This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Research reports into sexual offending
08/11/2002
Three research reports, published today by Social Research, confirm the need for standardised assessment of sexual offenders across all agencies - Police, Prisons and Social Work.
The research takes forward the recommendations of the MacLean Committee on serious violent and sexual offenders which identified a need for further research into risk assessment and reconviction in Scotland.
The reports provide not only an audit of risk assessment instruments currently in use with this group of offenders, but also a review of the most pertinent literature and its relevance to the roles and responsibilities of staff engaged in the risk assessment and management of such offenders.
The package of research will provide a point of reference for the future work of the Risk Management Authority which is being set up to provide a focal point for multi-agency working.
REPORT ONE
RISK ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF SERIOUS VIOLENT AND SEXUAL OFFENDERS:A REVIEW OF CURRENT ISSUES
This presents criteria for a "defensible decision" and concludes that two current methods for sex offence recidivism prediction both have predictive accuracy.
REPORT TWO
SERIOUS VIOLENT AND SEXUAL OFFENDERS: THE USE OF RISK ASSESSMENT TOOLS IN SCOTLAND
Among the report's main findings:
- Various approaches to risk assessment were being adopted by different professional groups working in different settings across Scotland
- Professionals expressed concern about the absence of appropriate risk assessment tools for use with young people, women and mentally disordered offenders
- Different tools and approaches were perceived to have different strengths, but their ability to inform risk management plans was considered critical
REPORT THREE
RECIDIVISM AMONGST VIOLENT SERIOUS AND SEXUAL OFFENDERS
Among the report's main findings:-
- Rates of reconviction of sex offenders vary, though are fairly low compared to other types of offending. Recidivism for violent offenders is higher than for sexual offences, but again is generally lower than for other types of crime
- For both sexual and violent offenders, reconviction is not usually for a further sexual or violent offence
- Consistent, thorough, and accessible information about sexual and violent offenders, particularly regarding past offending and the nature of offences, is crucial for the management and prevention of further serious crimes
Report One was researched by Hazel Kemshall, De Montfort University. Report Two by Gill McIvor, University of Stirling and Hazel Kemshall. Report Three by Nancy Loucks, independent criminologist.