No abstract

Static, dynamic, and protective factors have been identified as three focal domains significantly related to offender recidivism. However, few measures include comprehensive and inclusive assessment of these variables. The Inventory of Offender Risk, Needs, and Strengths (IORNS) was developed to fill a void in the assessment of risk and needs for offenders. The current study examines the reliability and initial validity of the IORNS in a sample of pre-release offenders assessed for risk and treatment need. Results indicate moderate to high levels of internal consistency and identical IORNS scale results across race, and that the IORNS indexes, scales, and subscales display good convergent validity with self-report and interview measures of static risk, dynamic risk, antisocial behavior, psychopathy, personality pathology, substance abuse, depression, and anxiety. Initial predictive validity examination of the IORNS indicates that several of the indexes, scales, and subscales were able to differentiate offenders who were sent back to prison for half-way house rule violations from those who did not violate rules.

No abstract

Several states have passed civil commitment laws that allow the precautionary detention of sex offenders who have completed their criminal sentences. Over 2,500 sex offenders have been committed across states with such statutes and several thousand more sex offenders have been evaluated. Most statutes call for an evaluation of risk by a mental health professional and, although each state statute is worded differently, three main elements common to sexually violent predator evaluations are used to guide evaluators: mental abnormality, volitional capacity, and likelihood of future sexual violence. The current article presents empirical evidence for the main tenants of these forensic evaluations, provides recommendations for evaluators in light of current limitations of evidence, and offers suggestions for future research in this area of forensic assessment.

No abstract

This study examines characteristics of 90 female sexual offenders based on offense and personality traits. The study uses latent profile analysis to identify groups of female sex offenders who are similar to one another and different from participants in other groups. Results using the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) indicate that there were three classes of offenders that differed with respect to the severity of their psychopathology. Upon analysis of predictors such as demographic information, offense characteristics, selected Trauma Symptom Inventory scores, Static-99 scores, abuse history, and PAI supplemental scales, several factors predicted group membership. These included marital status, sexual abuse in adulthood, and interpersonal relationship styles. Implications for assessment and treatment of female sex offenders are discussed.

Sexual coercion is a significant problem on college campuses despite numerous attempts to better understand and prevent it. Some criminological research has examined the role of sexual arousal in decisions to use coercion and force, while psychologists have studied how overperception of sexual interest relates to coercive behaviors. The current study combines these two lines of research to examine whether sexual arousal increases the perception of sexual interest in a hypothetical coercion scenario. A sample of 387 college males were randomly placed into arousal and control conditions and asked to watch either erotic material or a lecture and complete questions regarding a common social dating scenario. Bivariate and multivariate results indicated significant relationships between sexual arousal and overperception of sexual intent with the decision to engage in sexually coercive behaviors, as well as a mediation effect. The implications for theory and sexual assault prevention are discussed.

The Miller-Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST) was developed to provide clinicians with a reliable and valid screen for malingered mental illness. Previous studies have demonstrated the development and initial validation of the M-FAST. The current analyses extend the M-FAST generalizability across literacy status and race and compare predictive utility with clinical opinion. Study 1 includes a sample of 280 forensic male psychiatric patients, 5 psychiatrists, and 8 psychologists. The psychiatric participants were administered the SIRS, M-FAST item pool, M Test, and MMPI-2. Study 2 includes an independent sample of 50 male forensic psychiatric participants and the 13 mental health professionals. Results provide evidence of generalizability of the M-FAST across literacy and racial groups. Results also indicate that the M-FAST produced higher classification accuracy than the M Test and clinical opinion, significantly reducing the number off alse negatives at the screening stage of malingering assessment.