Psychopathy, Actuarial Risk, Penile Plethysmography, and Polygraphy Scores: Predicting Infractions among Sexually Violent Persons

In many parts of the United States, individuals can be civilly committed as Sexually Violent Persons (SVP) to a secure treatment center based on their history of sexual offenses, current mental disorder, and current risk for sexual recidivism. While the specific criteria vary between jurisdictions, SVP civil commitment is indefinite, and periodic examinations occur to determine if ongoing commitment is necessary. Release recommendations may be made in part based on patients’ treatment progress. Therefore, incorporating treatment change into periodic risk assessments is an important role of the SVP evaluator. The current paper sought to explore the benefits of using an actuarial tool within SVP populations to measure decreased sexual recidivism risk as a result of treatment change. Specific discussion of the use of the Violence Risk Scale – Sexual Offense version (Olver et al., 2007, https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.19.3.318) is provided.

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Are Civilly Detained and Committed Sexually Violent Persons Released After Age 60 Low Risk?

Criminal Justice and Behavior ◽

10.1177/0093854820972448 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 009385482097244

Author(s):

Gina Ambroziak ◽

Rachel E. Kahn ◽

James C. Mundt ◽

Kerry L. Keiser ◽

David Thornton

Keyword(s):

Protective Factor ◽

Civil Commitment ◽

Recidivism Rate ◽

Protective Effects ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Sexual Recidivism ◽

Related Factors ◽

Age Related ◽

Sexually Violent ◽

Sexually Violent Persons

Older age is a well-established protective factor against sexual recidivism. However, research on the effects of aging in individuals considered for civil commitment as sexually violent persons (SVPs) is limited. The current study investigated 53 such individuals released after age 60: 15 were released following dismissal of the civil commitment petition, and 38 were discharged following civil commitment. Recidivism outcomes, including details of the release environment, were examined and the groups were compared on recidivism risk and age-related factors. The sexual recidivism rate across both groups was 7.5% over an average follow-up of about 9 years. The rate of sexually violent offenses was 3.8%. Results suggest that age-related protective effects apply to older SVPs. However, the groups differed in total time institutionalized and release environments. Findings highlight the potential impact of release type and environments on observed recidivism rates. Risk management implications for older individuals released from SVP programs are considered.

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Supplemental Material for Risk-Tinted Spectacles: What Influences Evaluator Decision Making in Sexually Violent Persons Examinations

Psychology Public Policy and Law ◽

10.1037/law0000333.supp ◽

2021 ◽

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Sexually Violent ◽

Sexually Violent Persons

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Constituting the ‘sexually violent predator’: Law, forensic psychology, and the adjudication of risk

Theoretical Criminology ◽

10.1177/1362480618759011 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 509-526 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stefan Vogler

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Forensic Psychology ◽

Distinct Type ◽

Assessment Practices ◽

Sexually Violent Predator ◽

Criminological Research ◽

Actuarial Risk Assessment ◽

Sexually Violent ◽

Actuarial Risk ◽

Static Risk

Considerable socio-legal scholarship demonstrates law’s constitutive power, and much criminological research has considered the effects of actuarial risk assessment. However, these strands have rarely been brought together to consider how legal risk assessment practices constitute sexual subjects. This article argues that law and forensic psychology co-constitute the category of the ‘sexually violent predator’ (SVP) as a distinct type of person through the use of psychiatric diagnosis and actuarial risk assessment. Contrary to dominant views of actuarialism as de-individualizing, this article asserts that SVP proceedings are centrally concerned with individualized intervention, yet such proceedings continue to produce static risk subjects rather than the dynamic subjects identified in recent research on actuarial practices. It is argued that this stems from entrenched cultural views of sexuality as a fixed essence inherent in individuals. The risk assemblage in SVP proceedings therefore presents a unique theoretical case that does not clearly fit prevailing accounts of actuarialism.

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Diagnostic Profiles of Civilly Committed Sexual Offenders in Illinois and Other Reporting Jurisdictions

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology ◽

10.1177/0306624x11415509 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 56 (6) ◽

pp. 838-855 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Shan Jumper ◽

Mark Babula ◽

Todd Casbon

Keyword(s):

Personality Disorder ◽

Sexual Offenders ◽

Sex Offender ◽

Diagnostic Information ◽

Cutoff Score ◽

Sexual Offense ◽

Sexually Violent ◽

Correctional Settings ◽

Sexually Violent Persons ◽

Sexually Violent Person

The records of 377 men civilly committed under Illinois’ Sexually Violent Persons Act were compared with similar published samples from seven other states. Civilly committed sexual offenders in Illinois were more likely to be diagnosed with any personality disorder and more likely to exceed the cutoff score for psychopathy than similar offenders in other states. The authors then present a national composite of demographic, victim, and diagnostic information on men referred or pursued for civil commitment in eight states to better understand how these individuals differ from sex offender populations in correctional settings. Results suggest that there may be less victim specificity in sexually violent person (SVP) populations, as although nearly 50% of SVPs are diagnosed with pedophilia, 80% had committed at least one sexual offense against a child or adolescent victim. Across all samples, 72.7% of SVPs were diagnosed with a personality disorder, with antisocial personality disorder the most prevalent.

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Treatment Satisfaction in a Civil Commitment Facility for Sexually Violent Persons

Sexual Abuse ◽

10.1177/10790632211019728 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 107906322110197

Author(s):

Samuel Vincent ◽

Rachel E. Kahn ◽

Gina Ambroziak ◽

Jason Smith ◽

Emma Jardas

Keyword(s):

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Neuropsychological Testing ◽

Civil Commitment ◽

Program Improvement ◽

Assessment Methods ◽

Treatment Providers ◽

Sexually Violent ◽

Polygraph Testing ◽

Sexually Violent Persons ◽

Sexually Violent Person

Evaluating patient satisfaction in therapeutic settings is consistent with a Risk–Needs–Responsivity (RNR) model. This study provides results from a program improvement initiative in a sexually violent person (SVP) civil commitment facility that queried patients and treatment providers about their satisfaction with therapeutic processes and assessment methods. Overall, patients reported high levels of satisfaction with treatment at the facility, with the highest levels of satisfaction on items about being treated with kindness and respect and staff acting professionally. Providers rated current assessment methods such as the Penile Plethysmography (PPG) assessment, polygraph testing, and neuropsychological testing as most helpful for patients in treatment progress; however, patients rated PPG assessment and polygraph testing as the least helpful of the assessments conducted. Soliciting patient feedback periodically could be important for maintaining treatment engagement and discovering opportunities to enhance patient satisfaction to treatment in a SVP civil commitment setting.

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