Keep it simple: using the BARR-2002R to assess risk for violent recidivism in a police context
Author
Faculty Advisor
Date
2017
Keywords
Abstract (summary)
The general criminality subscale and age at release item from the Static-2002R form the actuarial risk scale, Brief Assessment of Recidivism Risk-2002R (BARR-2002R), to predict violent and general recidivism among male sex offenders. Previous studies show that the BARR-2002R predicts violent and general recidivism significantly better than the Static-99R and Static-2002R with convicted sex offenders. Although the BARR-2002R, the Static-2002R, and its predecessor, the Static-99R, have been validated using convicted offender samples, only one recently published study has examined the predictive validity of the Static-99R and Static-2002R with non-convicted male perpetrators of sexual assault. The present study investigated the ability of the BARR-2002R to predict future violent offending of 290 perpetrators that were randomly sampled from police-referred sexual assault cases. Police cases were retrospectively coded for the Static-99R and Static-2002R, which includes the six items that comprise the BARR-2002R. Provincial and federal criminal records were used to code recidivism outcomes including presence, severity, frequency and imminence of future violence. The relationship between BARR-2002R scores and recidivism outcomes as well as the utility of the BARR-2002R as a risk tool for police officers who investigate sexual assault had not yet been examined. Results indicate that the BARR-2002R had very good predictive validity for future violent and general recidivism and higher scores were associated with increased frequency of post-index violent offences and decreased time until violent reoffending, though severity of future violence was not related to higher BARR-2002R scores. Implications for the use of the BARR-2002R in front-line work and directions for future research will be discussed.
Publication Information
DOI
Notes
Presented on April 24, 2017 at Student Research Day held at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta.
Item Type
Student Presentation
Language
English
Rights
All Rights Reserved