RT Article
T1 The Influence of Risk Assessment Instrument Scores on Evaluators’ Risk Opinions and Sexual Offender Containment Recommendations
JF Criminal justice and behavior
VO 44
IS 9
SP 1213
OP 1235
A1 McCallum, Katherine E.
A2 Boccaccini, Marcus T.
A2 Bryson, Claire N.
LA English
YR 2017
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1700766031
AB In Colorado, evaluators conducting sex offender risk assessments are required to assess 17 risk factors specified by the state’s Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB), in addition to scoring actuarial risk assessment instruments. This study examined the association between instrument scores, the 17 SOMB risk factors, and evaluator opinions concerning risk and need for containment in 302 Colorado cases. Evaluators’ ratings of risk indicated by noninstrument factors were often higher than their ratings of risk indicated by instrument results, but only their ratings of noninstrument factors were independently predictive of containment recommendations. Several of the most influential noninstrument factors (e.g., denial, treatment motivation) have been described by researchers as potentially misleading because they are not predictive of future offending. Findings highlight the need for more studies examining the validity of what risk assessment evaluators actually do, as opposed to what researchers think they should do.
K1 Sex offender
K1 Actuarial,
K1 Risk assessment
K1 Recidivism
K1 Clinical judgment
DO 10.1177/0093854817707232