PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Richard Rogers
AU  - Rebecca L. Jackson
TI  - Sexually Violent Predators: The Risky Enterprise of Risk Assessment
DP  - 2005 Jan 01
TA  - Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
PG  - 523--528
VI  - 33
IP  - 4
4099  - http://jaapl.org/content/33/4/523.short
4100  - http://jaapl.org/content/33/4/523.full
SO  - J Am Acad Psychiatry Law2005 Jan 01; 33
AB  - Forensic experts are increasingly asked to consult in sexually violent predator (SVP) determinations. The substantive criteria for SVP standards vary substantially across jurisdictions, but typically include complex judgments regarding volitional impairment and predictive statements focused specifically on sexual violence. A common but questionable practice is the retrofitting of generic risk-assessment measures to address SVP criteria. The marked deficiencies of these measures in addressing the relevant questions, coupled with their methodological limitations, are noted. SVP determinations demand rigorous evaluations of relevant factors that are buttressed by empirically validated methods.