Recidivism base rates, predictions of sex offender recidivism, and the “sexual predator” commitment laws
✍ Scribed by Dennis M. Doren
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 218 KB
- Volume
- 16
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0735-3936
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Predictions of future sexual oending have been mandated by various ``Sexual Predator'' commitment laws, despite historical arguments that clinicians are frequently inaccurate and over-predict violence. The basis for those arguments has been the perspective that sexual recidivism is a relatively rare event. Research is reviewed, however, with the ®nding that sexual recidivism for certain oenders is a rather common occurrence when the de®nition of recidivism is in keeping with the sex oender commitment laws. This ®nding is used to demonstrate that under-, rather than over-prediction of the designated violence is necessarily today's practice. Practical and ethical implications are discussed.