JUVENILE SEX OFFENDER ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL J-SOAP II

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JUVENILE SEX OFFENDER ASSESSMENT PROTOCOLJ-SOAP
II

• WJCIA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
• THURSDAY, SEPT. 2007
• STEVENS POINT, WISCONSIN

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GOALS OF WORKSHOP

• Increase awareness of use of assessment tools
  with juvenile who offend sexually.
• Describe components of the J-SOAP II
• Demonstrate how the tool may be used on a case
  example

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Status of Risk Assessment with Juvenile Sex
Offenders

• Risk Prediction- What does it mean?
• Assess youth characteristics, history and
  behavior based on factors shown in the literature
  to be related to sexual re-offending.
• Risk measures presence of potential problem
• Likelihood that problem will occur

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WHAT WE KNOW

• Most studies sexual recidivism base rates 5
  14
• Higher rates in some older, more aggressive, and
  residential samples
• Much higher rates of nonsexual offending
• True base rates are unknown

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Adolescent Sex OffendersSexual vs. General
Recidivism

• FU up to 6 years
• Recidivism
• Sexual 7.5 -14
• General Criminal 40 -60
• (Langstrom Grann, 2000)

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Juvenile Sex offenders Ages 13 - 21
Learning Problems
Social Skills
Deviant Sexual Experience
Deviant Sexual Fantasies
Cognitive Distortions
Recidivism
(Kenny, Keogh, Seidler, 2001)
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Top 3 Factors for Adolescent Sexual Recidivism

• Number of prior charged sex offenses
• Number of victims
• Duration of sexual offending
• (Epperson, personal communication, 2005)

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Risk Factors for Adolescent Sexual Recidivism
(cont.)

• Strongest Support
• Sexual Drive/Preoccupation
• Previous sexual charges/convictions
• Deviant sexual interests (fantasies,
  pre-occupations, behaviors)
• Stranger victims
• Antisocial Behaviors
• (Hanson Morton-Bourgon, 2004)
• (Worling Langstrom, 2002)
• (Workling Curwen, 2000)
• Schram, Milloy et al., 2001)

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Deviant Sexual Interests

• Adolescents who offend sexually and are sexually
  interested in pre-pubescent children or in sexual
  violence are at increased risk of committing
  subsequent sexual offenses.
• (Worling Langstrom, 2002)

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JUVENILES WHO PERSISTED INTO ADULTHOOD

• Low social competence
• High rates of antisocial behavior
• High rates of impulsivity
• (Knight Prentky, 1993)

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• .the purpose of risk assessment is to speculate
  in an educated way about the violence that an
  individual might commit, and to identify what is
  required to stop such violence from occurring.
• (Hart, 1999, p. 487)

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Purpose of Risk Assessment

• Guide development for treatment plans
• Determine level of treatment intervention
• Determine level of supervision/security
• Inform ongoing risk management of juvenile sex
  offenders
• Use in conjunction with other tools
• Tools do not replace clinical judgments

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• ASSESSMENTS ARE
• ONLY AS GOOD AS
• THE DATA THEY
• ARE BASED UPON

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Status of Risk Assessments Continued

• No validated instruments currently exist
• Several tools are being used as guides while
  validation and testing studies are underway.
• J-SOAP II
• ERASOR 2
• J-SORRAT II

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Risk Assessment Tool Continued

• ERASOR- Worling and Curwen
• Twenty five items grouped into five domains
• Empirically guided checklist
• Estimate the short-term risk of sexual re-offense
  for youth aged 12-18.
• Being used in U.S., Canada, and other countries.
• J-SORRAT Epperson et. al
• Test samples being drawn from Utah and Iowa
• Applies to juvenile males (no 18 year olds)
• Twelve items

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The Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol II
J-SOAP II
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J-SOAP Development

• Bases on clinical studies of juveniles who
  sexually offend
• Risk assessment/outcome studies of juveniles who
  sexually offend
• Risk assessment/outcome studies from the general
  juvenile delinquency literature
• Risk factor assessment/outcome studies of adults
  who offend sexually

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J-SOAP II

• Empirically-informed assessment guide
• Used to identify risk needs
• Non-sexual offending as well as sexual offending
• To assist with short-term risk assessment
• To assist with finding appropriate treatment and
  case planning

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J-SOAP II

• Includes static and dynamic factors
• Males aged 12-18
• Hands on sexual offenses

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J-SOAP II Scales

• Static / Historical Scales
• Sexual Drive/Preoccupation Scale
• Impulsive-Antisocial Behavior Scale
• Dynamic Scales
• Intervention Scale
• Community Stability Scale

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Description of J-SOAP II(Juvenile Sex Offender
Assessment Protocol)

• Tool consists of 28 items grouped into four
  domains or scales
• Sexual Drive/Sexual Preoccupation
• Impulse/Antisocial Behavior
• Intervention
• Community Stability/Adjustment Scale

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J-SOAP II Static Items

1. Sexual Drive / Sexual Preoccupation Scale
2. Prior legally charged sex offenses
3. Number of sexual abuse victims
4. Male child victim
5. Duration of sexual offense history
6. Degree of planning in sexual offense(s)
7. Sexualized aggression
8. Sexual drive and preoccupation
9. Sexual victimization history

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J-SOAP II Static Items

• 2. Impulsive / Antisocial Behavior Scale
• Caregiver consistency
• Pervasive anger
• School behavior problems
• History of conduct disorder before age 10
• Juvenile antisocial behavior age 10-17
• Charged or arrested before age 16
• Multiple types of offenses
• Physical assault history and/or exposure to
  family violence

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J-SOAP II Dynamic Items

• 3. Intervention Scale
• Accept responsibility for sexual offense(s)
• Internal motivation for change
• Understanding risk factors applies risk
  management strategies
• Empathy
• Remorse and guilt
• Cognitive distortions
• Quality of peer relationships

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J-SOAP II Dynamic Items

• Community Stability / Adjustment Scale
• Management of sexual urges and desires
• Management of anger
• Family stability
• Stability in school
• Evidence of support systems

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Scoring

• 0 to 2 Format
• 0 Apparent absence of the item
• 1 Some information suggesting items presence
• 2 Clear presence of the item

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J-SOAP II SUMMARY FORM

• STATIC / HISTORICAL SCALES
• Sexual Drive/Preoccupation Scale Score __ /16
  __ Add Items 1-8 (range 0-16)
• Impulsive-Antisocial Behavior Scale Score __/16
  __
• Add Items 9-16 (range 0-16)
• DYNAMIC SCALES
• Intervention Scale Score
  __/14 __
• Add Items 17 - 23 (range 0-14)
• Community Stability Scale Score
  __/10 __
• Add Items 24 28 (range 0-10)

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J-SOAP II SUMMARY FORM

• STATIC SCALES
• Add items 1 16 ___ /32 ___
• DYNAMIC SCALES
• Add items 17 28 ___/24 ___
• Total J-SOAP II Score
• Add items 1-28 ___/56 ___

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When is the J-SOAP II Scored?

• At intake as part of a comprehensive assessment
• Post treatment / pre-release from JCI, RCC etc
• Follow-up Treatment and supervision in community
  (every 90 days)

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RE-ASSESSMENT

• Teens
• Risk status is likely to change, sometimes
  rapidly
• Re-assess at least every six months
• More frequently if risk- relevant changes occur

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Who Can Score the J-SOAP II?

• You!!!
• Social Workers
• Agents/County Aftercare Staff
• Clinicians
• Contract Treatment Providers

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J-SOAP II STRENGTHS

• J-SOAP-II is an empirically-informed guide
• It facilitates systematic assessments of a
  uniform set of items that may reflect increased
  risk to reoffend with a sexual or nonsexual
  offense
• J-SOAP-II may be particularly useful for
  informing and guiding treatment and risk
  management decisions

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LIMITATIONS

• Additional studies with J-SOAP II are required
• Adequate predictive validity studies still are
  needed
• There are no cut-off scores
• Scores are not associated with probability levels
  of reoffending
• J-SOAP-II is not an actuarial scale

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ASSESSMENT REMINDERS

• Assessments are only as good as the data they are
  based upon
• Control for evaluator thinking errors
• Risk assessment is just one component of a
  comprehensive assessment
• Evaluations have a life of their own
• Advocate for timely reassessments

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• Case Study