Maria M. Allan

Prediction of the risk of male sexual reoffending in Australia

Abstract This paper reports the findings of a retrospective study designed, primarily, to investigate the predictive accuracy of the Rapid Risk Assessment for Sexual Offence Recidivism (RRASOR); the Static 99 and two models developed in Western Australia, namely the Violent Offender Treatment Program Risk Assessment Scale (VOTPRAS) and the 3-Predictor model on a Western Australian sample of violent and nonviolent sexual offenders. A secondary aim was to establish whether the instruments are equally valid for Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and violent and nonviolent sexual offenders. The data of 538 convicted sexual offenders, who were assessed by the Sex Offender Treatment Program of the Western Australian Department of Justice from 1987 to 2002, were used. The predictor variables were the total scores obtained for each instrument and the outcome variable a conviction in a court for a further sexual offence and, in the case of the VOTPRAS, also a further violent offence. In general the predictive accuracy...

Recidivism Among Male Juvenile Sexual Offenders in Western Australia

Juvenile sexual offenders form a substantial part of the sexual offender population and a subset of them will continue offending against the person in general, and sexually in particular, into adulthood. Part of a strategy to reduce offending against the person, and sexual offending specifically, should therefore be to identify and treat high-risk juvenile sexual offenders. To identify the characteristics of such offenders, recidivism studies are traditionally used. After reviewing 11 recidivism studies we briefly discuss the difficulty of comparing the recidivism rates found by them. We then report the findings of a study that examined the official records of 326 male juvenile sexual offenders convicted in Western Australia from January 1990 to June 1998. During the follow-up period almost 7 in 10 of the offenders reoffended. Most were convicted of non-sexual offences, with only 1 in 10 convicted of new sexual offences. Offenders who reoffended against the person (sexual and non-sexual), constituted more than one-third of the total sample. Stepwise logistic regression analyses failed to identify variables that are useful to predict sexual reoffending, but identified variables that predict further offending against the person. Western Australian juvenile sexual offenders who consistently offend against the person appear to start offending at a younger age and have a general offending history that, among other offences, includes a violent sexual offence.

The Use of Psychological Tests by Australian Psychologists Who do Assessments for the Courts

Abstract Psychological tests form a central part of most forensic assessments. However, the tests used, and the manner in which they are used, have been criticised, especially in the United States. In a survey of 79 Australian psychologists who do evaluations for the courts, we tried to determine which psychological tests they use, how frequently they use them, and their reasons for using particular tests. Our survey reveals that the Wechsler Intelligence Scales, Rey Complex Figure Test, and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) are used most frequently. Notably, 7 of the 10 most frequently used instruments were neuropsychological tests. Respondents most frequently take into account the “suitability to the situation” and the “psychometric properties of the test” when selecting a test. The study demonstrates that the tests used by forensic psychologists are generally well established in the clinical field, and that psychologists doing assessments for the courts must be competent users of neuro...

Exploratory study to examine the impact of television reports of prison escapes on fear of crime, operationalised as state anxiety

Using an experimental design that is unique in the study of fear of crime, this study compared the impact of different television report formats (standard, reassuring and remote) of a prison escape on fear of crime (operationalised as state anxiety) experienced by a middle-aged (35 - 45 years) and an older group (65 - 75 years) and male and female subjects. The format of television reporting influenced fear of crime, and the effect was the same for men and women, but older people who viewed the standard format, experienced significantly higher levels of fear than middle-aged people. Furthermore, women experienced higher levels of state anxiety than men after viewing the crime reports.

Assessments for the courts: A survey of Australian psychologists

Forensic psychology is established in Australia. However, unlike in some countries, no survey of forensic psychologists and their activities has been published locally. This paper reports the findings of a survey of 79 Australian psychologists who do assessments for the courts. The results reveal that most of the respondents had post‐graduate qualifications in psychology and were experienced psychologists, but were less experienced in doing assessments for the courts and lacked formal forensic training. The study identifies areas in forensic training that respondents believe were not adequate, including key areas such as childcare and custody evaluations. It highlights the importance of reports in the forensic field because, relative to the number of reports they prepare, it is rare for respondents to testify. Finally the study discloses that while respondents are generally satisfied with the treatment they receive, and the court atmosphere, they believe that their answers and testimony are sometimes distorted.

An Observational Study of Bail Decision-Making

Pre-trial detention of defendants has important legal, human rights and practical implications for defendants, their families, and society and therefore the area justifies research scrutiny. However, there is a dearth of empirical studies of bail decision-making and most of them have been retrospective studies. Prior studies have nevertheless identified a number of purported shortcomings in bail legislation and decision-making. The rarely used observational methodology employed in this study provided data that are not normally available from official records. The first appearances of 648 defendants were observed in the lower courts in metropolitan Perth (Western Australia) to identify factors that play a significant role in bail decision-making and to collect baseline data for a longitudinal study. Legal factors made a significant contribution to the bail decision, while extra-legal factors did not.

Juvenile Sexual Offenders Compared to Juvenile Offenders in General in Western Australia

The literature in the field of juvenile offending reveals an ongoing debate about whether juvenile sexual offenders form a distinct group when compared to juvenile offenders in general. This is a very complex question because of the dynamics of sexual offending. When we examined the data collected from the official records of 334 juvenile sexual offenders convicted in Western Australia between 1990 and 1998 we found that nearly three-quarters of them were also convicted of other offences. It appeared that for most of them sexual offending was part of a much more pervasive pattern of juvenile offending. Our literature review revealed that most studies that compared juvenile sexual offenders with other juvenile offenders failed to find systematic differences. In order to explore this further we compared the demographic characteristics and offence histories of our sample with that of the total juvenile offender population in Western Australia during the same period using data obtained from the Crime and Justice Statistics for Western Australia. These statistics are published annually by the Crime Research Centre of the University of Western Australia (CRC). In spite of the relatively fewer females and relatively more Aboriginal people among the juvenile sexual offenders, we conclude that there is not a conspicuous difference between the demographic characteristics and offence patterns of juvenile sexual offenders and that of all juvenile offenders in Western Australia.

Psychometric Properties of Scheier and Carver's Life Orientation Test in a Sample of Australian Prisoners:

The psychometric properties of Scheier and Carvers 1985 Life Orientation Test (LOT), which is a measure of optimism, were examined as part of a study of education, training, work experience, and expectations of sentenced adult prisoners in Western Australia. All prisoners at five metropolitan public prisons were invited to participate and 453 accepted. This represented a response rate overall of about 41%, with response rates at each of the individual prisons ranging from 13% to 90%. The average age of the prisoner sample was 34.4 yr. (SD= 10.2 yr.). The proportion of men in the sample was 79.7%. Mean sentence length was 66.9 mo. (58.5 for women and 69.2 for men), and the number of months of sentence remaining averaged 44.4 mo. (41.0 for women and 45.3 for men). Means and standard deviations of the LOT scores for prisoners were similar to those of other groups, and demographic differences between prisoners were not statistically significantly related to scores. The internal reliability of the LOT scores was acceptable. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the two-factor item-keying model fitted the prisoner data better than a one-factor model. However, the two factors did not simply reflect underlying optimism and pessimism constructs but were substantially affected by item keying.

Juvenile Sexual Offenders in Western Australia: Demographic Characteristics and Offence Histories

Very few empirical data are available in respect of juvenile sexual offenders in Australia in general, and Western Australia in particular. In order to address this need a comprehensive study was undertaken to provide, inter alia, a description of juvenile sexual offenders in Western Australia and of their offence histories. The records of 334 juvenile sexual offenders convicted in the Western Australian Childrens Court (Childrens Court) from January 1990 until the end of June 1998 were investigated using information obtained from official records. Aboriginal offenders were over-represented and 97.6% of offenders were male. Rape was the most prevalent sexual offence. Nearly half of the male offenders had convictions for prior and 27.6% for concurrent non-sexual offences. Property offences were the most common type of non-sexual offence.

Alexithymia among Perpetrators of Violent Offences in Australia: Implications for Rehabilitation

Objective Alexithymia, which involves difficulties identifying, communicating, and thinking about emotions, could be an important factor in violent offending. Our aim with the current study was to explore the levels of alexithymia among perpetrators of different types of violence (i.e., general and intimate partner) in Australia to better understand their treatment needs. Method Seventy‐nine male general violent offenders incarcerated in Western Australian prisons, 31 male intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators from IPV intervention programs, and 80 men from the general community completed the 20‐item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS‐20). Results General violent offenders and IPV perpetrators both scored significantly higher than men from the general community on total alexithymia score and the subscales that measure difficulty identifying and describing feelings; the violent groups did not differ from the general community on externally oriented thinking style. There was no significant difference between the general violent offenders and IPV perpetrators on the total alexithymia score or any of the three subscales of the TAS‐20. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that perpetrators of violence in Australia have higher levels of alexithymia than non‐offending men, and that alexithymia should be assessed in the treatment of violent offenders. Our findings also suggest both types of violent offenders have similar alexithymia profiles and that both have difficulties identifying and describing their emotions.