Seattle University Collaborative Projects - International Academy of ...

extant to be associated with sexual reoffense risk. SPJ allows the examiner to integrate andsynthesize a multitude of variables in a structured manner with the goal of deciphering theempirically supported relevant risk factors.The SVR-20 and RSVP are structured clinical checklists designed for the risk assessment ofsexual violence in sex offenders and risk management. The SVR-20 authors refer to it as amemory aid. These tools reflect the application of an empirically guided approach, or SPJ, asitems are based on sexual offense recidivism risk factors gathered from reviews of the empiricalliterature extent. The final risk judgment can be indicated in terms of low, moderate, or high. Asecond edition of the SVR-20 is under development (Boer, 2009).Among the strengths of SPJ risk assessment is that the risk items have an empirical basis forconsideration, and that “case- specific” factors can be considered, which in such evaluations,seems prudent. The SVR-20 and RSVP helps organize the myriad of variables in suchevaluations. While this approach allows for the consideration of either higher, or lower, sexualrecidivism risk than fixed actuarial scoring rules allows, to merely tally the factors to adjust anactuarial score is not acceptable practice, as this leads to unacceptable error rates.Limitations to using the SVR-20, or RSVP, in the service of SPJ, is that there is the absence ofempirically derived norms, presumption that more risk factors present automatically meansgreater risk, assumption that the list is exhaustive, and that this type of risk assessment approachleaves the weighting of each risk factor to each individual examiner. It is also worth noting thatseeing a large number of risk factors can unduly bias the perception of risk just as easily asseeing a small number of risk factors as an artifact of heuristics and biases.Due to the previously noted substantial limitations, professionals are left literally left to theirown devices on how to compensate for these deficiencies. This workshop will provide a SPJassessment rubric focusing on how to think of risk factors along the continuums of frequency,intensity, duration, likelihood, imminence and salience. Protective risk factors will also beconsidered with suggestions on how to integrate such variables into an evaluation. This SPJassessment rubric allows the evaluator to make an integrated, systematic, professional opinionabout an examinees relative sexual recidivism risk that ultimately informs the management ofthat risk.2. Two learning objectives or goals:A-Workshop participants learn how to conceptualize sexual reoffense risk assessment from threedifferent approaches (unguided clinical judgment, actuarial assessment, and structuredprofessional judgment) and recognize each methods strengths and weakness.B- Workshop participants will learn a Structured Professional Judgment assessment rubricfocusing on how to think along the risk factor continuums of frequency, intensity, duration,likelihood, imminence and salience to help an evaluator make an integrated, systematic,professional opinion about an examinees relative sexual recidivism risk that informs themanagement of that risk.292