The convergent validities of two measures of dating behaviors related to risk for sexual victimization

The primary purpose of this investigation was to assess the convergent validities of two measures of dating behaviors related to risk for sexual victimization, the Dating Self-Protection Against Rape Scale (DSPARS) and the Dating Behavior Survey (DBS). Three hundred seventy-seven women responded to measures assessing self-protective dating behavior (DSPARS), risk-related dating behavior (DBS), risk perception in a sexual assault scenario, and history of sexual victimization. The results support the convergent validities of the DSPARS and the DBS. Specifically, the results indicate that scores on the DSPARS were negatively correlated with risk-related dating behavior, delayed risk perception, and history of sexual victimization. In addition, scores on the DBS were positively correlated with delayed risk perception and history of sexual victimization. Scores on the DBS were also negatively correlated with self-protective dating behavior.     

Empathy deficits of sexual offenders: A conceptual model

Most treatment programmes for sexual offenders include some form of victim empathy training. Although the concept of empathy has acquired diverse meanings, those interested in sexual offenders' empathy deficits are primarily concerned about the offenders' lack of compassion or sympathy for their victims. A model of empathy is presented in which uncompassionate responses are the product of three initial conditions: a) an adversarial or indifferent relationship; b) perspective-taking deficits; and c) inappropriate methods for coping with the perceived distress of others. The model suggests that empathy training should target specific deficits, and that misdirected interventions would be expected to have no effects, or even detrimental effects, on the offenders' ability to generate sympathetic, compassionate responses to victims.     

Active living and biking: tracing the evolution of a biking system in Arlington, Virginia

In Arlington, Virginia, a steady evolutionary change in biking policy during the last three decades has yielded some of the nation's best biking assets. It has a comprehensive, well-connected, highly integrated, well-mapped, and well-signed system of shared-use paved trails, bike lanes, bike routes, and other biking assets, such as workplace showers. Understanding the conditions that led to Arlington's current biking system can provide lessons in the strategy and tactics of active-living politics. One potentially effective political strategy that was successful in Arlington is for activists to pressure elected officials to select professional managers who see bike-ways as crucial to the overall transportation system. Then it is important to formalize the government-citizen relationship through an advisory panel. Also, in Arlington, the incremental creation of biking assets helped create demand for more and better facilities. In turn, this created political support for expanding and upgrading. Finally, Arlington used potentially negative circumstances (e.g., the building of highway corridors, the introduction of the Metro) as opportunities to change the built environment in ways that have encouraged more active living.     

Improving Risk Assessments for Sex Offenders: A Comparison of Three Actuarial Scales

The study compared the predictive accuracy of three sex offender risk-assessment measures: the RRASOR (Hanson, 1997), Thornton's SACJ-Min (Grubin, 1998), and a new scale, Static-99, created by combining the items from the RRASOR and SACJ-Min. Predictive accuracy was tested using four diverse datasets drawn from Canada and the United Kingdom (total n = 1301). The RRASOR and the SACJ-Min showed roughly equivalent predictive accuracy, and the combination of the two scales was more accurate than either original scale. Static-99 showed moderate predictive accuracy for both sexual recidivism (r = 0.33, ROC area = 0.71) and violent (including sexual) recidivism (r = 0.32, ROC area = 0.69). The variation in the predictive accuracy of Static-99 across the four samples was no more than would be expected by chance.     

Reviews

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