The March 2011 issue of the ATSA journal contains pertinent articles on the risk assessment of internet offenders. Wakeling et al. in an article pertaining to sex offender risk assessment, found that a modified version of the Risk Matrix 2000 can predict sexual recidivism among internet offenders. Seto et al. report on two meta-analyses, the first on contact offending history (official and self-report) and the second on official recidivism rates.

In our introduction to the special issue, Karl Hanson and Michael Seto suggest that based on the totality of research so far, it is very likely that existing risk measures can predict recidivism among internet offenders because the same kinds of risk factors — offender age, criminal history, substance use, sexual interest in children — seem to be working (Seto & Eke, 2005; Eke et al., in press).

[Aside: Some internet offenders will admit to previously undetected contact sexual offenses, as part of a polygraph examination or as a byproduct of treatment. But it’s not obvious that self-reported contact offenses will predict recidivism (though it’s intuitive, intuition occasionally kicks sand in our faces), or if it does, that it predicts recidivism over and above officially detected contact offending.]

Many of the incarcerated sex offenders today are serving sentences for possession of Child Pornography.  These offenders register as sex offenders. Many from this group are considered non-contact and have no history of committing contact sexual offenses. There is a distinction between the various types of sex offenders: rapists, incest perpetrators, pedophiles, etc. that need to be taken into account.

For more information contact Bruce W. Cameron, M.S., LPC-S, LSOTP, at 214-431-2032