Assessment of Sexual Offenders

Abstract

The US Supreme Court decision in Kansas v. Hendricks (1997) established procedures for civilly committing sexual predators who had completing prison term, but who were still found to be at risk for future sexual violence due to some mental abnormality. Subsequent to the Court's ruling, a number of states passed similar legislation. Jurisdictions not using civil commitment have established other procedures for tracking and restricting known sex offenders. This chapter is intended to aid forensic psychologists tasked with providing expertise in predicting whether a given offender is apt to engage in future acts of predatory sexual violence; and in providing information regarding treatment approaches that can be proven to prevent or reduce the probability of sexually violent recidivism. Consideration is limited to the evaluation and treatment of males. The first part of the chapter is devoted to risk assessment techniques, specifically applied to sex offender recidivism. This includes an enumeration of individual factors, and instruments designed for prediction. Next, current data on treatment efficacy is presented, and its usefulness in risk management discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)