ABSTRACT
The present chapter proposes an overview of the current literature and practices on the risk assessment of offenders with a history of sexual crime. We cover general notions about risk assessment: its definition, perceived usefulness, and the different methods and tools that were used by assessors over the ages. We define static, stable, and acute risk factors, and explore the dimensions of risk that are predictive of recidivism among sexual offenders. We review the recidivism rates of these offenders, and compare them to those of other types of offenders. Because the risk assessment literature mainly originates from the field of correctional psychology, we also explore how criminological concepts and theories can help to relativize and improve the existing literature. To do so, we present an overview of the literature on population heterogeneity/state dependence, the dark figure of crime, criminal achievement among sexual offenders, the age-crime curve, and desistance/redemption studies.
