Evaluating Sex Offenders

A Manual for Civil Commitments and Beyond

A professional volume to help practitioners, clinicians, counselors, and parole officers, assess risk and evaluate offenders who have been convicted of a sex crime. This is the most comprehensive volume available on every aspect of assessing risk. It compares all current risk assessment techniques of sex offenders in terms of ease of use, reliability, and predictive power. It is a complete guide to assessing sex offenders for likelihood of re-offense, and it provides a wealth of information on other aspects of the assessment process, including information gathering, interviewing offenders, and writing reports. Chapter topics include: defining risk; data gathering; diagnostic issues; recidivism base rates; risk factor lists; actuarial scales; instrumentation (violent and sexual); the evaluation report; presenting in court; ethical issues.