A Dual-Process Approach to Moral Panic and Public Support for Sex Offender Management Policies

The current study explores if and how dual-process thinking styles (System I/experiential and System II/rational processing) predict and explain the degree to which members of the public express moral panic toward and support for existing sex offender management policies (registration, notification, residence restrictions), regardless of their efficacy or effects on recidivism rates, for different types of individuals who commit sex offenses (sex offender, juvenile sex offender, cybersex offender, female sex offender, rapist, child molester). Online experimental methods were used with a lay sample ( N = 324). Results show that the extent to which participants exhibited a reliance on System I processing significantly predicted their feelings of moral panic (concern, hostility, and volatility) toward individuals classified as child molesters. Further, feelings of concern, hostility, and volatility, as significant predictors of support for existing sex offender management policies for individuals classified as child molesters, were found to increase as a function of participants’ reliance on the System I, experiential thinking style. Implications of this work, specifically related to addressing public support for existing sex offender management policies for individuals classified as child molesters, are discussed.

Reliability and Predictive Validity of the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol-II in an Australian Context

This study investigated the reliability and predictive validity of the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol-II (J-SOAP-II), in an Australian context, and for Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth. Participants were 123 ( n = 91 non-Indigenous; n = 32 Indigenous) youth assessed using the J-SOAP-II and followed up over an average period of 4 years. The reliability of the J-SOAP-II was assessed using measures of internal consistency (Cronbach’s alphas and inter-item correlations). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted to assess the J-SOAP-II’s validity in predicting sexual and non-sexual (violent and non-violent) recidivism. Overall, the J-SOAP-II demonstrated moderate to high levels of reliability and weak to moderate levels of validity for predicting sexual and non-sexual (violent and non-violent) recidivism for the whole sample. While the J-SOAP-II total score was significantly associated with non-sexual (violent and non-violent) recidivism for non-Indigenous youth, it was not significantly associated with any of the outcome variables for Indigenous youth. Across all analyses, the dynamic scales of the J-SOAP-II predicted recidivism with greater accuracy than the static scales. However, the static scales had greater accuracy in predicting the risk of sexual recidivism for Indigenous youth. While a reliable measure, these preliminary findings raise questions about the validity of the J-SOAP-II for predicting sexual recidivism for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in an Australian context, and warrant further investigation.

Are Juveniles Who Have Committed Sexual Offenses the Same Everywhere? Psychometric Properties of the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol–II in a Portuguese Youth Sample

Over the last decade, we have witnessed consistent advances in risk assessment procedures, namely the validation of those used with juveniles who have committed sexual offenses. The adaptation of these instruments into other languages requires research examining the conceptual and metric equivalence of the instruments, not just translation equivalence. Informed by data from 141 boys, aged 13 to 18, the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol–II (J-SOAP-II), regarding reliability and construct validation, are presented and discussed. Factor structure, internal consistency, and interrater reliability were examined, and a reliable factorial structure that was consistent with the original validation of the J-SOAP was found. Scales 2 and 3 had good internal consistency, and Scale 1 had acceptable internal consistency. Results regarding concurrent validity revealed mostly statistically significant correlations. The implications of this research for juvenile sex offender risk assessments are discussed.

Long-Term Predictive Validity of the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol–II: Research and Practice Implications

The current study evaluated the predictive validity of the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol–II (J-SOAP-II) scores in a sample of juveniles who recidivated sexually or nonsexually as adults. Participants included 166 juveniles who had previously sexually offended and were followed into adulthood for an average of 10.75 years. Results of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) analyses supported the predictive validity of the J-SOAP-II Total Score, Scale 1, and Static Score in regard to adult sexual recidivism, and predictive validity was found for all J-SOAP-II scores (except Scale 1) in regard to adult nonsexual recidivism. Implications for future research on the assessment of risk factors and treatment needs for adolescents who commit sexual offenses are discussed.