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How to Evaluate Adult Sex Offenders Stephen Brake, Ph.D.
The following is an abstract of the forthcoming book How to Evaluate Adult Sex Offenders by Dr. Stephen Brake: Communities are increasingly concerned about the risk posed by sex offenders. Some of the public’s fears are well-founded because some sex offenders living among us are indeed dangerous. Some fears are needless because not all sex offenders are equally dangerous. It should be the job of criminal justice professionals to gather and accurately interpret information about potential risk and then implement strategies about how to manage that risk. The accurate evaluation of a sex offender’s risk and treatment needs is an essential first step in this process. How to Evaluate Adult Sex Offenders provides a step-by-step explanation of the procedures and protocols involved in such a process. The book provides a tutorial about how to conduct a variety of different kinds of sex-offender evaluations including standard pre-sentencing evaluations and evaluations of an offender’s ongoing progress in treatment. The standards and guidelines adopted for evaluators and treatment providers in Colorado provide a context to the discussion although the suggestions offered for conducting evaluations can be easily adopted for use in other states. A protocol for conducting non-criminal evaluations (for use in civil jurisdictions, such as Social Services cases) is also offered. The book also discusses two types of evaluations conducted in Colorado that may serve as models for similar evaluations in other states - a version of a sexually violent predator assessment and a specialized evaluation designed to more narrowly estimate a client’s risk to his or her own children. The purpose of each evaluation protocol is explained and the essential information needed to conduct each is reviewed. Various evaluation tools are discussed including different kinds of psychological tests, sexual arousal and interest measures, and actuarial risk assessment guidelines. The special importance of polygraph testing and computer use analysis in determining risk and treatment compliance is explained. It is also the evaluator’s job to propose a treatment and containment plan that will prove most effective in managing the offender’s particular level of risk, insure community safety, and meet the offender’s needs. A decision matrix for recommending various treatment dispositions is provided along with a discussion of the current controversy about the effectiveness of treatment and supervision in managing sex offenders. Finally, suggestions are offered about how evaluators can be aware of the personal and political pressures they may experience in doing the work and how best to cope with them.
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