Static-99R: Item #1 – What is the Offenders Age?: A Lack of Consensus Leads to a Defective Actuarial

Abstract

There is a disagreement regarding how to score the Static-99R that causes a significant difference in an individual’s score on the test. This situation appears to stem with the test developers, who have themselves shown an inconsistency in the interpretation and application of the coding rules regarding Item #1. The test developers have offered the opinions that this item refers to the offender’s current age but have also proposed that this item refers to the offender’s age at some point in the past. As a result, different scores can be found for the same offender. This inter-rater reliability concern is then debated in court and each clinician can point to supportive statements, publications, and research by the test developers to support the score they have found. This inter-rater reliability concern suggests that this test is defective, and should not be used in cases where the offender’s last sexual offense was more than two years ago.

Keywords: Static-99, Static-99R, sex offender, sexually violent predator