Understanding the Critical Role of Forensic Psychologists in Sexual Violence Risk Assessment

Forensic psychologists occupy a unique and vital position at the intersection of mental health and criminal justice, particularly when addressing one of society's most challenging issues: sexual violence. Their specialized expertise enables the criminal justice system to make evidence-based decisions that balance public safety with the fair treatment of individuals accused or convicted of sexual offenses. Through comprehensive evaluations, forensic psychologists help determine the likelihood that an offender might commit future acts of sexual violence, informing critical decisions about sentencing, parole eligibility, civil commitment, treatment planning, and community supervision levels.

The work of forensic psychologists in this domain extends far beyond simple prediction. They provide nuanced assessments that consider an individual's psychological makeup, behavioral patterns, environmental factors, and potential for change. This multifaceted approach helps create safer communities while ensuring that justice system responses are proportionate, evidence-based, and focused on both accountability and rehabilitation.

The Scope and Responsibilities of Forensic Psychologists

Comprehensive Evaluation Processes

Forensic psychologists conduct thorough evaluations of individuals accused or convicted of sexual offenses using multiple assessment methods. These professionals employ a combination of clinical interviews, standardized psychological testing, review of criminal and institutional records, collateral information from family members or treatment providers, and behavioral observations. This multi-method approach ensures a comprehensive understanding of an offender's mental state, personality characteristics, cognitive functioning, and potential for future violence.

The evaluation process typically begins with gathering extensive background information, including developmental history, family dynamics, educational and employment records, substance use patterns, mental health treatment history, and detailed accounts of past offenses. Forensic psychologists then conduct structured interviews designed to assess risk-relevant factors while maintaining objectivity and avoiding bias. These interviews explore the individual's understanding of their offenses, acceptance of responsibility, motivation for change, and insight into problematic patterns of thinking and behavior.

Training and Qualifications

Becoming a forensic psychologist requires extensive education and specialized training. Most practitioners hold doctoral degrees in clinical or counseling psychology with specialized training in forensic assessment. Many complete master's degrees in forensic psychology at institutions like John Jay College of Criminal Justice and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology with forensic emphasis, followed by APA-accredited internships on forensic psychology tracks. This rigorous training ensures that forensic psychologists possess both the clinical skills necessary to understand complex psychological issues and the legal knowledge required to navigate the criminal justice system effectively.

Beyond formal education, forensic psychologists must maintain ongoing training in the latest risk assessment tools, research findings, and ethical guidelines. They often participate in specialized workshops, professional conferences, and continuing education programs to stay current with evolving best practices in sexual violence risk assessment.

The Science of Risk Assessment for Sexual Violence

Understanding Risk Factors

The core responsibility of forensic psychologists in this context involves identifying and evaluating factors that increase the likelihood of sexual reoffending. These risk factors fall into two primary categories: static and dynamic. Static risk factors are historical and unchangeable elements such as age at first offense, number of prior sexual offenses, relationship to victims, and gender of victims. Dynamic risk factors, in contrast, are potentially changeable characteristics including current mental health status, substance abuse patterns, social support systems, employment stability, and treatment engagement.

Research has shown that predictive accuracy can be increased when dynamic factors such as substance abuse, personality disorders, deviant sexual interests, emotional identification with children, and self-regulation problems are combined with static factors. This comprehensive approach provides a more complete picture of an individual's risk profile and helps identify specific areas for intervention and monitoring.

Methodological Approaches to Risk Assessment

In modern forensic psychology, there are three different methodological approaches to risk assessment: unstructured clinical judgment, actuarial risk assessment instruments, and structured professional judgment. Each approach has distinct characteristics, strengths, and limitations.

Unstructured clinical judgment relies primarily on the evaluator's professional experience and intuition without the use of standardized tools or systematic procedures. While this approach allows for flexibility and consideration of unique case factors, evaluations conducted by mental health professionals who base their opinions on interviews and reviewing criminal histories have not proven to be as accurate as using structured clinical judgment that incorporates validated risk assessment instruments.

Actuarial risk assessment instruments use statistically derived formulas based on empirically validated risk factors to generate probability estimates of reoffending. These tools provide objective, standardized assessments that can be reliably scored across different evaluators. Structured professional judgment combines elements of both approaches, using empirically supported risk factors within a structured framework while allowing evaluators to exercise professional discretion in formulating final risk opinions.

Standardized Risk Assessment Tools

Static-99R: The Gold Standard for Actuarial Assessment

The Static-99 is the actuarial risk assessment instrument most commonly used and best validated for individuals convicted of sexual offenses. The revised version, Static-99R, has become the most widely implemented tool globally for assessing sexual recidivism risk. The Static-99R is based on static (unchanging) risk factors which predict the potential for sexual re-offending.

This instrument includes ten items covering factors such as prior sexual offenses, prior sentencing dates, any convictions for non-contact sexual offenses, index non-sexual violence, prior non-sexual violence, number of prior sexual offense charges or convictions, male victim, stranger victim, young age, and relationship status. Each item is scored based on specific criteria, and the total score places the individual into a risk category ranging from very low to well above average risk.

An updated meta-analysis of 56 studies demonstrated that Static-99R showed moderate predictive accuracy with AUCs ranging from .68 to .69. The Static-99R was found to be very accurate in predicting who would reoffend in California, accurately predicting who would commit a new sex offense in about 82% of cases, with high risk offenders having a recidivism rate of over 29%, while low risk offenders had a recidivism rate of only 1.6%.

The sexual re-offense rate for the typical sex offender is between 4% and 12% after 5 years from release from custody, and between 6-22% after 10 years. These base rates provide important context for understanding individual risk assessments and setting realistic expectations about recidivism prediction.

STABLE-2007: Assessing Dynamic Risk Factors

While static instruments like the Static-99R provide valuable information about historical risk factors, they cannot capture changes in an individual's circumstances, behavior, or treatment progress. The STABLE-2007 is an empirically derived risk scale assessing stable dynamic risk factors relevant to treatment and supervision of individuals with a sexual offending history, with 13 items each scored as 0, 1, or 2, and total scores ranging from 0 to 26 for offenders with a victim under 14 years old, and 0 to 24 for others.

The STABLE-2007 assesses factors including significant social influences, capacity for relationship stability, emotional identification with children, hostility toward women, general social rejection, lack of concern for others, impulsivity, poor problem-solving skills, negative emotionality, sexual preoccupation, sex as coping, deviant sexual interests, and resistance to rules and supervision. These tools measure dynamic (changing) risk factors which are empirically related to the risk of re-offense, and dynamic risk assessment supplements the static risk assessment, giving a better picture of the overall risk of re-offense.

Based on 21 studies with 12 unique samples totaling 6,955 individuals, STABLE-2007 was significantly and incrementally related to sexual recidivism, violent (nonsexual) recidivism, violent (including sexual) recidivism, and any crime. Static-99R and STABLE-2007 had moderate accuracy in discriminating recidivists from non-recidivists, and both scales added incrementally in predicting all three outcomes, with Static-99R demonstrating higher accuracy.

Structured Professional Judgment Tools

The SVR-20 is the most commonly used structured professional judgment instrument for the risk assessment of individuals convicted of sexual offenses. The SVR-20 comprises 20 items or factors considered to be minimally comprehensive in a sexual violence risk assessment, gleaned from a systematic review of scientific and professional literature, and divided into three domains: Psychosocial Adjustment, Sexual Offenses, and Future Plans.

Instead, evaluators are directed to use their professional judgment to rate the risk as low, moderate, or high. This approach allows for consideration of case-specific factors and professional expertise while maintaining a structured framework based on empirically supported risk factors. The risk factors on the tool are empirically associated with the likelihood of recidivism and the nature, severity, imminence, and frequency or duration of recidivism.

The Risk for Sexual Violence Protocol (RSVP) represents another structured professional judgment approach that provides guidelines for comprehensive risk assessment. The structured professional judgment approach is flexible and person centered, meaning that plans are tailored to the evaluee's needs and include targets such as a residence, employment, family relationships, and relationships with correctional and health care professionals.

Protective Factors and Strengths-Based Assessment

Contemporary risk assessment increasingly recognizes the importance of protective factors—characteristics and circumstances that reduce the likelihood of reoffending. Available at present are at least four risk assessment measures for use with adults that include assessment of assets, strengths or protective factors, with the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for violence risk (SAPROF) appearing the most promising regarding assessment of sex offender risk.

The ability of the SAPROF to assess risk for general and sexual violence appears to be acceptably good over both short-term (one- to three-year) and long-term (15 year) follow-up periods, even after controlling for static risk. Protective factors may include strong social support, stable employment, successful treatment completion, prosocial relationships, effective coping skills, and commitment to a non-offending lifestyle.

Applications in the Criminal Justice System

Sentencing and Disposition Decisions

Risk assessments conducted by forensic psychologists play a crucial role in sentencing decisions for sexual offenses. Judges rely on these evaluations to determine appropriate sentences that reflect both the severity of the offense and the likelihood of future offending. These assessments help courts balance punishment, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation goals. In some jurisdictions, risk assessment results may influence whether an offender receives probation, incarceration, or participation in specialized treatment programs as part of their sentence.

Forensic psychologists may also provide testimony during sentencing hearings, explaining their assessment findings, the methodology used, and the implications for public safety and treatment needs. This expert testimony helps judges make informed decisions based on scientific evidence rather than relying solely on the nature of the offense or public sentiment.

Parole and Release Planning

When individuals convicted of sexual offenses become eligible for parole or release, forensic psychologists conduct updated risk assessments to evaluate changes in risk level since sentencing. These evaluations consider institutional behavior, treatment participation and progress, development of insight and empathy, changes in dynamic risk factors, and release plans including housing, employment, and social support.

Parole boards use these assessments to determine whether an individual can be safely released to the community and what level of supervision and conditions are necessary to manage risk effectively. Recommendations may include requirements for continued treatment, restrictions on contact with potential victims, geographic limitations, electronic monitoring, and regular check-ins with probation or parole officers.

Civil Commitment Proceedings

In cases involving sexually violent predators, forensic psychologists conduct specialized evaluations to determine whether an individual meets criteria for civil commitment following completion of their criminal sentence. These evaluations must establish that the person has a mental abnormality or personality disorder that makes them likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence if not confined in a secure facility.

Civil commitment evaluations are among the most complex and consequential assessments conducted by forensic psychologists, as they can result in indefinite confinement beyond the criminal sentence. These evaluations require careful consideration of diagnostic criteria, risk assessment findings, treatment amenability, and constitutional protections. Forensic psychologists must balance their role as objective evaluators with the serious liberty interests at stake in these proceedings.

Treatment Planning and Progress Monitoring

Risk assessments inform the development of individualized treatment plans that target specific criminogenic needs and risk factors. Another aspect of dynamic assessment that has gained recent attention concerns the measure of change associated with participation in treatment, with the Sex Offender Treatment Intervention and Progress Scale (SOTIPS) developed to accomplish this purpose, demonstrating moderate ability to rank order risk in a study of 759 adult male sex offenders.

Forensic psychologists may conduct periodic reassessments to evaluate treatment progress and changes in risk level over time. These reassessments help treatment providers adjust interventions, provide feedback to offenders about their progress, and inform decisions about treatment completion and transition to less intensive supervision. Dynamic risk assessment tools like the STABLE-2007 are particularly valuable for this purpose, as they can detect meaningful changes in risk-relevant factors.

Challenges and Limitations in Risk Assessment

Inherent Uncertainty in Prediction

While much progress has been made regarding the ability of professionals in the field to accurately estimate the likelihood of future sexual reoffense, no one is presently able to estimate either the timing or the severity of such future criminal conduct. This fundamental limitation means that risk assessments provide probabilistic estimates rather than definitive predictions about individual behavior.

Current methods allow, in most cases, only for an estimate of the likelihood of both future sexual and nonsexual offending over a specific timeframe, with the accuracy of these estimates depending in part on the degree to which the individual offender being assessed matches a known normative sample and the degree to which the factors included in the risk assessment accurately reflect the known universe of relevant risk factors.

Population-Specific Validity Concerns

Some risk assessment tools fail to predict the risk of reoffending for specific populations with adequate accuracy, perhaps due to the nuances of those variations applied to different populations in different locations at other times, and selecting an assessment tool should ultimately be driven by the purpose of the evaluation. Research has identified concerns about the validity of certain risk assessment tools for specific populations, including older offenders, female offenders, juvenile offenders, individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, and those who commit online or technology-facilitated offenses.

Recent research has shown that actuarial sexual offending risk assessment tools should be adjusted to reflect reduced risk as offenders age, leading to questions about the validity of extant structured professional judgment guidelines for older people who sexually offend. This finding highlights the importance of ongoing research to validate and refine risk assessment tools for diverse populations.

Field Validity and Implementation Challenges

Many forensic assessment measures are developed and validated under research conditions but applied in the field, where professionals or paraprofessionals have varied training, unknown fidelity to administration procedures, and contextual pressures related to their institutions or legal system, yet few studies examine the generalizability of psychometric properties of these scales as actually applied in field settings.

However, recent research provides encouraging findings about field implementation. Studies add to the burgeoning literature suggesting that actuarial risk scales such as Static-99R and STABLE-2007 can be scored with reasonable fidelity and accuracy in real-world settings. Results support the field application of Static-99R and STABLE-2007, while emphasizing the importance of training and proper implementation.

Adversarial Allegiance and Bias

When forensic psychologists are retained by opposing parties in adversarial legal proceedings, there is potential for bias in risk assessment results. There is a tendency for evaluators' risk scores to be biased toward the party that retained them in an adversarial system, which reduces interrater reliability in adversarial proceedings and decreases the credibility of the scale and the evaluators, though smaller adversarial allegiance effects were found for Static-99 compared with the PCL-R.

To minimize bias, forensic psychologists must adhere to ethical guidelines emphasizing objectivity, use well-validated assessment tools with clear scoring criteria, document their methodology and reasoning thoroughly, and acknowledge limitations and alternative interpretations of their findings. Professional organizations and courts increasingly recognize the importance of addressing adversarial allegiance to maintain the integrity of forensic evaluations.

Ethical Considerations in Sexual Violence Risk Assessment

Balancing Public Safety and Individual Rights

Forensic psychologists face the challenging task of balancing legitimate public safety concerns with the rights and dignity of individuals being assessed. Risk assessments can have profound consequences for liberty, including extended incarceration, civil commitment, restrictive supervision conditions, and public notification requirements. Psychologists must ensure their evaluations are thorough, accurate, and based on the best available scientific evidence while respecting the legal and human rights of those being assessed.

This balancing act requires careful consideration of the potential consequences of both false positives (identifying someone as high risk who would not actually reoffend) and false negatives (identifying someone as low risk who subsequently commits another offense). Inaccurately assessing a violent offender could lead to being released, misdiagnosis, undertreatment, unnecessary or overtreatment, and further marginalizing the victims, making it especially important to use structured assessments when evaluating forensic risk.

Objectivity and Avoiding Bias

Maintaining objectivity is paramount in forensic risk assessment. Psychologists must guard against various forms of bias, including confirmation bias (seeking information that confirms preexisting beliefs), hindsight bias (believing outcomes were more predictable than they actually were), and emotional reactions to the nature of sexual offenses. The use of structured assessment tools with clear scoring criteria helps promote objectivity, but professional judgment remains an essential component that must be exercised carefully.

Forensic psychologists should acknowledge the limitations of their assessments, avoid overstating the certainty of their conclusions, consider alternative explanations for their findings, and base their opinions on multiple sources of information rather than relying on any single factor or assessment tool. Transparency about methodology and reasoning allows courts and other decision-makers to evaluate the quality and reliability of risk assessments.

Cultural Competence and Fairness

Risk assessment tools have primarily been developed and validated using samples that may not adequately represent diverse populations. Forensic psychologists must consider whether assessment tools are appropriate for individuals from different cultural, ethnic, or linguistic backgrounds. They should be aware of potential cultural biases in assessment instruments, consider how cultural factors may influence risk and protective factors, and seek consultation when assessing individuals from unfamiliar cultural backgrounds.

Ensuring fairness also requires attention to factors such as socioeconomic status, educational background, cognitive abilities, and mental health conditions that may affect assessment results. Psychologists should consider how these factors might influence both the individual's behavior and the assessment process itself, making appropriate accommodations when necessary.

Informed Consent and Transparency

While forensic evaluations differ from therapeutic relationships, forensic psychologists still have ethical obligations to provide information about the evaluation process. Individuals being assessed should understand the purpose of the evaluation, how the information will be used, the limits of confidentiality, and the potential consequences of the assessment. This transparency helps ensure that participation in the evaluation process is as informed as possible, even when it is court-ordered rather than voluntary.

Psychologists must also be clear about their role as evaluators rather than treatment providers, avoiding dual relationships that could compromise objectivity. When providing feedback about assessment results, they should communicate findings in a manner that is understandable while maintaining professional boundaries appropriate to the forensic context.

Advances and Future Directions in Risk Assessment

Integration of Multiple Assessment Approaches

The combination of the three instruments—static, dynamic, and violence—will give a better picture of the overall risk of individuals who have previously sexually offended. Contemporary best practice increasingly emphasizes comprehensive assessment that integrates actuarial tools, structured professional judgment, and consideration of protective factors and individual circumstances.

This integrated approach recognizes that no single assessment method or tool can capture the full complexity of sexual violence risk. By combining multiple sources of information and assessment methodologies, forensic psychologists can develop more nuanced and accurate risk formulations that inform effective risk management strategies.

Focus on Risk-Relevant Propensities and Treatment Targets

Rather than simply categorizing individuals into risk levels, contemporary risk assessment increasingly focuses on identifying specific risk-relevant propensities that can be targeted through treatment and supervision. This approach recognizes that understanding why someone is at risk is as important as estimating how much risk they pose. By identifying specific criminogenic needs, treatment providers can develop more effective interventions, and supervision strategies can be tailored to address the most relevant risk factors.

Dynamic risk assessment tools like the STABLE-2007 are particularly valuable for this purpose, as they identify potentially changeable factors that can be addressed through intervention. This focus on treatment targets helps bridge the gap between risk assessment and risk management, making evaluations more practically useful for reducing recidivism.

Improved Understanding of Desistance

Research on desistance—the process by which individuals cease offending—is increasingly informing risk assessment practice. Understanding factors that promote desistance, such as development of prosocial identity, meaningful employment and relationships, aging, and successful treatment completion, can help forensic psychologists identify individuals whose risk has decreased over time. This knowledge supports more accurate reassessments and helps identify when individuals may be ready for reduced supervision or successful community reintegration.

Incorporating desistance research into risk assessment also supports a more hopeful and rehabilitation-oriented approach to working with individuals who have committed sexual offenses, recognizing that change is possible and that many individuals can successfully desist from offending with appropriate support and intervention.

Technology and Innovation

Emerging technologies offer both opportunities and challenges for sexual violence risk assessment. Machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches may eventually enhance prediction accuracy by identifying complex patterns in large datasets. However, these technologies also raise important questions about transparency, bias, and the role of professional judgment in risk assessment.

Technology also presents new challenges in the form of online and technology-facilitated sexual offenses, which may involve different risk factors and require different assessment approaches than traditional contact offenses. Forensic psychologists must stay informed about these evolving issues and adapt their assessment practices accordingly.

Ongoing Research and Validation

The field of sexual violence risk assessment continues to evolve through ongoing research. Current violence risk assessment tools in forensic mental health have mixed evidence of predictive performance, and forensic mental health services should review their use of current risk assessment tools and consider implementing those with higher-quality evidence in support. Continued research is needed to validate existing tools with diverse populations, develop new assessment approaches that improve prediction accuracy, understand the mechanisms underlying sexual offending and desistance, and evaluate the effectiveness of risk management strategies.

Forensic psychologists have a responsibility to stay current with research findings and to contribute to the evidence base through participation in research studies, publication of case studies and validation research, and collaboration with researchers and other professionals in the field.

The Broader Impact on Community Safety and Justice

Supporting Evidence-Based Decision Making

The evaluations conducted by forensic psychologists provide criminal justice professionals with evidence-based information that supports more informed and effective decision-making. Rather than relying solely on the nature of the offense, public sentiment, or subjective impressions, judges, parole boards, and other decision-makers can consider scientifically grounded assessments of risk and treatment needs. This evidence-based approach promotes more consistent, fair, and effective responses to sexual offending.

By identifying individuals who pose the highest risk, risk assessments help allocate limited resources more effectively, ensuring that intensive supervision and treatment are directed toward those who need them most. Conversely, identifying lower-risk individuals allows for less restrictive and costly interventions that are still appropriate for managing their level of risk.

Preventing Future Victimization

Ultimately, the goal of sexual violence risk assessment is to prevent future victimization by identifying individuals at risk for reoffending and implementing appropriate interventions and supervision strategies. Accurate risk assessments enable the development of comprehensive risk management plans that may include specialized treatment addressing criminogenic needs, supervision conditions tailored to specific risk factors, monitoring and accountability measures, and support for successful community reintegration.

When risk assessment and management are done effectively, they can significantly reduce recidivism rates and protect potential victims. This protective function represents one of the most important contributions forensic psychologists make to public safety.

Promoting Rehabilitation and Reintegration

While risk assessment focuses on identifying potential for harm, it also plays an important role in supporting rehabilitation and successful community reintegration. By identifying specific treatment needs and tracking progress over time, risk assessments help individuals who have committed sexual offenses understand what they need to work on and provide motivation for change. Dynamic risk assessment tools can demonstrate when individuals have made meaningful progress, supporting decisions about reduced supervision or successful completion of treatment programs.

This rehabilitative function recognizes that most individuals convicted of sexual offenses will eventually return to the community, and that effective treatment and support during incarceration and supervision can reduce the likelihood of reoffending. Forensic psychologists contribute to this process by identifying treatment targets, monitoring progress, and providing information about when individuals have successfully addressed their risk factors.

Balancing Multiple Stakeholder Interests

Sexual violence risk assessment involves balancing the interests of multiple stakeholders, including potential victims and community members who have a right to safety, individuals who have committed offenses who have rights to fair treatment and opportunities for rehabilitation, criminal justice agencies responsible for managing risk and allocating resources, and treatment providers working to facilitate change and reduce recidivism.

Forensic psychologists serve as neutral experts who can help navigate these sometimes competing interests by providing objective, evidence-based information about risk and treatment needs. Their assessments support decisions that protect public safety while respecting individual rights and promoting rehabilitation when appropriate.

Conclusion: The Essential Role of Forensic Psychology in Addressing Sexual Violence

Forensic psychologists play an indispensable role in the criminal justice system's response to sexual violence. Through comprehensive risk assessments that integrate clinical expertise, empirically validated tools, and consideration of individual circumstances, these professionals provide critical information that informs decisions about sentencing, supervision, treatment, and release. Their work helps create safer communities by identifying individuals who pose the greatest risk and ensuring that appropriate interventions and monitoring are in place.

The field of sexual violence risk assessment continues to evolve, with ongoing research improving our understanding of risk factors, refining assessment tools, and developing more effective intervention strategies. Forensic psychologists must remain committed to evidence-based practice, ethical conduct, and ongoing professional development to ensure their assessments are as accurate and useful as possible.

While risk assessment is inherently imperfect and involves unavoidable uncertainty, the structured, scientific approach employed by forensic psychologists represents a significant improvement over unstructured clinical judgment or decisions based solely on offense characteristics. By combining actuarial tools, structured professional judgment, and consideration of dynamic factors and individual circumstances, forensic psychologists provide nuanced assessments that support both public safety and fair treatment of individuals who have committed sexual offenses.

As society continues to grapple with the challenge of sexual violence, the expertise of forensic psychologists will remain essential for developing effective, evidence-based responses that protect potential victims while respecting the rights and dignity of all individuals involved in the justice system. Their work exemplifies the valuable contribution that psychological science can make to addressing complex social problems and promoting both justice and public safety.

Additional Resources

For those interested in learning more about forensic psychology and sexual violence risk assessment, several organizations provide valuable resources and information:

  • The Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) offers research, training, and professional development resources for those working with individuals who have committed sexual offenses. Visit their website at https://www.atsa.com for more information.
  • The American Psychology-Law Society, Division 41 of the American Psychological Association, provides resources on forensic psychology practice, research, and training at https://www.apadivisions.org/division-41.
  • The Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) provides comprehensive information about sex offender management practices and policies at https://smart.ojp.gov.
  • The International Association for the Treatment of Sexual Offenders (IATSO) promotes international collaboration and knowledge exchange in the field of sexual offender assessment and treatment.
  • Academic journals such as Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, and Law and Human Behavior publish cutting-edge research on sexual violence risk assessment and related topics.

These resources can help professionals stay current with best practices, support ongoing education and training, and contribute to the continued development of evidence-based approaches to sexual violence risk assessment and management.