Case Formulation with Sex Offenders: an Illustration of Individualized Risk Assessment

There has been a rapid expansion of the professional literature in risk assessment with sexual offenders over the past 20 years. However, recent professional experience suggests that risk assessment reports often fail to be as relevant or useful as they might be for judicial decision-makers. Research with large samples of offenders has refined our understanding of identifiable subgroups with different rates of sexual reoffending, but the management of risk requires that we deal effectively with individual offenders. One area that can be improved is the development of case formulations of risk. Clinicians must move beyond the mechanical use of actuarial static and dynamic risk factors to a broader integration of relevant information about the individual if they are to assist in managing risk in a way that serves the needs of the offender while protecting public safety.