DOI: 10.3886/icpsr34628.v1
title: 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
title: Version 1

description: 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.
description: 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.
description: 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.
description: 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: <strong>Criminal charges: </strong>charge number, date, description, and state it occurred in <strong>Outcomes: </strong>reveocaton of crime, conviction, imprisonment, sentence length, sex offense, date of parole violation, revocation of new crime <strong>Victim information: </strong>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.
description: None
description: Presence of Common Scales: Static-99R Static-2002
description: <strong>Florida: </strong>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). <strong>Minnesota: </strong>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. <strong>New Jersey: </strong>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. <strong>South Carolina: </strong>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.
description: Datasets: DS1: 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
description: 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. Smallest Geographic Unit: State
description: record abstractsThere 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. 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.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.