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JUVENILE SEX OFFENDER EVALUATION |
There is consensus among experienced juvenile sex offender therapists that juvenile sex offender assessors should identify the severity of sex offender risk, i.e., to self, risk to others and the community. In addition to reviewing available records and interviews (with the offender, victim and witnesses), juvenile sex offender assessments should utilize empirically based measures or tests. Here, we are referring to self-report tests specifically designed for juvenile sex offenders with demonstrated reliability, validity and accuracy.
There aren’t many juvenile sex offender assessment instruments or tests that meet the above criteria. One of these select few is the Sexual Adjustment Inventory-Juvenile, or SAI-Juvenile. Two procedures for measuring sexual interest and/or arousal are the penile plathysmograph and the Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest procedure. However, neither of these procedures is appropriate for use in court settings during the guilt-finding phase of juvenile sexual offender assessment (California Coalition on Sexual Offending, 6-20-2002).
An obvious weakness of self-report instruments (as well as interviews and other sex offender evaluation procedures) is the juvenile offender’s refusal to respond to test items (vignettes, sexual fantasies, etc.) with an obvious sexual connotation. Reasons for not responding are complex and could involve not wanting to incriminate themselves, being afraid of direct admissions and further disclosure, or some other reasons. Regardless of the reason, a juvenile’s reluctance to answer sexually-related questions (or respondent's sexual vignettes, fantasies, etc.) is a formidable hurdle that must be overcome if juvenile sexual assessments are to have meaning.
Risk & Needs Assessment, Inc. (Risk & Needs) attempts to resolve this enigma by including two truthfulness scales in the SAI-Juvenile. The first truthfulness scale is designated the Test Item Truthfulness Scale. This scale is similar to the L-Scale in the MMPI. It determines if the juvenile is being truthful while responding to the SAI-Juvenile. More specifically, this scale measures denial, problem minimization and attempts to fake good when answering non-sex-related items.
The second truthfulness scale is termed the Sex Item Truthfulness Scale. This scale establishes if the juvenile is being truthful while answering test items with an obvious sexual connotation. In other words, test items associated with "sex." More specifically, this scale measures denial, problem minimization and attempts to fake good when answering only sex-related items. These two scales (measures) provide important information regarding a juvenile’s motivation, attitude or set (einstelung) while completing the SAI-Juvenile assessment instrument or test.
Research (reliability, validity and accuracy) on these two scales is reported in the document titled "SAI: An Inventory of Scientific Findings." This document summarizes much of the SAI and SAI-Juvenile research.
An SAI-Juvenile research study is included at the end of this webpage. To go directly to this research, click on the SAI-Juvenile Research Study link.
Rather than attempt to answer "why" (which may be a philosophical question), the SAI-Juvenile establishes whether or not the juvenile was manifesting denial, minimizing problems or attempting to fake good when answering non-sex-related items and also when answering sex-related items. The Test Item Truthfulness Scale correlated highly significantly with polygraph examination results.
The SAI-Juvenile is designed to identify sexual deviance and paraphilias in juveniles accused or convicted of sex offenses. The SAI-Juvenile has 13 scales. Only the two SAI-Juvenile truthfulness scales will be discussed here because juvenile offenders often report more sex-related incidents after being in treatment for some time. Some sex therapists attribute this to rapport building. Unfortunately, many juvenile sex offender assessments cannot wait for more disclosures (during or after treatment) when the offender feels safe and secure in the therapeutic milieu. Many juvenile sex offenders are assessed at pretrial, during incarceration, throughout court proceedings, at treatment program intake or during (outpatient and in-patient) treatment.
For more information on the SAI-Juvenile, read this webpage. Additional information, including a 1-test examination kit, is available upon request. Risk & Needs' telephone number is (602) 234-3506, our fax number is (602) 266-8227 and our e-mail address is hhl@riskandneeds.com.
To review, the Sexual Adjustment Inventory (SAI), which is used in adult sex offender assessment, click on the SAI (Adult) webpage link. In conclusion, there are two versions of the Sexual Adjustment Inventory: The SAI is an adult assessment instrument, and the SAI-Juvenile is for juvenile sex offender assessment.