decade there has been a substantial research effort directed toward understanding recidivism and risk prediction among adult sex offenders. In contrast, the juvenile sex offender field has received much less empirical attention. Consequently, there are very few risk assessment instruments designed for use with young persons who have committed sexual offences. Available measures do not appear to take into account the higher rates of non-sexual recidivism typical of this population. This thesis aimed to identify risk factors for sexual and non-sexual recidivism among juvenile sex offenders (JSOs) and explore their utility in the context of a risk assessment instrument. In Study One, a meta-analysis was conducted on JSO research to examine risk factors for sexual recidivism. The meta-analysis involved 17 studies and 22 predictor constructs. Seven variables emerged as reliable predictors of sexual recidivism: an index sexual offence involving a stranger victim, a history of physical abuse in the offender's background, the presence of sexual deviance, a non-contact index sexual offence, sexually offending against a greater number of victims, a history of sexual offending, and a history of non-sexual offending. In Study Two, a meta-analysis was performed on JSO research to identify risk factors for non-sexual recidivism. The meta-analysis involved 14 studies and 19 predictor constructs. Six variables emerged as reliable predictors of non-sexual recidivism: a history of non-sexual offending, a history of sexual abuse (negative relationship), the presence of an antisocial orientation, an index sexual offence involving a child victim (negative relationship), a history of physical abuse in the offender's background, and the use of threats/force in the index sexual offence. Taken together, the two meta-analyses were able to identify risk factors specific to sexual recidivism (e.g., sexual deviance) and non-sexual recidivism (e.g., antisocial orientation) as well as risk factors common to both outcomes (e.g., a history of non-sexual offending). These studies therefore made an original and significant contribution to the understanding of recidivism among JSOs. Based upon the meta-analyses, Study Three involved the construction of a risk assessment checklist that could be easily scored from file information. The Juvenile Risk Assessment Checklist (J-RAC) contained 11 items based upon the most consistent operationalisations of the predictors that emerged from the meta-analyses. The J-RAC is unique in the JSO risk assessment field as it contains two scales designed to provide separate estimates of the risk of youth engaging in further sexual and non-sexual recidivism, respectively. The J-RAC was scored based on file information from 82 youth who had been found guilty of sexual offences and referred to a treatment service in Queensland, Australia. The majority of the items possessed good inter-rater reliabilities and the two scales both possessed high inter-rater reliabilities. An existing JSO risk assessment instrument, the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol Version 2 (J-SOAP-II; Prentky & Righthand, 2003), was also administered and the J-RAC possessed significant correlations with the majority of the J-SOAP-II scales. The J-RAC was also found to significantly discriminate between juveniles in detention and juveniles in the community, with those in detention found to be at higher risk on both scales. Thus, the reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the J-RAC was established. Consistent with current adult sex offender recidivism theory, the findings demonstrated the distinct roles of sexual deviance and antisocial orientation in the prediction of sexual and non-sexual recidivism of JSOs, respectively. The current thesis goes some way towards advancing a theory of juvenile sex offender recidivism by drawing upon the variables that emerged as reliable risk factors in the two meta-analyses. While the J-RAC could not yet be considered an actuarial instrument capable of assigning low, medium and high risk levels, the results of the research conducted in this thesis are encouraging. The utility of the J-RAC may be further enhanced through the aid of prospective research that incorporates substantial numbers of juvenile recidivists.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Psychology
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Sindall, O. "An exploratory validation study of a risk assessment tool for male sex offenders with an intellectual disability." Thesis, Canterbury Christ Church University, 2012. http://create.canterbury.ac.uk/10821/.
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Section A: The aim of this paper was to review and provide a summary of the empirical and theoretical literature on risk assessment, recidivism and theories of offending in relation to intellectually disabled (ID) sex offenders. This work is still in its infancy when compared with the non-intellectually disabled sex offending and risk assessment research and it was therefore important to include an overview of the general sex offending literature, to establish how this relates to the more recent developments in the study of ID sex offenders. Section B is an exploratory validation study using a longitudinal cohort design. The purpose of the study was to explore the criterion validity of the ARMIDILO-S (Assessment of Risk and Manageability of Intellectually Disabled Individuals who Offend - Sexually) risk assessment tool. The study investigated the tool by using it with a clinical population of adult men with an intellectual disability, who had taken part in sex offender group treatment, due to their sex offending behaviour. Section C is a critical appraisal of the process of undertaking this research. It is a reflective and critical account of what skills and lessons the author has learnt, what could have been done differently, and how it might affect clinical work and future research.
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Willis, Gwenda Miriam. "From prison into the community : the impact of release planning on sexual recidivism for child molesters." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Department of Psychology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/2542.
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Research on the factors underlying sex offender recidivism has not considered the importance of the reintegration process through which the offender rejoins the community after prison. This thesis reports findings from 3 empirical studies designed to explore whether poor release planning might contribute to sex offender recidivism. In Study 1, a coding protocol was developed to measure the comprehensiveness of release planning for child molesters, which included items relating to accommodation, employment, pro-social support, community-based treatment, and Good Lives Model (T. Ward & C.A. Stewart, 2003) secondary goods. The protocol was retrospectively applied to groups of recidivist and nonrecidivist graduates of a prison-based treatment programme, who were matched on static risk level and time since release. As predicted, overall release planning was significantly poorer for recidivists compared to nonrecidivists. Study 2 was a validation and extension of Study 1. The original coding protocol, and some revised items, were applied to matched groups of recidivists and nonrecidivists from a different treatment programme. Consistent with Study 1 findings, overall release planning was significantly poorer for recidivists. Data from Studies 1 and 2 were pooled (total N = 141) and Cox regressions showed that accommodation, employment, and social support planning combined to best predict recidivism, with predictive accuracy comparable to that obtained using static risk models. Study 3 investigated whether release planning was associated with actual reintegration experiences, and additionally explored released child molesters’ good lives plans. Release plans were rated for 16 child molesters, who were interviewed post-release about their reintegration experiences and good lives plans. As predicted, significant positive correlations were found between release planning and reintegration experiences 1 and 3 months following prison release, and results suggested that effective reintegration might help facilitate living a good life. Overall, results from the 3 studies suggest that poor release planning and subsequent reintegration experiences contribute to sex offender recidivism. Implications for researchers, clinicians, policy makers, and community members are discussed.
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Masters, Kindalin B. "Police Officer Insights into a Sex Offender Registration Scheme and Risk Assessment: Assessing the Validity of the SHARP Risk Assessment Tool." Thesis, Griffith University, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/399401.
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The sexual abuse of a child is one of the most serious crimes a person can commit and can cause a lifetime of severe and ongoing problems for the victim. With the impact of this crime being so acute and often high profile, it brings about a number of challenges in the management of these offenders in the community. The introduction of sex offender registries is the most recognised method used in managing sex offenders living in the community, and has been an established approach to management within Australia for nearly 20 years. As legislation currently stands in Australia, each state and territory is required to have regulations in regard to the registration of convicted sexual offenders. Policies such as registration are often based on a misperception that child sex offenders will pose an ongoing risk to society, and that there is an unacceptable risk of reoffending among this group of offenders. While sex offender registers are yet to prove their unequivocal usefulness, police officers managing the register are aided by risk assessment tools to determine the likelihood of reoffending. The necessity of risk assessment as part of offender management through a registration scheme is two-fold: first, it assists police in identifying who are their most risky offenders and who will therefore require more intensive management; and second, it guides the (often limited) resources of the police and ensures this is directed towards the areas, and offenders, where it is needed the most. This thesis offers an area of research that is limited in the current empirical literature around police officer perception of sex offender registries and the risk assessment tools they use as part of ongoing offender management.
Study one (Chapter 2) reports the findings of 17 police interviews with officers responsible for managing convicted sex offenders in the community on a sex offender registration scheme. Officers were asked about their thoughts and opinions on the register and risk assessment tools while also detailing their policing experience. Nine main themes were identified from the interviews. These were: the purpose of the register; concerns about community perceptions; resources; the essential but limited use of risk assessment tools; a desire for individual management tailored to the offender; the need for more training despite staff competency; the insufficient sharing of important information among stakeholders; concerns around the relevance of sex offender legislation; and confusion about how to understand and manage online offenders. A significant finding of this study was of the need for a dynamic risk assessment tool that police officers can use. This finding was particularly important for study two and guiding the present thesis.
Study two (Chapter 3) examined the five-year follow-up recidivism rates of 103 registered sex offenders. This was done by a comparison between two risk assessment tools: the SHARP and the Risk Matrix 2000 (RM2000). The SHARP is a five-factor dynamic risk assessment tool used to predict recidivism among sex offenders and was designed specifically for use within a law enforcement environment. This study aimed to test the validity of the SHARP to predict sexual recidivism. Results of the study indicate that the SHARP has medium predictive validity for sexual recidivism, and large predictive validity for both violent and general recidivism. The SHARP outperformed the RM2000 in predicting sexual, violent and general recidivism.
Study three (Chapter 4) continued with the findings from study two and reports on survey results of 10 police participants responsible for assessing the risk of recidivism of convicted sex offenders on a register. The survey aimed to gather the insights of police officers currently utilising the SHARP through a combination of quantitative and qualitative responses. Police were asked about their views of the register and the SHARP dynamic risk assessment tool. Participants expressed satisfaction with the use of the SHARP and highlighted their ability to code important risk factors prudent to sexual offending. Qualitative analysis revealed favourable attitudes towards the SHARP and its usefulness as a risk management tool.
In combination, the findings of the three studies significantly contribute to the literature on policing sex offender registries and the use of risk assessment tools by law enforcement. Police officers are tasked with a difficult and challenging job in maintaining a sex offender register and managing convicted sex offenders in the community. To aid this, police require an effective risk assessment tool that allows them to assess for risk among registered sex offenders. Officers are required to identify their highest risk offenders and tailor offender management accordingly. Police have identified that some offenders will require greater focused management in the community. This thesis has highlighted not only how to better improve sex offender registers but also what is needed for an offender to reduce their risk and how officers can identify this. The thesis also demonstrates that the SHARP is an effective tool in predicting sexual recidivism among registered sex offenders.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Applied Psychology
Griffith Health
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Ticknor, Bobbie. "Sex Offender Policy and Practice: Comparing the SORNA Tier Classification System and Static-99 Risk Levels." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1406880689.
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Craig, Leam. "Assessing risk in sex offenders." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.410300.
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Schoenfeld, Tara McKenzie. "Risky business: a regional comparison of the levels of risk and service needs of sexually offending youth." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/3097.
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Considerable attention has focussed on identifying individual factors associated with, or
predictive of, sexual offending (e.g., Efta-Breitbach & Freeman, 2004). In light of these
individual factors, clinicians and researchers have developed standardized instruments for
assessing the risk posed by sexually offending youth. Two such instruments are the Juvenile Sex
Offender Assessment Protocol-II (J-SOAP-II; Prentky & Righthand, 2003) and the Estimate of
Risk of Adolescent Sexual Offence Recidivism Version 2.0 (ERASOR-II; Worling & Curwen,
2001). In addition to individual factors, research on crime has demonstrated that structural
factors within the community may be important determinants of sexual and non-sexual offending
(e.g., McCarthy, 1991; Ouimet, 1999; Shaw & McKay, 1942; Wirth, 1938). Therefore, the
purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to compare the psychometric properties of two newly
developed risk assessment instruments (i.e., J-SOAP-II and ERASOR-II) and (b) to use the better
instrument to compare the levels of risk posed by sexually offending youth in 3 neighbouring,
but diverse communities. Using file information, the J-SOAP-II and ERASOR-II were scored on
84 adolescent males between the ages of 11 and 20 years who had committed a sexual offence
and received treatment at Youth Forensic Psychiatric Services (YFPS) in the Greater Vancouver
Area (GVA; n = 30), Central Okanagan (CO; n = 26), and Thompson Nicola region (TN; n =
28). Calculations of interrater reliability and item-total correlations indicated that the J-SOAP-II
was a better assessment instrument for this sample of offenders. Consequently, further regional
analysis of risk was conducted using the J-SOAP-II data. Results indicated that although there
were no regional differences among the severity and history of sexual offending, TN youth
generally had a greater number of risk factors than did youth in CO and GVA. Specifically,
youth in TN were found to be higher risk in the areas of intervention, general problem behaviour,
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and family/environment dynamics. These results suggest that to better understand youth who
commit sexual offences and to provide appropriate prevention and intervention strategies for
individual offenders and their communities, youth should not be evaluated in isolation from their
social and community context. Recommendations for practice are discussed.
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Baker, Kerry. "Risk assessment of young offenders." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.404192.
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Hudson, Amy H. "Personality assessment of female sex offenders : a cluster analysis /." Full-text version available from OU Domain via ProQuest Digital Dissertations, 1995.
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Zanatta, Robert G. "Risk of violent and sexual recidivism: A comparison of dangerous offenders and repetitive sexual offenders /." Burnaby B.C. : Simon Fraser University, 2005. http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/handle/1892/2027.
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Deutsher, Megan Mary, and deutsher@bigpond com. "A neuropsychological asessement of adult sex offenders." Swinburne University of Technology. Brain Sciences Institute, 2004. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au./public/adt-VSWT20060711.090050.
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There is widespread concern within at least Western cultures of the potential damage that sex offenders may cause to society. The government statistics highlight a frightening pattern of sexual abuse in Australia, with the trend implicating that sexual assault is on the rise and that children are the predominant victims (ABS, 2003b). Specifically, 17,850 reports of sexual assault were recorded in 2002, a 6% increase since 2001. Further to this, there is still no universal agreement as to the extent to which treatment effectively reduces sexual recidivism. Therefore, there is an urgent need for research into this problem behaviour. Research examining the causes of sexual offending has examined a biological hypothesis that sex offenders have functional brain impairment. However, the results of neuropsychological
assessments of various sex offender populations are inconsistent and inconclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the brain function of males convicted and incarcerated for sexual offences against children using neuropsychological assessment. Specifically, it was hypothesised that the sex offenders would show functional impairment in their frontal and temporal lobes. A battery of neuropsychological tests was compiled to assess the functions of these regions including four WAIS-Ill subtests (Arithmetic, Vocabulary, Block Design and Picture Arrangement), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Rey Complex Figure (RCF), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the FAS Test. These tests were administered to 25
incarcerated male sex offenders, 25 incarcerated male non-sex offenders and 25 men with no criminal history. Although attempts were made to match these groups on age, level of education and level of intelligence, statistical analyses revealed that there were significant differences between the groups on these variables. These differences were statistically controlled using analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) and factorial analyses of variance (ANOVA).
The results indicated that the sex offenders performed significantly worse than the controls on all neuropsychological tests. However, statistically significant differences were only found between the sex offenders and control group on the immediate recall trials of the RAVLT and RCF. These observed differences did not change when age, level of education and level of intelligence were statistically controlled. It was concluded that there is insufficient evidence from this study to support the hypothesis that sex offenders have functional impairment in their frontal and temporal lobes. However, given the relevance of potential brain impairment to both the biological and social-cognitive perspectives of sexual offending, future research in this field is warranted.
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Briley, Joshua Paul. "Trauma Responses, Abuse History, and Exposure to Violence as Risk Factors in Adolescent Sex and Non-Sex Offenders." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2003. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4369/.
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Several risk factors have been identified for adolescent sex offenders and non-sex offenders. Such risk factors include physical and/or sexual abuse, and exposure to community and/or domestic violence. Additionally, the presence of disinhibitive factors, such as substance use and exposure to violent or pornographic media are also commonly reported in the backgrounds of both sex and non-sex offenders. Similarly, adolescent offenders have reported traumatic reactions to environmental factors such as abuse and violence. Similarities in exposure to the risk and disinhibitive factors described above between adolescent sex and non-sex offenders do not provide an explanation for why some adolescents commit sex offenses, whereas other adolescent offenders do not. This study investigated the discriminative ability of traumatic reactions as a risk factor between male adolescent sex and non-sex offenders. The inclusion of traumatic reactions increased the accuracy of risk factors distinguishing between sex and non-sex offenders. Thus, not only the presence of risk factors, but also the adolescent's reaction to the risk factors, are important predictors of whether he will commit a sexual offense.
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Zeidler, Cameron Fitzpatrick. "Psychoneuroimmunology: Enhancing Treatment Efficacy and Reducing Sexual Offender Recidivism In Court-Mandated Treatment." Antioch University / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch147609874194315.
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Bischof, Gary Paul. "Adolescent male sexual offenders' perceptions of their family characteristics." Thesis, This resource online, 1991. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-08182009-040313/.
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Taylor, Chénelle Anika. "Static risk factors among Jamaican sex offenders : a cross-cultural analysis." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2018. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/8178/.
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The thesis examined static risk factors for sexual offending in Jamaican sex offenders, in contrast to British and Canadian sex offenders. A critique of a static risk assessment tool known as Static-99 Revised (Hanson & Thornton, 2000) was presented in Chapter Two. Chapter Three presented a cross-cultural, empirical investigation of static risk factors for sexual offending between Jamaican and British/Canadian sex offenders. No significant difference was found in the total static risk score of Jamaican and British/Canadian sex offenders. More Jamaican sex offenders endorsed items that were indicative of an antisocial lifestyle. Offender type (rapist, extra- familial child molester and incest offender) did not impact significantly on static risk scores within the samples. A systematic review of the literature on protective factors for sexual offending was conducted in Chapter Four. Results indicated that empathy, motivation and treatment are likely to have a protective effect on sexual offending; however, further research into how these factors work together to enhance desistance (i.e., cessation of sexual offending) is needed. Chapter Five concluded the thesis with a discussion of the main findings and presents the implications for practice, followed by directions for future research.
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Fitzgerald, Suzanne. "Risk assessment of violence in offenders with learning disability." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2008. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/54788/.
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Methods to predict dangerousness (recidivism and institutional violence) in mentally disordered offenders are well established in the research literature. In stark contrast there have been fewer developments in the prediction of violence in offenders with learning disabilities (LD), a subgroup of mentally disordered offenders. Chapter 1 reviewed the prevalence of offending and recidivism in offenders with LD and concluded that risk assessment of violence was an area that required further research. The literature regarding the risk factors for offending in this population illustrated that it was unclear if the risk factors for offending are qualitatively different to other mentally disordered offenders without LD. This was tested in Chapter 2 and it was found that the factors related to offending in offenders with LD were not different to other mentally disordered offenders. This provided evidence for the criterion validity of 'best practice' risk assessment instruments, the VRAG, the PCL-R and the HCR- 20, already validated in mentally disordered offenders (the predictive efficacy of these instruments was also reviewed in Chapter 1). Chapter 3 and 4 tested the predictive efficacy of the VRAG, the PCL-R (and its variants) and the HCR-20 in offenders with LD by evaluating the ability of the risk assessment instruments to predict long-term re-convictions (Chapter 3) and institutional violence (Chapter 4) in offenders with LD in comparison to a control group of other mentally disordered offenders. It was found that the VRAG, the PCL- R (and its variants) and the HCR-20 have comparable or superior predictive efficacy in offenders with LD. Chapter 5 served to complement these findings with the development of a screening tool for risk of violence in offenders with LD. The research contained in this thesis has extended the evidence base on risk assessment in offenders with LD and should hopefully serve to improve evidence based practice and service provision in forensic services for people with LD.
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Blacker, Janine Elizabeth. "The assessment of risk in intellectually disabled sexual offenders." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2009. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/326/.
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This thesis explored the application of risk assessment in sexual offenders with intellectual disabilities. A systematic review of the literature appraised the quality and methodology of research examining the predictive validity of risk assessment instruments, this highlighted a lack of research taking into sexual offenders with intellectual disabilities. The empirical research paper explored the predictive validity of the RRASOR, SVR-20, RM2000-V and the ARMIDILO instruments using a retrospective design on a sample of special needs offenders with intellectual disabilities. Comparisons with mainstream offenders highlighted the difference between the instruments ability to accurately predict risk between the two groups of offenders. The findings suggest that the ARMIDILO can be useful when predicting risk for an intellectual disabled population. In the next chapter a risk assessment instrument, the RRASOR, was critically reviewed. Following on from this, a case study using an individual approached to risk assessment in an intellectually impaired sexual offender was demonstrated. This chapter emphasises that comprehensive assessment would be a prerequisite to working effectively with offenders with intellectual disabilities in order to address specific intervention needs. A social skills intervention aimed to reduce the level of dynamic risk posed. This chapter also served to outline some of the difficulties associated with risk assessment and management in routine clinical practice. The final chapter concludes by discussing the implications of the findings for clinical practice and offers some directions for future research.
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Clounch, Kristopher L. "Sex offender assessment clinical utility and predictive validity /." Diss., St. Louis, Mo. : University of Missouri--St. Louis, 2008. http://etd.umsl.edu/r3221.
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Della, Torre Gail. "Variables predictive of assessment and treatment outcome in adult sex offenders in Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2001. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1024.
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This exploratory study examines differences between a) sex offenders who entered treatment (N = 117) and those who did not enter treatment (N =51), and b) sex offenders who completed treatment successfully (N = 83) and those who did not complete successfully (N = 22), The two samples were derived from a total sample pool of 199 adult male sex offenders who were sentenced in Western Australia in 1995 and assessed for treatment suitability by the Sex Offender Treatment Unit (SOTU). Logistic regression was used to determine which variables would best predict a) entry into treatment, and b) treatment Success. Variables used in the study included demographic information, offender characteristics and offence details. The results indicated little differences between those offenders who entered treatment and those offenders who did not enter treatment. Only two variables, marital status and prior non-sex violent offences appear to discriminate between the two groups. Six variables appear to be associated with treatment success. They are age at first conviction, prior sex offence convictions, prior non-violent offence convictions, marital status, education and offender type. This study also reports on the proportion of sex offenders who were assessed for treatment suitability from the total number sentenced in 1995, the proportion of offenders who were considered suitable for treatment, of those considered suitable the proportion who actually entered treatment, and of those who entered treatment the proportion, who completed treatment successfully.
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Dahl, Barbara J. "Personality characteristics, attitudes and perceptions of rape among incarcerated sex offenders /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/9026.
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Gottlieb, Katherine A. "Assessing Risk in Adolescent Offenders: A Comparison of Risk Profiles versus Summed Risk Factors." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2013. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1739.
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Research supports interventions for high-risk juvenile offenders to reduce recidivism. Methods for assessing delinquent risk vary, however. Aggregate risk scores (i.e. number of risk factors) and specific risk profiles (i.e. types of risk factors) are both empirically supported techniques. This study compared aggregate scores versus profiles for predicting measures of criminal severity among detained adolescents (n=292). Twenty-four risk factors from the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) were summed to calculate aggregate scores. Using latent class analysis (LCA), profiles were identified based on scores from the following theoretically important SAVRY risk factors: Risk Taking/Impulsivity, Anger Management Problems, Low Empathy/Remorse (CU traits), and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Difficulties. LCA identified one low-risk profile, plus two high-risk profiles differentiated by levels of CU traits. Aggregate scores significantly predicted four out of six criminal severity indicators, while profiles failed to predict any measures. Results support aggregate scores over profiles for assessing delinquent severity.
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Burner-Fernie, Deborah. "Risk assessment and Western Australian male aboriginal sexual and violent offenders." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2015. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1584.
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The prediction of risk of violent and sexual reoffending is very important for the mental health and correctional practitioners making treatment decisions and providing opinions to the courts. Currently, Australian practitioners use risk assessments that were developed in other countries despite little evidence that they can be validly used locally, especially with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Both scholars and the courts have expressed concern about the use of data generated with these assessments to make important decisions about risk and risk management. The purpose of the current study was to develop a risk assessment for West Australian male Aboriginal violent and sexual offenders. During the first stage of the study, focus groups were used to identify risk factors that Aboriginal correctional workers believed could be unique to Aboriginal men in differing Western Australian geographical regions. The researcher then compiled a list of these predictors; those routinely used in existing risk measures; and others identified in the research literature to compile a list of possible predictors of reoffending. During three subsequent quantitative studies the researcher used retrospective file data of 1838 male Aboriginal participants obtained from the Western Australian Department of Corrective Services to examine the predictive accuracy of the identified predictors. The predictors that most accurately distinguished reoffenders from non-reoffenders were then used to develop a risk assessment. It was not possible to develop an assessment for violent offenders, but one was developed specifically for sexual offenders. This assessment was comprised of three risk items. They were unrealistic long-term goals, unfeasible release plans and poor coping skills (the 3-Predictor Model). The predictive accuracy of recidivism (sensitivity) of themodel was 92.3%, while the predictive accuracy of desisting (specificity) was 94.3%. The model also outperformed the Western Australian Community Corrections case needs model and adult actuarial risk instrument, the level of service need inventory, and the rapid risk assessment for sexual offence recidivism. Given the relative accuracy and the ability of the 3-Predictor model to outperform other risk assessments, further validation appears warranted.
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De, Wet Jackie De Wet Johan Andrew. "An exploratory analysis of serial rape." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2008. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05312009-013437.
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Di, Leo Ivana. "Examining age-and sex-related risk factors in first-time driving while impaired offenders." Thesis, McGill University, 2013. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=119449.
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Background: Driving while impaired (DWI) research has focused on younger males, the drivers who are at greatest risk for DWI. Consequently, much less is known about female and older offenders. Quebec population data demonstrate a bimodal distribution in first-time driving while impaired (fDWI) offences, a pattern also observed internationally. Male fDWI offending peaks between the ages of 18 to 25 years with a second smaller peak between 35 to 44 years. In contrast, females fDWI offending peaks between the ages of 36 to 47 years with a smaller peak between 20 to 27 years. These observations suggest that the trajectory to fDWI offending is influenced by interactions between sex and age. Research suggests that male DWI offending reflects impulsivity and risk-taking while female DWI offending reflects problematic drinking related to psychosocial stressors and symptoms of psychopathology. The heterogeneity among DWI offenders suggests that an approach involving examination of risk factors between subgroups rather than comparing offenders to non-DWI control group is more appropriate. This study adds to the literature by using a subgroup analysis design to compare fDWI offenders based on age and sex. Aims: To explore how sex and age may interact to influence the trajectory to fDWI through patterning of alcohol consumption, psychological adjustment and impulsivity. Methods: Younger and older males and females arrested for a fDWI offence within the past two years were recruited. Participants were administered a series of questionnaires assessing alcohol consumption, symptoms of psychopathology, and impulsivity. Two computer tasks assessing risk-taking were also administered. Results: Thirty-six participants were recruited: younger females (n = 9, Mage = 23.22 years, SD = 2.22), younger males (n = 12, Mage = 21.67 years, SD = 2.43), older males (n = 12, Mage = 40.08 years, SD = 6.31), older females (n = 3, Mage = 43.67 years, SD = 2.08). In partial support of hypotheses, results indicated that younger females engaged in more binge drinking, endorsed greater symptoms of alcohol misuse, and scored higher on urgency impulsivity than both younger and older males. No significant findings were observed between older females and all other groups.Conclusion: fDWI offending among younger females appear to be related to binge drinking and emotion-related impulsivity as compared to males. Younger females appear to be different than male offenders of all ages. These findings suggest that female fDWI is not analogous to male fDWI, a postulate that may need to be considered for targeting intervention/prevention efforts at female fDWI offenders.Contexte: La recherche sur la conduite avec capacités affaiblies (CCA) a principalement été effectuée sur les jeunes hommes, les conducteurs ayant le plus haut risque de CCA, ce qui fait en sorte que nous avons peu de connaissances sur les femmes contrevenantes et les contrevenants âgés en général. Les données sur la population québécoise démontrent une distribution bimodale quant à l'âge lors des premières infractions de CCA, une tendance qui s'observe aussi au niveau international. Les premières infractions de CCA chez les hommes atteignent leur sommet entre 18 et 25 ans, puis un second pic est observé entre 35 et 44 ans. Au contraire, les premières infractions de CCA chez les femmes atteignent leur sommet entre 36 et 47 ans tandis qu'un pic moins élevé est observé entre 20 et 27 ans. Ces observations laissent supposer que la trajectoire vers la première infraction de CCA est influencée par des interactions entre le sexe et l'âge. La recherche sur le sujet suggère que la CCA chez les hommes serait associée à l'impulsivité et à la prise de risque tandis que la CCA chez les femmes serait plutôt associée à une consommation d'alcool problématique liée à des stresseurs psychosociaux et des symptômes de psychopathologie. Objectifs : Cette étude préliminaire explore comment le sexe et l'âge peuvent interagir pour influencer la trajectoire vers une première infraction de CCA en fonction des patterns de consommation d'alcool, de l'ajustement psychologique et de l'impulsivité. Méthodes: Nous avons recruté des contrevenants primaires de la CCA ayant commis leur infraction au cours des deux dernières années. Nous leurs avons administré une série de questionnaires portant sur la consommation d'alcool, les symptômes de psychopathologie et l'impulsivité. Deux tâches à l'ordinateur sur la prise de risque ont aussi été administrées. Résultats: Nous avons recruté trente-six participants: jeunes femmes (n = 9, âge moyen = 23.22, É.T. = 2.22), jeunes hommes (n = 12, âge moyen = 21.67, É.T. = 2.43), hommes plus âgés (n = 12, âge moyen = 40.08, É.T. = 6.31), femmes plus âgées (n = 3, âge moyen = 43.67, É.T. = 2.08). Les résultats indiquent que les jeunes femmes présentaient plus d'épisodes de consommation excessive d'alcool, davantage de symptômes de consommation d'alcool problématique et obtenaient des scores plus élevés à la sous-échelle d'urgence de l'échelle d'impulsivité que les hommes jeunes et plus âgés, ce qui soutient en partie les hypothèses de départ. Aucun résultat significatif n'a été observé entre les femmes plus âgées et les autres groupes.Conclusions: La première infraction de CCA chez les jeunes femmes semble liée à des épisodes de consommation excessive d'alcool et à l'impulsivité associée aux émotions, comparativement aux hommes. Les jeunes femmes contrevenantes semblent être différentes des hommes contrevenants de tous les âges. Les résultats suggèrent que la première infraction de CCA chez les femmes n'est pas analogue à celle chez les hommes, un postulat qui devrait être pris en compte dans les stratégies de prévention et d'interventions auprès des femmes contrevenantes primaires de la CCA.
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Gore, Kathleen Spencer. "Adjusted actuarial assessment of sex offenders the impact of clinical overrides on predictive accuracy /." [Ames, Iowa : Iowa State University], 2007.
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Gillard, Nathan D. "Denial of Risk: the Effects of Intentional Minimization on Risk Assessments for Psychopathic and Nonpsychopathic Offenders." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2013. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc500221/.
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Risk assessments for offenders often combine past records with current clinical findings from observations, interviews, and test data. Conclusions based on these risk assessments are highly consequential, sometimes resulting in increased criminal sentences or prolonged hospitalization. Offenders are therefore motivated to intentionally minimize their risk scores. Intentional minimization is especially likely to occur in offenders with high psychopathic traits because goal-directed deception is reflected in many of the core traits of the disorder, such as manipulativeness, glibness, and superficial charm. However, this connection appears to be based on the conceptual understanding of psychopathy, and it has rarely been examined empirically for either frequency or success. The current study examined the connection between psychopathic traits and the intentional minimization of risk factors using a sentenced jail sample. In general, offenders were able to effectively minimize risk on the HCR-20 and SAQ, while the PICTS, as a measure of cognitive styles, was more resistant to such minimization. Psychopathic traits, especially high interpersonal facet scores, led to greater minimization using a repeated measure, simulation design. Important differences in the willingness and ability to use deception were found based on (a) the content of subscales, and (b) the mode of administration (i.e., interview vs. self-report). The important implications of this research are discussed for risk assessment procedures regarding likely areas of deception and its detection. It also informs the growing literature on the connection between psychopathic traits and deception.
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Leven, Lena. "Violence Risk Assessment through a gendered lens - is there a need to develop gender-specific risk assessment tools." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Fakulteten för hälsa och samhälle (HS), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-26767.
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Violence risk assessment is important given the impact and consequences it has on offenders, victims and the public. Different tools have been developed to assess an offender’s risk. However, so far these tools are based on male theories of offending and its applicability among female offenders has been questioned by proponents of the gendered perspective. The gendered perspective argues that violence and criminal behaviour emerges based on experiences that are different between men and women. The present systematic review aims to inform about the predictive validity of current risk assessment tools among female offenders to establish whether there is a need to develop female-specific tools. 17 studies have been reviewed and evidence overall supports the gendered perspective by showing that current tools have no, or only a limited, ability to predict future behaviour among women. Some promising results have been delivered by tools that include the ‘central eight’ risk factors which indicates that some of these factors might be relevant for female risk assessment. However, consideration of qualitative and quantitative differences of risk factors should be included in risk assessment among women to improve the predictive validity. The results are discussed in the light of a feminist perspective but also give a critical view on violence risk assessment in general. Overall, this systematic review calls for more research thatfocuses on gender-specific risk factors and that promotes the development of new tools.
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Flak, Vanja Elisabeth. "Assessment of sexual interest in child sex offenders by the use of a computerized measure." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2011. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/3027/.
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This thesis investigates Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) procedure as a tool to evaluate sexual interest in child sex offenders. Chapters 1 and 2 evaluate sexual interest in child sex offenders, exploring the attentional blink theories. Chapter 3 examines RSVP in child sex offenders and offenders with no sexual offence history, showing child sex offenders displaying enhanced attentional blink towards images of children. Chapter 4 examined released child sex offenders who did not show the hypothesised attentional blink effect. Chapter 5 looked into RSVP responses of fathers with children under two, and shows an opposite pattern of response to child sex offenders. Chapter 6 showed that RSVP, using male and female images, elicited heightened attentional blink in a normative sample of females, but not the male sample. Chapter 7 examined the RSVP using erotic images of males and females on heterosexual males and females with no significant effect. Chapter 8 tested the reliability and validity of the RSVP in a subsample using the procedure on two separate occasions, showing significant improvement from Session 1 to Session 2. This shows practice effect can influence performance on the RSVP. The main discussion evaluates the results in terms of implications for the utility of the RSVP.
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Strand, Susanne. "Violence risk assessment in male and female mentally disordered offenders : differences and similarities." Doctoral thesis, Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för hälsovetenskap, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-55.
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When assessing the risk of violence, increasing interest has been shown in bringing science and practice closer together. Moving from clinical intuition in the first generation of risk assessment via actuarial scales in the second generation to the structured professional judgments where risk assessments are today produces better, more valid results when assessing the risk of violence. One of the best predictors of violence is gender. Approximately 10% of the violent criminality can be attributed to women; even so, it is increasing, especially among young women. It is therefore important to examine risk assessments from a gender perspective. Another important factor when assessing the risk of violence is psychopathy and there are indications that there might be gender differences in this diagnosis. Thus, a special interest has been focused on psychopathy in this thesis. The purpose with this work is to explore the similarities and differences in assessing risk for violence in male and female mentally disordered offenders, while the overall aim is to validate the violence risk assessment instrument HCR-20 for Swedish offender populations. The risk assessments for all six studies in this thesis were made by trained personnel using the HCR-20 instrument, where psychopathy was diagnosed with the screening version of the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL:SV). The study populations were both male and female mentally disordered offenders in either the correctional or the forensic setting. The findings show that both the validity and the reliability of the HCR-20 and the PCL:SV were good and the clinical and risk management subscales were found to have better predictive validity than the historical scale. Another finding was that there were more similarities than differences between genders in the HCR-20, while the opposite applied to the PCL:SV, where the antisocial behavior was performed in a different manner. Moreover, it was found that the gender of the assessor might be a factor to take into account when assessing the risk of violence in women, where the recommendation was that at least one assessor should be female. The conclusions were that the HCR-20 and the PCL:SV can be used In Swedish offender populations with valid results. For female offenders, there are differences in the antisocial behavior that is assessed in order to diagnose psychopathy and these differences tend to underestimate psychopathy among female offenders. Furthermore, the gender of the assessor might be of greater importance than has previously been realized. The overall conclusion was that this thesis supports the structural professional judgment method of making risk assessments in order to prevent violence in the community.
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Lehmann, Robert J. B. [Verfasser]. "Using Crime Scene Behavior for Risk Assessment in Sexual Offenders / Robert J.B. Lehmann." Berlin : Freie Universität Berlin, 2014. http://d-nb.info/1077024479/34.
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Frize, Matthew. "The assessment of risk of general recidivism in offenders with an intellectual disability." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/13532.
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Despite growth in research regarding people with an Intellectual Disability who offend, there has yet to have been a tool that accurately predicts reoffending amongst this population across the broad range of offence types over the short term. This thesis addressed this gap by examining the reliability, ecological validity and predictive validity of the Assessment of Risk and Manageability of Individuals with Developmental and Intellectual Limitations who Offend – Generally (ARMIDILO-G). The ARMIDILO-G, along with the Historical Clinical Risk – 20 (HCR-20), Level of Service Inventory – Revised (LSI-R), Current Risk of Violence (CuRV), Group Risk Assessment Model (GRAM) and Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R) were administered to 139 people with an Intellectual Disability who have a history of offending and were being supported by a NSW community based forensic disability service. Whilst found reliable, the factor structure of the ARMIDILO-G raised question as to the separation of risk and protective items. Predictive validity of instruments was measured prospectively at three and six months based on official criminal charges, convictions and custodial episodes. Little difference was found in the predictive validity of tools when used in an actuarial manner. The GRAM performed best out of all actuarial measures and reliably predicted reoffending across general, theft and violent offences. The ARMIDILO-G using a structured professional judgment (SPJ) approach demonstrated good predictive validity for general, violent, public order and theft offences. Methodological limitations made it unclear whether the ARMIDILO-G’s performance was owing to the qualities of the tool or assessor. No conclusion could be made as to whether SPJ or actuarial approaches, or static or dynamic variables, are more effective in predicting short term risk of reoffending for those with an Intellectual Disability.
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Cohen, Andrea. "A study of decision-making about risk of violence in mentally disordered offenders." Thesis, Open University, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.369030.
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Williams, Margot Maryanne. "The Applicability of the PICTS-SV in Offenders with Severe Substance Use Histories." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2020. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1707337/.
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Two important developments are addressed by this dissertation. First, the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles-Simplified Version (PICTS-SV) was examined in relation to the original PICTS. Second, the vulnerability of the PICTS-SV to intentional risk minimization (RM) was tested. Two separate studies recruited a total of 150 offenders from a court-mandated residential substance use treatment facility. As expected, Study I established the PICTS-SV's good concurrent validity with the PICTS, especially at the broad composite scale level. For Study II, criminal thinking failed to show the anticipated convergence with HCR-20 risk classifications or forensic correlates. Potential explanations, including a restricted range of risk levels in this sample, are discussed. As a particular strength, the findings highlight that the PICTS-SV, in contrast to many risk measures, displays robust resistance to RM distortion, although revisions to its Df-r validity scale are warranted. These results overall demonstrate strong evidence of the PICTS-SV's utility for assessing a dynamic criminogenic need to inform effective interventions and accurate risk determinations.
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Brushett, Rachel A. "Typologies of Female Offenders: A Latent Class Analysis Using the Women''s Risk Needs Assessment." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1368014159.
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Dernevik, Mats. "Structured clinical assessment and management of risk of violent recidivism in mentally disordered offenders /." Stockholm, 2004. http://diss.kib.ki.se/2004/91-7140-095-8/.
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Vincent, Matthew Brian. "The CYRAS-YRS: a validation study of a risk-assessment instrument for young offenders." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Psychology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/5308.
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A substantial proportion of criminal offending, particularly serious offending, is perpetrated by a small group of repeat, serious offenders who continue offending over a long period of time, often beginning in childhood. The Youth Risk Screen (YRS) is an instrument designed to measure risk of recidivism for young offenders. In this study, the YRS was adjusted slightly for adaptation to CYRAS, a computerised database at the Child, Youth and Family service (CYF). The new instrument thus derived, the CYRAS-YRS, was then used to score the data for 425 cases from the CYRAS database. There were 190 females and 235 males in this study. The data were analysed in order to examine the psychometric properties of the CYRAS-YRS: first its reliability or internal consistency, and then its validity in predicting risk of reoffending.
The CYRAS-YRS was found to have suitable reliability, and was found to successfully predict offending, with a correlation of 0.311 (p < 0.001) with a general reoffending measure, and a correlation of 0.370 (p < 0.001) with a serious reoffending measure. Both primary school age risk factors and other risk factors were found to predict reoffending. However, it was also found that the relationship between primary school age risk factors and reoffending seemed to be mediated completely by the presence or absence of risk factors that can apply at any age and that most typically appear later during adolescence. All of these findings were true for both male and female young offenders, thus demonstrating that these findings were robust and consistent across different subgroups of the sample. Sex differences were minimal, and the CYRAS-YRS was successfully validated as a promising instrument for predicting risk of reoffending in young offenders of either sex.
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Yoon, Dahlnym [Verfasser], and Peter [Akademischer Betreuer] Wetzels. "Resource-oriented Risk Assessment and Intervention in Sexual Offenders / Dahlnym Yoon. Betreuer: Peter Wetzels." Hamburg : Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg, 2014. http://d-nb.info/1046460307/34.
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Hargreaves, Claire. "Measuring the long term sexual recidivism risk of convicted sex offenders in England & Wales and Norway." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2015. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.730638.
Full textAbstract:
Currently, there is little empirical evidence to suggest a length of time at which a sexual offender is at risk of sexual recidivism. Through survival analysis techniques I investigate whether it is possible to identify when juvenile and young adult sexual offenders can be considered low risk in terms of sexual recidivism, which in this study, is judged to be the point when such a risk becomes as low as their respective juvenile and young adult never-convicted population receiving their first conviction for a sexual offence. I examine male juvenile and young adult samples born in seven birth cohorts from the Offenders index, which contains the criminal histories of convicted offenders in England and Wales from 1963 to 2008. Furthermore, I establish how sex offenders' risk of sexual recidivism compares to other recidivism types {violent recidivism and all recidivism) and compare such risks to that of three types of offenders, violent offenders, burglary offenders, and all offenders. In addition, I determine whether criminal history, demographic and socio-demographic variables encourage or prohibit sex offenders' risk, of a sexual reconviction through a Cox proportional hazard analysis and discrete time hazard analysis with complementary fog-log link. Socio-demographic variables are not obtainable from the Offenders Index. As a result, I have obtained access to Norway's population based registers allowing the analysis of static and dynamic socio¬demographic risk factors. Although there are difficulties in comparing crime data across countries, studying the results from the analyses conducted on the Norwegian samples will help elucidate the risk of sexual offending recidivism in England & Wales. From the analyses, in terms of sexually reoffending juvenile sex offenders from England & Wales were found to become a similar risk to their respective never- convicted population at age 38 - 17 years following their 21st birthday - and young JW adult sex offenders at age 40 - 14 years following their 26* birthday. Juvenile and young-adult sex offenders' risk of violent recidivism and all recidivism were found to become similar to the risk of their respective never-convicted population at a younger age than that found of sexual recidivism. Juvenile violent, burglary and all offenders' risk of sexual recidivism was considered low 10, 15 and 17 years following age 21 respectively. Young adult violent and all offenders, on the other hand were found to become a similar risk to the juvenile never-convicted population 5, 13 and 6 years following age 26 respectively. The sexual recidivism risk of the juvenile and young adult sex offenders convicted in Norway were also found to become a similar risk to their respective never-convicted population being convicted of a sexual crime at a comparable age to those of England & Wales; mid-thirties to early forties. Using the Norwegian data individual's status of employment was the; only factor found to significantly affect juvenile and young adult sex offenders' risk of sexual recidivism. Several variables were, however, found to significantly, affect such offenders' risk of violent recidivism including birth cohort, conviction of a violent offence and income. Interestingly, income was also found to significantly affect the sexual recidivism risk of both juvenile and young adult violent offenders and young adult burglary offenders. Surprisingly, the risk of the juvenile and young adult never-convicted population being convicted of a sexual crime was likewise found to be affected by income in addition to several socio-demographic variables including education, number of children and marital status. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are considered.
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Foster, Alison. "The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure and the role of context : the impact of working with sex offenders." Thesis, University of Lincoln, 2012. http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/18955/.
Full textAbstract:
Introduction: There are a number of theories proposed in order to attempt to understand the behaviour of sexual offenders. A common theme that they all cover is that of the impact of thoughts and beliefs on behaviour. However, existing measures of cognitions are explicit in their nature and therefore easy to respond to in a socially acceptable way. There has recently been a move towards using implicit measures in order to increase “honest” responding to overcome this. Such measures have been utilised with sex offenders, in order to empirically investigate the process of offending as proposed by a number of theories. There is as yet no universally accepted explanation of the beliefs that sexual offenders hold about children, whether they are pre-existing and inform offending, or develop after offending in the context of justifying behaviour. The present study aimed to investigate the role of the post-offending context in the presence of ‘implicit beliefs’ using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure with staff who work with offender relating to children and sex. Method: The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP, Barnes-Holmes, Barnes-Holmes, Power, Hayden, Milne & Stewart, 2006) was administered to 20 staff who work with sex offenders from the UK Probation Service, asking them to respond to Child-Sexual stimuli. The same measure was also administered to a non-offender control group (n=20) with no experience of working with sex offenders for the purposes of comparison. An explicit measure (Cognitive Distortion Scale, Gannon, 2006) was also completed by both groups. Results: The control group were unable to discriminate between children as being sexual or non sexual on the IRAP, whereas the staff group responses indicated that they view children as the opposite of sexual. The CDS results converged with the IRAP, with the control group scoring significantly higher on this measure than the staff group. Discussion: The results indicate that there is an impact of context on beliefs about children, and also that the presence or non-rejection of child-sexual relations is not necessarily indicative of a sexual offender. The results may also suggest some methodological issues with the IRAP, which are discussed.
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Doble, Elizabeth. "Risk assessment by statistics? : a critical examination of the clinical and actuarial risk assessment approaches used within the Probation Service to assess sexual offenders." Thesis, University of Portsmouth, 2016. https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/risk-assessment-by-statistics-a-critical-examination-of-the-clinical-and-actuarial-risk-assessment-approaches-used-within-the-probation-service-to-assess-sexual-offenders(c4325931-7e51-4c85-9ad1-ed615ecbfe72).html.
Full textAbstract:
This Doctorate research study has aimed to critically review the concepts of risk and risk assessment processes of sex offenders within the Probation Service. It has sought to critically examine the uses and application of the risk assessment tools of the Offender Assessment System and Risk Matrix 2000 in relation to sexual offenders, and examine practitioners opinions and perspectives regarding the effectiveness of these tools for aiding in understanding and managing the risks posed of sexual offenders. It has also aimed to critically examine the level of practitioners experience and training as well as the support available to Probation staff and how this impacts upon their use of clinical and actuarial approaches to assessing the risk that sex offenders pose. Lastly it has aimed to critically discuss these aims in light of the changes that have taken place due to the Transforming Rehabilitation policies implemented by the coalition Government. The research has been undertaken using qualitative methods of semi structure interviews and quantitative data in the form of questionnaires. This Doctorate research has identified there is an increasing trend to focusing on actuarial risk assessments, and these being used to determine intervention / allocation of resources. The clinical assessment skills of Probation Officers can be very valuable, and further attention needs to be given in terms of ensuring that these are developed. This research has identified that there was a lack of formal training available, and there was not consistent levels of support available to Probation Officers. This Doctorate has contributed to academic knowledge, and has provided a frontline perspective on the risk assessment tools used by Probation Officers to assess the risk that sex offenders pose. It provided an investigation of the use of Offender Assessment System and Risk Matrix 2000 as part of the risk assessment process and there has been limited coverage of this previously within academic circles. It was written at a time when the Probation Service was undergoing radical reforms, and provides a critical examination of how these reforms have impacted on the assessment and management of sex offenders.
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Mackelprang, Emily, and Emily Mackelprang. "What's the Difference? A Comparison of the MSI II Protocols of Male and Female Sexual Offenders." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/620630.
Full textAbstract:
Despite a substantial expanse of literature addressing male sexual offending, the phenomenon of female sexual offending has only recently garnered empirical attention. While research remains nascent in nature, considerable advances have been made in the study of demographics, criminal characteristics, and typologies of female sexual offenders (FSOs). Similarities and differences between male and female sexual offenders have been the source of much speculation; however, hypotheses arising from this speculation have rarely been subjected to empirical scrutiny. Similarly, there has been limited examination of intra-group differences among FSOs. While myriad actuarial assessments have been developed for use with male offenders, similar measures for female offenders are practically non-existent. One notable exception is the Multiphasic Sex Inventory II (MSI II), an instrument with both male and female forms. The present study analyzed, compared, and contrasted the MSI II protocols of 300 male and female adult sex offenders.