Predicting Violence and Risk Assessment

Question 1

What are sexually violent predator laws?

Answer 1

Allowing for civil, as opposed to criminal confinement of individuals who are soon to be released from prison and who are found likely to commit future acts of sexual violence.

1. states authorty to protect citizens
2. states duty to protect and treat those citizens who cannot care for themselves

Question 2

What are the re-offense rates for sexual crimes?

Answer 2

Research can only calculate the re-offense rate on the basis of arrests for sexual crimes and convictions for sexual crimes, but most sexual crimes are unreported.

-Re-offense rates can also be affected by:

Which offenders are followed.

How long they are followed.

Whether nonsexual as well as sexual offense are included in analysis (sex offenders commit nonsexual crimes at a much higher rate)

Question 3

What happened in the Kansas v Hendricks case?

Answer 3

States may indefinitely commit sexually violent predators after their prison terms if they have a qualifying mental condition and are dangerous.

Question 4

What was the question and holding in Barefoot v Estelle?

Answer 4

SCOTUS questioned whether allowing potentially inaccurate expert testimony on future dangerousness was unconstitutional.

The Court ruled that the reliability of this expert testimony is for the jury to weigh, and its admission does not violate the Constitution.

Question 5

What is civil commitment?

Answer 5

The decision to place someone in a psychiatric facility against his or her will; defined not as punishment, but as a means of helping people who cannot care for themselves.

Question 6

What does commitment under SVP laws require?

Answer 6

1. Suffer from mental illness
2. Pose a future danger to society
3. Have serious difficulty controlling urges

Question 7

What are the types of civil commitment?

Answer 7

1. Emergency
2. Voluntary
3. Involuntary
4. Outpatient

Question 8

What are the statistical errors for Preventative Detention?

Answer 8

1. True positive= correctly detained and crime is prevented
2. False positive= detained, but they would not have committed a crime so they are needlessly held
3. False negative= released, but go to commit a crime
4. True negative= released and does not commit crime

These categories help evaluate the effectiveness and fairness of detention policies, weighing the protection of society against the risk of unnecessarily depriving someone of their liberty.