Beyond Static Risk Assessments? Assessment of Psychologically Meaningful Risk Factors via STABLE-2007 and the SRA:FV

Abstract

Over the last 15 years, so-called dynamic risk factors have become a popular topic in sexual offender research and practice. The available empirical evidence indicates that most persons in the general population do not commit sexual offenses and that even most identified sexual offenders are not detected again for additional sexual offenses. Presumably something about persons (e.g., predisposing genetic and/or psychosocial characteristics likely in interactions with situations) differs between offenders and non-offenders and between those offenders who appear to cease offending from those who do not. Moreover, while identifying sexual and antisocial domains as broad, general determinants of sexual offending, research to date has also demonstrated that sexual offenders are heterogeneous and that sexual offending appears most likely to be the result of multiple, cumulative factors interacting in context. The heterogeneity of sexual offenders also has implications for potential treatments for such individuals. The concept of providing treatment for identified sexual offenders is premised on the notion that relevant underlying causal or maintaining factors can be identified and that such aspects of those individuals can be modified or managed in some manner to a sufficient degree that their risk of sexual offending might be decreased. Conceptually, then there are psychosocial and/or biological characteristics of persons that predispose them to—increase the likelihood of—sexual offending that differ among persons and that are of a nature that they are potentially 'malleable' or changeable from some type of experiences or other influences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)