Citation

Rasmussen LAL. Int. J. Offender Ther. Comp. Criminol. 2018; 62(10): 2937-2953.

Affiliation

San Diego State University, School of Social Work, CA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0306624X17726550

PMID

28863722

Abstract

This 6-year prospective study is the first to compare two psychometrically sound risk assessment tools for sexually abusive youth: JSORRAT-II and MEGA(♪). Cross-validated on representative samples of over 500 youth, these measures have cutoff scores, allowing for a more exact assessment of risk. Study sample consisted of 129 male adjudicated adolescents housed in a secured residential treatment facility for sexually abusive youth. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that MEGA(♪) Risk Scale was mildly predictive of sexual recidivism over a 6-year period (mean follow-up = 15.6 months)-area under the curve (AUC) =.67; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.52, 0.82]; p <.015. JSORRAT-II was not predictive (AUC =.57; 95% CI = [0.42, 0.72]; p <.297). The study contributes to scant literature on the most contemporary, statistically robust risk assessment tools for sexually abusive youth.

Language: en

Keywords

adolescent sex offenders; juvenile sex offenders; recidivism; residential care; risk assessment