Assessing Risk of Sexual Re-offenses by Sex Offenders

1. Assessing Risk of Sexual Re-offenses by Sex Offenders A Training Program by the Capital District Coalition for Sex Offender Management Richard Hamill, Ph.D. July 12, 2005

2. Comprehensive Approaches to Sex Offender Management • Five critical disciplines: • Investigation (law enforcement, CPS) • Prosecution • Community Supervision (probation, parole) • Treatment (specialized sex offender services) • Victim Advocates

3. Goals for this workshop • Probation Officers will learn to predict more accurately the degree to which a sex offender is likely to commit another sex offense. • When included in the pre-sentence investigation report, the risk assessment provides the judge with critical information, as well as a rationale to support suggested sentences and conditions.

4. Overview of the workshop • 1. What we know about sex offenses • 2. Types of sex offenders • 3. Assessing risk of sexual recidivism • 4. Using the Static-99 • 5. Presenting the Static-99 in reports • 6. Questions and answers

5. What we know about child sexual abuse • 1. By the time he or she is eighteen years old, one in every 4 girls and one in every 6 or 7 boys has been the victim of a “hands-on” (contact) sex offense. • 2. Young children (ages 0 to 5 years old) are the fastest growing class of sexual abuse victim. • 3. Sexual abuse often creates significant, even life-long problems for victims and loved ones • 4. Multidisciplinary, collaborative approach is requiredfor effective intervention.

6. Not All Sex Offenders Are The Same • Victim preferences • Behavior preferences • Motivation for offending • Attitudes towards deviant behavior • Risk to re-offend • Supervision and treatment needs

7. What we know about sex offenders • 1. There are many different types of sex offenders. • 2. Each type has a different rate of re-offending, and prognosis for change. • 3. Treatment cuts recidivism by about 50%. • 4. If treatment is not provided, sex offender sexual re-offense rates are: • 14% convicted of a sexual re-offense within 5 years • 20% convicted of a sexual re-offense within 10 years • 24% convicted of a sexual re-offense within 15 years

8. Gender (Vermont Probation & Parole, 2003) 98% of known sex offenders are male

9. Victim’s Age at Time of First AssaultKilpatrick, Edmunds, Seymour (1992). Rape in America. • Age of Victims

10. Relationship Between Victims and OffendersTjaden & Thoennes (2000) 90% 66%

11. Degree of Physical InjuryKilpatrick, Edmunds, Seymour (1992). Rape in America.

12. Reporting of Sexual AbuseKilpatrick et al. (2003). National Survey of Adolescents. 86% not reported to the authorities *some cases reported to more than one authority

13. What Are Victim’s Greatest Concerns?Kilpatrick, Edmunds, Seymour (1992). Rape in America.

15. Victims and Victimization HistoryHindman & Peters (2001)

16. Common Childhood Experience of Sex Offenders • Harmful sexual experiences • Poor parent-child attachments • Antisocial parental influences • Physical and emotional abuse • Deviant masturbatory conditioning

17. Crossover Offending ______________________________________ Issues: crossover definitions; order of progression

18. Sexual Re-offense Rates“Official”rates based on Harris & Hanson (2004) “Estimated” rates based on Hanson, Morton, & Harris (2003)10 samples; n=4,724 Percent 14% 20% 24% 27% 25% 35% 40% 45% Years in Community

19. Explanations and Preconditionsfor Sexual OffendingCumming & McGrath (2004);Finkelhor (1984,1986) 1 2 3 Motives Willingness Opportunity • Sexual Interest • Emotional Closeness • Power and Control • Anger/Grievance • Planned - • Opportunistic • Manipulation - • Force • Cognitive Distortions • Substance Abuse • Stress • Psychopathy • Other

20. Motivation for Sexual Offending • 1. Need for Power / Control • 2. Need for Intimacy • 3. Need to Vent Anger • 4. Need to Feel Competent • 5. Need for Sexual Gratification • 6. Curiosity (juvenile sex offenders only)

21. Hanson et al., Meta-Analysis (2002)(15 studies using “current treatments” over 4-5 years) Percent Recidivism 51% 32% 17% 10% (41% reduction) (37% reduction)

22. Vermont Incarcerated Programs: Example of Risk/Need Matching DD/MI Services

23. Vermont Community Programs:Example of Risk/Need Matching • Individualized • Assessment • LSI-R • RRASOR • Static-99 • TPS • VASOR • (PCL-R) • (VRAG)

24. Psychophysiological Assessment Methods Community Programs for Male and Female Adults 1986-2002McGrath, Cumming, & Burchard (2003) Percent of programs

25. Pharmacological Treatment:Programs for Adult MalesMcGrath, Cumming, & Burchard (2003) Percent of programs

26. Impact of Aftercare ServicesGordon & Packard (1998) % Recidivism Rate at 5-year Follow-up 25% 15% 8% 2%

27. Sex offender treatment • What we know: • Treatment reduces re-offense rate by 40-60% • Treatment is not effective for all sex offenders • About one-third of sex offenders are NOT motivated to stop committing sex offenses • However, the treatment process does give us much more insight about offender modus operandi, strategies, triggers, level of risk to the community • Some failures also help keep the community safer

28. Unique Aspects of Sex Offender Treatment • Treatment team is the probation/parole officer and the therapist • Unrestricted Release of Information for probation/parole officer and therapist • Immediate notification of P.O. if offender shifts into elevated risk of re-offending • Goal: Incapacitate before re-offense (VOP, rehab program)

29. Three components of treatment • (1) Relapse Prevention model • sexual offending similar to an addiction • stress “abstinence,” not “cure” • cognitive-behavioral: focuses on feelings, beliefs (cognitive distortions), stimuli and behaviors • identify triggers for elevated risk, details of offense cycle, effective safety plan • enhance empathy for victims • enhance motivation for remaining abstinent

30. Treatment of sex offenders • (2) Life skills development • anger-management skills (esp. rapists) • relationship-building / intimacy skills • skills for living with SORA, the s.o. label • vocational skills • communication skills • assertiveness training • communication of feelings

31. Treatment of sex offenders • (3) Resolution of the effects of one’s own abuse / neglect • personal histories characterized by • childhood sexual abuse (especially preferential sex offenders), • physical abuse (especially rapists, use- of-force sex offenders) • exposure to domestic violence (especially rapists), • Neglect / chaotic family system

32. Summary • Community safety depends on: • successful law enforcement investigation • effective prosecution • effective correctional system programs • community supervision using strategies specific to sex offenders • community-based sex offender treatment • keeping awareness of impact on the victim

33. What we know about sex offenders

34. TYPES OF SEX OFFENSES • Three clusters of sex offenses: • Contact, use of force (rape) • Contact, use of non-force strategies (molestation) • Non-contact offenses (exposing, voyeurism, obscene phone calls, sexual harassment)

35. Types of rapists • Rapists (Prentky and Knight typology) Prognosis • 1. Opportunistic fair-good • 2. Pervasively angry fair • 3. Sexualized poor-fair • 4. Vindictive fair

36. Types of child molesters(F.B.I. Behavioral Sciences typology) • Situational Prognosis • 1. Compensating very good • 2. Psychopaths poor • 3. Normalized fair-good • 4. Sexualized poor-fair Preferential - 1. Seductive fair - 2. Inadequate poor-fair - 3. Sadistic poor

37. Types of rapists (Use of Force) • Four types based on motivation: • (1) Opportunistic type: • Take advantage of opportunities open to them. • Typically, self-centered, risk-takers. • Prognosis: fair-to-good • (2) Pervasively angry type: • Rape is strategy to vent pent-up anger • History of other anger-motivated crimes • Prognosis: fair-to-poor

38. Types of rapists • (3) Sexual type • Rape is committed as way of meeting sexual needs • Person has sexual attraction to rape • Two sub-types: Sadistic and Non-sadistic • Sadistic offenses: usually longer duration, often include extensive threats designed to create fear; physical incapacitation, infliction of pain • Non-sadistic rapes: Force is used as strategy to accomplish the rape • Prognosis is poor-to-fair. Work to incarcerate.

39. Types of rapists • (4) Vindictive type • Rape victim is person toward whom they feel anger • Rape is punishment, or attempt to re-establish sense of personal power or control • Typical victims: partners, former partners • Prognosis: fair

40. Types of Child Molesters • Based on the work of Ken Lanning (F.B.I. Behavioral Sciences unit) • Two large clusters of child molesters: • Situational (non-fixated) • Preferential (fixated)

41. Situational child molesters • Four types of situational child molesters: • (1) Compensating (regressed) type • primarily intra-familial victims (incest) • exploit their authority as parents and/or adults • use non-violent strategies, like seduction • generally have a good response to treatment

42. Situational child molesters • (2) Psychopaths • 0.5% of the population; 5% of child molesters • “without conscience” • victims chosen by availability, vulnerability • strategies: luring, manipulation; may use force • respond poorly to treatment, require incarceration

43. Situational child molesters • Normalized type • life-long pattern, inter-generational • almost 100% are victims of childhood sexual abuse • sexual offending is an almost continuous pattern • victims are often family and friends • fair response to treatment

44. Situational child molesters • Sexualized type • multiple paraphilias present • wide range of sexual behavior • victims based on availability • motivation is to offset boredom • strategy: abuse embedded into an on-going activity • treatment is difficult; fair-to-poor prognosis

45. Preferential child molesters • Have a strong sexual preference for children • These “fixated” child molesters are considered stuck at a young stage in their own sexual development • Pedophiles: strong sexual preference for children under the age of puberty • Hebephiles: strong sexual preference for children at or just above onset of puberty

46. Preferential child molesters • Three types identified: • (1) Seductive type • very child-oriented; highly identified with children • use of non-violent strategies, like seduction • strong age and gender preferences • 50% prefer boys, 25% prefer girls, 25% both • treatment is difficult; prognosis is poor

47. Preferential child molesters • Inadequate type • two subtypes: psychiatric condition, mental deficiency • often socially isolated w/ poor social skills • impulse control often poor • victim choice often indiscriminant • offenses are sexual only, often non-verbal • prognosis is limited; medication helps

48. Preferential child molesters • Sadistic type • strong arousal to inflicting pain • strong age and gender preferences • strategies include rape, kidnapping, murder • concurrent psychiatric problems • treatment prognosis is very poor, risk level very high. Work to incarcerate.

49. Stage model for molestation • Five stages: • 1. Engagement: “grooming” behaviors • 2. Sexual interaction: progression along the continuum to more intrusive acts • 3. Secrecy strategies • 4. Disclosure: Accidental or purposeful • 5. Retraction (by Suzanne Sgroi, M.D.)

50. Juvenile sex offenders • Include all of the above types, as well as: • Curiosity-motivated • young juveniles • usually awkward, naïve • motivation is to satisfy curiosity about sex • severity of abuse may escalate over time • good response to treatment, especially if parents are willing to become involved