NCJ Number
207004
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 12 Issue: 3/4 Dated: 2003 Pages: 127-173
Date Published
2003
Length
47 pages
Annotation
This article identifies and discusses the clinical and ethical issues associated with the interview, assessment, and evaluation of sex offenders.
Abstract
The author advises that before an effective assessment of sex offenders can be conducted, the interviewer must have a clear understanding of sexual deviance, the difference between a sex offense and sexual deviance, and paraphilias. This article provides an overview of each of these issues. A discussion of the goals of the evaluation focuses on classification, intrapersonal dynamics, contextual factors, risk assessment, treatment, and placement and level of supervision. Three professional ethical issues that are primary in conducting evaluations of sex offenders are competence, informed consent, and confidentiality. Each of these is briefly discussed. Issues related to the context of the interview are the legal status of the offender at the time of the assessment, countertransference reactions, and deception. An overview of the assessment format addresses a review of all existing available data, an interview with the offender, psychological testing, and interviews with significant others. The article concludes with a discussion of risk assessment, which includes an evaluation of the research related to risk assessment, methods of risk assessment, and an overall approach to risk assessment. As a general conclusion, the article advises that the evaluation of sex offenders must be tailored to fit the needs of the individual and his/her situation; and the evaluation must integrate findings from a structured clinical interview, third-party information, and the results of psychometric testing deemed relevant to the individual and his/her behavior. 6 tables and 83 references