Section 1905.40 Assessments

Section 1905.40  Assessments

a)         Licensed

evaluators conduct sexual abuser-specific assessments to promote informed

decision making among stakeholders who share responsibility for treatment, risk

management and other domains of intervention.  Empirically informed and

reliable sexual abuser-specific assessments can be used, for example, to

inform:

1)         Sentencing

and other legal decisions;

2)         Treatment

planning and progress;

3)         Release

decision making;

4)         Transition

and reentry planning; and

5)         Supervision

and other case management planning.

b)         Sexual

abuser-specific assessments are most reliable and beneficial when evaluators

adhere to ethical practice, incorporate multiple sources of information, use

research-supported methodologies, and strive to engage clients in the assessment

process.  Furthermore, these assessments are most effective for guiding

decision making, maximizing public safety, and promoting successful client

outcomes when conducted within the evidence-based risk, need and responsivity

framework.

c)         Because

risk, needs and other circumstances change over time, assessments of sexual

abusers are ongoing processes, not a single event.  Research-informed tools

that include dynamic risk factors specific to adult sexual abusers are

important for obtaining a more accurate understanding of the current risk and

intervention needs of a given individual and for informing adjustments to

interventions accordingly.