Criminal Risk Assessment, Gender-Responsive

[Page 282]In correctional settings, risk assessment serves to classify offenders by their likelihood of future offense-related behavior and misconduct by identifying predictive factors. These risk factors are often also referred to as criminogenic needs and can be static (i.e., stable over time) or dynamic (i.e., change over time). Dynamic criminogenic needs present an opportunity for treatment to reduce the risk of reoffending. A large body of literature has identified a number of valid predictive factors based largely on research with male offender samples; however, research also shows that women’s criminogenic needs are different than those of male offenders and require variation of priority in treatment. Using gender-responsive risk assessments that address risk factors and criminogenic needs that are particularly crucial among female populations is key ...