Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Structured Risk Assessment

  • Chapter
Sexual Offending

Abstract

This chapter describes a framework (Structured Risk Assessment—SRA) that enables the construction of risk/need instruments relevant to sexual offenders. This chapter has five purposes:

  1. 1.

    An overall description of the SRA framework is provided

  2. 2.

    The Need Assessment portion of the framework is described in detail so that the reader can use it in constructing or assessing a Risk/Needs instrument

  3. 3.

    The available research relevant to the empirical claims made by the Need Assessment portion of the SRA framework is described

  4. 4.

    The strengths and weaknesses of three instruments that are consistent with the SRA Need framework are described

  5. 5.

    Suggestions are made for future developments

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Thornton & Travers’ algorithm was as follows. To predict general violence (future convictions for rape and non-sexual assault) among sexual offenders sum the following items: Does the current conviction include charges for Rape or Non-sexual assault? Do prior convictions include charges for Rape or Non-sexual assault? Did he have more than three convictions (sentencing occasions) of any kind prior to the current conviction? Was he under 30 at the time he was sentenced for his current conviction? 0 or 1 factors present was categorized as Low; 2 factors present was categorized as medium; and 3 or more factors present was categorized as high. In these researchers analyses each of these factors predicted future rape convictions but had no relation to the probability of less violent kinds of sexual offense. Rape here is as defined by the law in England and Wales (basically forcible penile penetration of the vagina).

References

  • Allan, M., Grace, R. C., Rutherford, B., & Hudson, S. M. (2007). Psychometric assessment of dynamic risk factors for child molesters. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 19, 347–367.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrews, D. A., & Bonta, J. (2006). The psychology of criminal conduct (4th ed.). Newark, NJ: LexisNexis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrews, D. A., Bonta, J., & Wormith, S. J. (2006). The recent past and near future of risk and/or need assessment. Crime and Delinquency, 52, 7–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbaree, H. E., Langton, C. M., & Peacock, E. J. (2006). The factor structure of static actuarial items: Its relation to prediction. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 18, 207–226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barbaree, H.E., Langton, C.M., Blanchard, R., & Cantor, J.M. (2009). Aging versus stable enduring traits as explanatory constructs in sex offender recidivism. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36, 443–465.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beggs, S. M., & Grace, R. 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.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beech, A. R. (1998). A psychometric typology of child abusers. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 42, 319–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beech, A. R., Friendship, C., Erikson, M., & Hanson, R. K. (2002). The relationship between static and dynamic risk factors and reconviction in a sample of UK child abusers. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 14, 155–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig, L.-A., Thornton, D., Beech, A., & Browne, K. D. (2007). The relationship of statistical and psychological risk marker to sexual reconviction in child molesters. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34, 314–329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eher, R., Matthes, A., Schilling, T., & Rettenberger, M. (2011). Dynamic risk assessment in sexual offenders using Stable-2000 and the Stable-2007: An investigation of predictive and incremental validity. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 24, 5–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friendship, C., & Thornton, D. (2002). Risk assessment of offending behaviour. In K. Browne, H. Hanks, P. Stratton, & C. Hamilton (Eds.), The prediction and prevention of child abuse: A handbook. Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giordano, P. C., Cernkovich, S. A., & Rudolph, J. L. (2002). Gender, crime, and desistance: Toward a theory of cognitive transformation. American Journal of Sociology, 107, 990–1064.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, R. K., & Thornton, D. (2000). Improving risk assessment for sexual offenders: A comparison of three actuarial scales. Law and Human Behaviour, 24, 119–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, R. K., Gordon, A., Harris, A. J. R., Marques, J. K., Murphy, W., Quinsey, V. L., et al. (2002). First report of the collaborative outcome data project on the effectiveness of psychological treatment for sex offenders. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 14, 169–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, R. K., & Thornton, D. (2003). Notes on the development of STATIC-2002. Public Safety Canada. This can be downloaded from Public Safety Canada website under the Research then Corrections tabs. www.publicsafety.gc.ca/index-en.asp

  • Hanson, R. K., Harris, A. J. R., Scott, T., & Helmus, L. (2007). Assessing the risk of sexual offenders on community supervision: The dynamic supervision project (Corrections Research User Report No. 2007–05). Ottawa, ON: Public Safety Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, R. K., Helmus, L., & Thornton, D. (2010). Predicting recidivism among sexual offenders: A multi-site study of Static-2002. Law and Human Behavior, 34, 198–211.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harkins, Beech & Thornton. (2009). The use of dynamic risk domains assessed using psychometric measures to revise relative risk assessment using RM 2000 and Static 2002. Presentation at the 28th Annual Research and Treatment Conference of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, Dallas, Texas, October 1, 2009.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hare, R. D. (2003). The Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R) (2nd ed.). Toronto, Canada: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heil, P., Harrison, L., English, K., & Ahlmeyer, S. (2009). Is prison sexual offending indicative of community risk? Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36, 892–908.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helmus, L., Thornton, D., Hanson, R. K., & Babchishin, K. M. (2012). Improving the predictive accuracy of Static-99 and Static-2002 with older sex offenders: revised age weights. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 24, 64–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight, R. A., & Thornton, D. (2007). Evaluating and improving risk assessment schemes for sexual recidivism: a long term follow up of convicted sexual offenders. Final report: US Department of Justice, Award Number 2003-WG-BX-1002. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/217618.pdf

  • Laub, J. H., & Sampson, R. J. (2003). Shared beginnings, divergent lives: Delinquent boys to age 70. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mann, R., & Thornton, D. (1998). The evolution of a multi-site sexual offender treatment program. In W. L. Marshall, Y. M. Fernandez, S. M. Hudson, & T. Ward (Eds.), Sourcebook of treatment programs for sexual offenders. New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mann, R. E. (2010). The assessment and treatment of sexual offenders in England and Wales. In P. Rook & H. Ward (Eds.), Sexual offences: Law and practice (4th ed.). London: Sweet and Maxwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mann, R. E., Hanson, R. K., & Thornton, D. (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.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maruna, S. (2001). Making good: How ex-offenders reform and reclaim their lives. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Books.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Olver, M. E., Wong, S. C. P., Nicholaichuk, T., & Gordon, A. (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.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Polaschek, D. L. L., Calvert, S. W., & Gannon, T. A. (2009). Linking violent thinking: Implicit theory-based research with violent offenders. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24, 75–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, C. F., Doren, D. M., & Thornton, D. (2002). Dimensions associated with assessments of sex offender recidivism risk. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 29, 569–589.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, D. (2002). Constructing and testing a framework for dynamic risk assessment. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 14, 137–151.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, D., & Travers, R. (1991). A longitudinal study of the criminal behaviour of convicted sexual offenders. In Proceedings of the prison psychologist’s conference. London: HM Prison Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, D., Mann, R., Webster, S., Blud, L., Travers, R., Friendship, C., et al. (2003). Distinguishing and combining risks for sexual and violent recidivism. In R. Prentky, E. Janus, & M. Seto (Eds.), Understanding and managing sexually coercive behavior. New York: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, D., & Knight, R. (October, 2009). Using SRA Need domains based on structured judgment to revise relative risk assessments based on Static-2002 and Risk Matrix 2000. Presentation at the 28th Annual Research and Treatment Conference of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, Dallas, TX.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, D., Hanson, R. K., & Helmus, L. (2010). Moving beyond the standard model for actuarial assessment for sexual offenders. The Forum, 22(Summer).

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, D., & Knight, R. (2014). Construction and validation of SRA-FV need assessment. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 1–16. (Available in Online First) Retrieved on 1/2/14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wakeling, H., Beech, A., & Freemantle, N. (2009). 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, October 1, 2009.

    Google Scholar 

  • Webster, S. D., Mann, R. E., Carter, A. J., Long, J., Milner, R. J., O'Brien, M. D., et al. (2006). Inter-rater reliability of dynamic risk assessment in sexual offenders. Psychology Crime and Law, 12, 439–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Unit, Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center, 4230 East Towne Blvd #115, Madison, WI, 53704, USA

    David Thornton Ph.D.

Authors
  1. David Thornton Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Thornton Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Private Practice, Morro Bay, California, USA

    Amy Phenix

  2. PACIFICA Center, Forensic Psychology Consultations, Wayzata, Minnesota, USA

    Harry M. Hoberman

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Thornton, D. (2016). Structured Risk Assessment. In: Phenix, A., Hoberman, H. (eds) Sexual Offending. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2416-5_23

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation