Risk assessment of sex offenders

What is needed to carry out a thorough risk assessment of an ex-offender? This article describes four major components: (a) a functional analysis of the offense process in order to determine how the offenders' problems contributed to their offending and to identify the modus operandi used in their offense(s); (b) the application of a suitable actuarial risk predictor to assess the offender's global level of risk; (c) identification of stable dynamic risk factors that make potential treatment targets; and (d) monitoring of acute dynamic factors that indicate offending is imminent.