Background: Risk assessment of sexual violence involves evidence based evaluation of the risks posed by sexual offenders. It informs risk management; the provision of treatment that reduces the risk of future sexual violence. Previous research has focused on assessment of the predictive accuracy of different risk assessment tools, as well as the identification of risk factors that are associated with recidivism. In contrast, the clinical practice of risk assessment is a research area that has been neglected. The aim of this thesis was to explore the practice of risk assessment in a specialist sex offender liaison service (SOLS). Particular attention was paid to the structured professional judgement method of risk assessment. Method: A systematic review of the literature identified psychological factors associated with sexual recidivism in adult male offenders. Study 1 employed a cohort quantitative design and aimed to ascertain whether risk judgements made by the SOLS were predicted by factors that were identified by the systematic review (and previously existing meta-analyses) as being evidence based. Ordinal logistic regression and linear regression analyses (N = 96) were used to investigate the hypothesised predictive associations between variables. Study 2 utilised a qualitative framework analysis (N = 31) and aimed to explore the views of users of SOLS risk assessments with respect to their practical utility. Results: The systematic review suggested that psychopathy and sexual deviance were supported as risk factors for sexual recidivism. Inconsistent results were found with respect to denial. Study 1 found that psychopathy, denial, and sexual preoccupation were significantly associated with risk judgement scores made by the SOLS, while sexual deviance, and problems with intimate relationships, were not. The best explanatory model accounted for only 40 per cent of the variance in risk judgement score. Study 2 revealed five major themes: informing risk management; confirming what was known and giving weight; understanding personality; treatment; and the usefulness and limitations of risk assessment.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:578411 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Judge, Joseph Gerard |
| Contributors | O'Rourke, Suzanne; Gillanders, David; Sutton, Eleanor; Sutton, Mark |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/7775 |
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