This article describes the construction and testing of a newly designed instrument to assess psychological factors associated with increased rates of sexual recidivism. The new instrument (Structured Risk Assessment–Forensic Version or SRA-FV) was based on previous research using the SRA framework. This article describes the results of testing SRA-FV with a large sample (N = 566) of sexual offenders being evaluated for an early civil commitment program. SRA-FV was found to significantly predict sexual recidivism for both child molesters and rapists and to have incremental predictive value relative to two widely used static actuarial instruments (Static-99R; Risk Matrix 2000/S).
AllanM.GraceR. C.RutherfordB.HudsonS. M. (2007). Psychometric assessment of dynamic risk factors for child molesters. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 19, 347-367. doi:10.1007/s11194-007-9052-5
2.
Augur Enterprises. (2011). MIDSA clinical manual. Bend, OR: Author. Available at www.midsa.us
3.
BarnettG. D.WakelingH. C.HowardP. D. (2010). An examination of the predictive validity of Risk Matrix 2000 in England and Wales. Sexual Abuse: Journal of Research and Treatment, 22, 443-470. doi:10.1177/1079063210384274
4.
BeechA. R.FisherD. D.ThorntonD. (2003). Risk assessment of sex offenders. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 34, 339-352. doi:10.1037/0735-7028.34.4.339
5.
BeggsS. M.GraceR. C. (2010). Assessment of dynamic risk factors: An independent validation study of the Violence Risk Scale: Sexual offender version. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 22, 234-251.
6.
CraigL. A.ThorntonD.BeechA.BrowneK. D. (2007). The relationship of statistical and psychological risk marker to sexual reconviction in child molesters. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34, 314-329. doi:10.1177/0093854806291416
7.
DawsonD. L.Barnes-HolmesD.GresswellD. M.HartA. J.GoreN. J. (2009). Assessing the implicit beliefs of sexual offenders using the implicit relational assessment procedure: A first study. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 21, 57-75.
8.
EherR.RettenbergerM.GaunersdorferK.Haubner-MacLeanT.MatthesA.SchillingF.MokrosA. (2013). Über die Treffsicherheit der standardisierten Risikoeinschätzungsverfahren Static-99 und Stable-2007 bei aus einer Sicherungsmaßnahme entlassenen Sexualstraftätern [About the accuracy of standardized risk assessment procedures for the evaluation of discharged sex offenders]. Forensische Psychiatrie, Psychologie, Kriminologie. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s11757-013-0212-9
9.
GreenwaldA. G.McGheeD. E.SchwartzJ. L. K. (1998). Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: The Implicit Association Test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1464-1480.
10.
HansonR. K.HarrisA. J. R.ScottT.HelmusL. (2007). Assessing the risk of sexual offenders on community supervision: The dynamic supervision project (Corrections Research User Report No. 2007-05). Ottawa: Public Safety Canada.
11.
HansonR. K.HelmusL.ThorntonD. (2010). Predicting recidivism among sexual offenders: A multi-site study of Static-2002. Law and Human Behavior, 34, 198-211. doi:10.1007/s10979-009-9180-1
12.
HansonR. K.Morton-BourgonK. E. (2009). The accuracy of recidivism risk assessments for sexual offenders: A meta-analysis of 118 prediction studies. Psychological Assessment, 21, 1-21.
13.
HansonR. K.ThorntonD. (2000). Improving risk assessments for sex offenders: A comparison of three actuarial scales. Law and Human Behavior, 24, 119-136. doi:10.1023/A:1005482921333
14.
HansonR. K.ThorntonD. (2003). Notes on the development of Static-2002 (Corrections Research User Report No. 2003-01). Ottawa: Department of the Solicitor General of Canada.
15.
HarkinsL.ThorntonD.BeechA. (2009, October). The use of dynamic risk domains assessed using psychometric measures to revise relative risk assessment using RM2000 and Static-2002. Paper presented at the 28th Annual Research and Treatment Conference of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, Dallas, Texas.
16.
HarrisA. J.Lobanov-RostovskyC.LevensonJ. S. (2010). The effects of transitioning to the Adam Walsh Act’s federally mandated sex offender classification system. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 37, 503-519. doi:10.1177/0093854810363889
17.
HelmusL.ThorntonD.HansonR. K.BabchishinK. M. (2012). Improving the predictive accuracy of Static-99 and Static-2002 with older sex offenders: Revised age weights. Sexual Abuse: Journal of Research and Treatment, 24, 64-101. doi:10.1177/1079063211409951
18.
KnightR. A.CarterD. L.PrentkyR. A. (1989). A system for the classification of child molesters: Reliability and application. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 4, 3-23. doi:10.1177/088626089004001001
19.
KnightR. A.PrentkyR. A. (1990). Classifying sexual offenders: The development and corroboration of taxonomic models. In MarshallW. L.LawsD. R.BarbareeH. E. (Eds.), The handbook of sexual assault: Issues, theories, and treatment of the offender (pp. 23-52). New York, NY: Plenum Press.
20.
MannR. E.HansonR. K.ThorntonD. (2010). Assessing risk for sexual recidivism: Some proposals on the nature of psychologically meaningful risk factors. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 22, 191-217. doi:10.1177/1079063210366039
21.
McGrathR. J.LasherM. P.CummingG. F. (2012). The Sex Offender Treatment Intervention and Progress Scale (SOTIPS): Psychometric properties and incremental predictive validity with Static-99R. Sexual Abuse: Journal of Research and Treatment, 24, 431-458.
22.
MihailidesS.DevillyG. J.WardT. (2004). Implicit cognitive distortions and sexual offending. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 16, 333-350.
23.
OlverM. E.BeggsS. M.ChristoffersonS. M.GraceR. C.WongS. C. P. (2013). Incorporating change information into sexual offender risk assessments using the Violence Risk Scale–Sexual Offender version. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment. Advance online publication. doi:10.1177/1079063213502679
24.
OlverM. E.WongS. C. P.NicholaichukT.GordonA. (2007). The validity and reliability of the Violence Risk Scale—Sexual Offender Version: Assessing sex offender risk and evaluating therapeutic change. Psychological Assessment, 19, 318-329. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.19.3.318
25.
RobertsC. F.DorenD. M.ThorntonD. (2002). Dimensions associated with assessments of sex offender recidivism risk. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 29, 569-589.
26.
RoffJ. D. (1981). Reminder: Reliability of global judgments. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 52, 315-318. doi:10.2466/pms.1981.52.1.315
27.
ThorntonD. (2002). Constructing and testing a framework for dynamic risk assessment. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 14, 139-153. doi:10.1023/A:1014620214905
28.
ThorntonD. (2010, October). Interpreting Static-99R and Static-2002R in light of recent research. Paper presented at the 29th Annual Research and Treatment Conference of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, Phoenix, AZ.
29.
ThorntonD.MannR.WebsterS.BludL.TraversR.FriendshipC.EricksonM. (2003). Distinguishing and combining risks for sexual and violent recidivism. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 989, 225-235.
30.
WakelingH.BeechA.FreemantleN. (2009, October). Examination of the predictive validity of static risk and self-report psychometric measures. Presentation at the 28th Annual Research and Treatment Conference of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, Dallas, TX.
