Multi-State Recidivism Study Using Static-99R and Static-2002 Risk Scores and Tier Guidelines From the Adam Walsh Act, Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, South Carolina, 1990-2004 (ICPSR 34628)
Version Date: May 26, 2022 View help for published
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
Kristen M. Zgoba, New Jersey. Department of Corrections;
Michael H. Miner, University of Minnesota. Medical School
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR34628.v1
Version V1
Summary View help for Summary
This study seeks to examine important components of our nation's sex offender tracking and monitoring systems, with a focus on risk assessment and sexual recidivism (measured by re-arrest). Data were collected from 1,789 adult sex offenders in the following states.
- Florida: 500 cases
- Minnesota: 500 cases
- New Jersey: 291 cases
- South Carolina: 498 cases
The data file contains another 551 cases from the state of Massachusetts. However, due to how and when those cases were identified they were not included in the Principal Investigator's focus and analysis. There are also another 151 cases where a study participant's state is missing. Total there are 2,491 cases and 1,947 variables.
Citation View help for Citation
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Funding View help for Funding
Subject Terms View help for Subject Terms
Geographic Coverage View help for Geographic Coverage
Smallest Geographic Unit View help for Smallest Geographic Unit
State
Restrictions View help for Restrictions
This data collection may not be used for any purpose other than statistical reporting and analysis. Use of these data to learn the identity of any person or establishment is prohibited. To protect respondent privacy the data files in this collection are restricted from general dissemination. To obtain these restricted files, researchers must agree to the terms and conditions of a Restricted Data Use Agreement.
Distributor(s) View help for Distributor(s)
Time Period(s) View help for Time Period(s)
Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection
Data Collection Notes View help for Data Collection Notes
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There were differences across states in the information that was available in the prison records and in other criminal justice records accessed for this study, or in how offenders were classified.
- For example, Minnesota and New Jersey had less systematically missing information than either Florida or South Carolina.
- In Florida and South Carolina released sex offenders are assigned to one of two designations (sex offender or sexual predator). In Minnesota and New Jersey released sex offenders are assigned to one of three tier levels based on risk assessments.
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The data file contains 511 cases from the state of Massachusetts. These cases were previously collected on sex offenders released from the Massachusetts Treatment Center (MTC). However, because of the nature of these cases (i.e., civilly committed offenders) and the time frame from which participants were identified (1959-1984) they were not included in the primary analysis of results conducted by the Principal Investigator.
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In addition to the raw data file, approved restricted-data access users will receive a SPSS syntax file (.sps) provided by the Principal Investigator. This file documents the rationale and procedures for computing and recoding variables performed during their analysis.
Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose
This study sought to examine important components of the nation's sex offender tracking and monitoring systems, with a focus on risk assessment and sexual recidivism (measured by re-arrest). The principal aims of this study were fourfold:
- Compare the Adam Walsh Act (AWA) classification tiers with actuarial risk assessment instruments in their respective abilities to identify high risk individuals and recidivists;
- Evaluate the predictive accuracy of existing state risk assessment classification schemes;
- Examine the distribution of risk assessment scores within and across tier categories as defined by the AWA; and
- Examine the role of offender age in recidivism risk across the adult lifespan.
Study Design View help for Study Design
Random selection of up to 500 former incarcerated sex offenders from the four states of Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, and South Carolina. Sexual offenses were defined as any index crime requiring registration and/or end of confinement review. Additionally, offenders must have been released after confinement to the community and not to a civil commitment program.
Sample View help for Sample
Florida: A sample of 500 convicted sexual offenders was randomly selected from the database of the Florida Department of Corrections. Specifically, the sample came from a pool of adult (over age 18) convicted sex offenders who were released from a Florida prison in fiscal years 1999-2000 (n = 250) and 2004-2005 (n = 250).
Minnesota: The sample consisted of a random sample of 500 sex offenders drawn from a pool of 3,694 sex offenders released from a Minnesota Correctional Facility between 1990 and 2004. Sex offenders were defined by a conviction for a 1st to 5th degree criminal sexual conduct by Minnesota statutes.
New Jersey: The sample originally consisted of 300 convicted adult sexual offenders released from both a general prison setting and a specialized sex offender prison between 1995 and 1999. This random sample was later reduced to 291 offenders due to offenders who were deceased, deported, or had mismatched identities.
South Carolina: The sample originally consisted of 500 convicted adult sexual offenders released from a general prison setting between 1995 and 1999. This sample was randomly selected by a research staff member at the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) and was later reduced to 498 when it was determined that two of the entries were duplicates.
Time Method View help for Time Method
Universe View help for Universe
Former incarcerated sex offenders in the states of Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, and South Carolina who were released from prison between January 1, 1990 and December 31, 2004.
Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation
Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)
Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection
Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables
The first portion of the data file provides background demographics and characteristics of the sexual offender, information about their victim(s), responses to the Static-99R and Static-2002 scales, and information about early life behavior problems and maladjustment.
The middle, and bulk of the data file, contains 26 variables that repeat for up to 68 mentions. These can be grouped into three sections:
- Criminal charges: charge number, date, description, and state it occurred in
- Outcomes: reveocaton of crime, conviction, imprisonment, sentence length, sex offense, date of parole violation, revocation of new crime
- Victim information: gender, age, physical injury requiring medical attention, relationship (this section repeats itself three times)
The data file ends with a brief section of variables about the Adam Wash Act and its tiers.
Presence of Common Scales View help for Presence of Common Scales
- Static-99R
- Static-2002
Original Release Date View help for Original Release Date
2022-05-26
Version History View help for Version History
2022-05-26 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
Notes
The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.
One or more files in this data collection have special restrictions. Restricted data files are not available for direct download from the website; click on the Restricted Data button to learn more.