Description
Risk assessment is the process of forensic mental health professionals for determining the risk that a sex offender presents to the community at large.
Tasks:
Using resources from the professional literature, research risk assessment tools used with the sex offender population. The literature may include the online library resources, relevant textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (.edu and .gov).
In a 3- to 4-page paper in a Microsoft Word document, address the following:
- Identify two reasons that a forensic mental health professional would be called to complete a risk assessment for a sex offender.
- Explain why risk assessment measures are widely used with the sex offender population. What do assessment measures hope to achieve?
- Describe two types of risk assessment instruments or methods utilized with the sex offender population. What is the research support for utilization of these instruments?
- Discuss the reasons that a sex offender is compared to other sex offenders when conducting a sex offender risk assessment.
- Identify one or more specific risk assessment measures utilized for female sex offenders.
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Running head: SEXUAL OFFENSE RISK ASSESSMENT
Sexual Offense Risk Assessment
1
SEXUAL OFFENSE RISK ASSESSMENT
2
Introduction
Risk assessment and management is an integral part of the modern clinical practice.
Psychologists and psychiatrist are often called upon to assess the risk that a patient may be involved
in a violence or delinquent act in the future (Miller, 2012). Risk assessment has been perceived to
offer one of the unique characteristics of a mental specialist in the forensic settings. The ability to
efficiently assess the possibility of a future occurrence of a criminal offense is essential to not only
the clinicians but also the policymakers and the safety of the public. This paper discusses the
concept of risk assessment in the forensic mental health.
Risk Assessment of a Sex Offender
Risk assessment of a sex offender entails a detailed function analysis that evaluates the
underlying motives the offending behavior. A mental health profession gathers the necessary
information of the offender and determines the main intentions of the sexual offense. The mental
psychiatrist or psychologist attempts to evaluate the mental health of the criminal (Morgan, 2005).
Moreover, the mental health professionals determine the likelihood of the offender to recommit
the sexual assault in future.
Ideally, the effective management of a sex offense relies on the ability of justice agencies
to differentiate each individual offenders with regard to their risk of recidivism (deBaca, 2015).
With the help of the health professionals, the justice system can take the necessary action and pass
an appropriate sentence to the sexual offender. The justice system can also notify the community
of the intentions of the sexual offender. The estimates of risk assessment of sex offenders are used
in the decision-making in various contexts that include criminal adjudication and sentencing,
determination of treatment needs, modalities and settings.
SEXUAL OFFENSE RISK ASSESSMENT
3
Use of Risk assessment in Sex Offender Population
Sex victimization is often prosecuted. Sex offenders, however, have the highest rate of
recidivism and are up to 10 times more likely to be rearrested for another sexual offense compared
to the conviction of other crimes. The primary goal of the use of risk assessment in a sex offender
population is to understand and reduce the risk that the individuals may pose to the public (deBaca,
2015)....
Review
Review
