Dynamic Risk Groups Among Adult Male Sexual Offenders

In the present study, the 16-item Stable-2000 was used to identify different dynamic risk groups among 419 adult male sexual offenders who were referred for assessments between 2000 and 2007. Using a two-stage cluster analysis, four dynamic risk groups were identified: (a) a low needs group who scored below the overall sample mean on all of the Stable-2000 items; (b) a typical group who had intermediate scores on many items; (c) a sexually deviant group who scored relatively high on deviant sexual interests, sexual preoccupation, emotional identification with children, and child molester attitudes; and (d) a pervasive high-needs group who scored relatively high on many Stable-2000 items, reflecting a variety of problems in both general and sexual self-regulation. These dynamic risk groups were not redundant with offender type based on victim age, relatedness, or gender, and did not differ in terms of age at time of assessment, marital status, number of sexual victims, or long-term risk, estimated using the Static-99. The implications for treating and supervising sexual offenders with different dynamic risk profiles are discussed.