{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,15]],"date-time":"2026-06-15T13:42:25Z","timestamp":1781530945521,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2016,8,2]],"date-time":"2016-08-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1470096000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Sex Abuse"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2016,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>This study was designed to compare the Adam Walsh Act (AWA) classification tiers with actuarial risk assessment instruments and existing state classification schemes in their respective abilities to identify sex offenders at high risk to re-offend. Data from 1,789 adult sex offenders released from prison in four states were collected (Minnesota, New Jersey, Florida, and South Carolina). On average, the sexual recidivism rate was approximately 5% at 5 years and 10% at 10 years. AWA Tier 2 offenders had higher Static-99R scores and higher recidivism rates than Tier 3 offenders, and in Florida, these inverse correlations were statistically significant. Actuarial measures and existing state tier systems, in contrast, did a better job of identifying high-risk offenders and recidivists. As well, we examined the distribution of risk assessment scores within and across tier categories, finding that a majority of sex offenders fall into AWA Tier 3, but more than half score low or moderately low on the Static-99R. The results indicate that the AWA sex offender classification scheme is a poor indicator of relative risk and is likely to result in a system that is less effective in protecting the public than those currently implemented in the states studied.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/1079063215569543","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,2,6]],"date-time":"2015-02-06T00:55:11Z","timestamp":1423184111000},"page":"722-740","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":42,"title":["The Adam Walsh Act"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"28","author":[{"given":"Kristen M.","family":"Zgoba","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"New Jersey Department of Corrections, Trenton, NJ, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Miner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jill","family":"Levenson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Barry University, Miami, FL, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Raymond","family":"Knight","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elizabeth","family":"Letourneau","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David","family":"Thornton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center, Mauston, WI, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2016,8,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijlp.2011.04.001"},{"key":"bibr2-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/0735648X.2012.666407"},{"key":"bibr3-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/07418825.2011.566887"},{"key":"bibr4-1079063215569543","volume-title":"The Iowa sex offender registry and recidivism","author":"Adkins G.","year":"2000"},{"key":"bibr5-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/658483"},{"key":"bibr6-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0093854811406356"},{"key":"bibr7-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1073191112458312"},{"key":"bibr8-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0306624X10372784"},{"key":"bibr9-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1745-9125.2008.00114.x"},{"key":"bibr10-1079063215569543","unstructured":"Epperson D. L., Kaul J. D., Huot S. J., Hesselton D., Alexander W., Goldman R. (1999). Minnesota sex offender screening tool - Revised (MnSost-R): Development performance, and recommended risk level cut scores. Retrieved from www.psychology.iastate.edu\/faculty\/epperson"},{"key":"bibr11-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/009318539802600303"},{"key":"bibr12-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0887403409338565"},{"key":"bibr13-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0886260514526062"},{"key":"bibr14-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-006X.73.6.1154"},{"key":"bibr15-1079063215569543","volume-title":"Static-99: Improving actuarial risk assessments for sex offenders","author":"Hanson R. K.","year":"1999"},{"key":"bibr16-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1005482921333"},{"key":"bibr17-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0011128712443179"},{"key":"bibr18-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0887403409346118"},{"key":"bibr19-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0093854810363889"},{"key":"bibr20-1079063215569543","volume-title":"Sex offender recidivism: A simple question","author":"Harris A. J. 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Retrieved from http:\/\/www.house.leg.state.mn.us\/hrd\/pubs\/ss\/ssmpocnl.pdf"},{"key":"bibr28-1079063215569543","volume-title":"When prisoners come home: Parole and prisoner reentry","author":"Petersilia J.","year":"2003"},{"key":"bibr29-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/a0018679"},{"key":"bibr30-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/658485"},{"key":"bibr31-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/a0013881"},{"key":"bibr32-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0306624X08323454"},{"key":"bibr33-1079063215569543","volume-title":"Community notification: A study of offender characteristics and recidivism","author":"Schram D.","year":"1995"},{"key":"bibr34-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/bsl.1009"},{"key":"bibr35-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0011128707311641"},{"key":"bibr36-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3818\/JRP.10.2.2008.1"},{"key":"bibr37-1079063215569543","volume-title":"Sex offender sentencing in Washington state: Did community notification influence recidivism?","author":"Washington State Institute for Public Policy","year":"2005"},{"key":"bibr38-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/009318539602400302"},{"key":"bibr39-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/14786010600764567"},{"key":"bibr40-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1745-9133.2011.00714.x"},{"key":"bibr41-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0887403408322119"},{"key":"bibr42-1079063215569543","unstructured":"Zgoba K., Miner M., Knight R., Letourneau E., Levenson J., Thornton D. (2012). A multi-state recidivism study using Static-99R and Static-2002 risk scores and tier guidelines from the Adam Walsh Act (Final report to the National Institute of Justice). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.ncjrs.gov\/pdffiles1\/nij\/grants\/240099.pdf"},{"key":"bibr43-1079063215569543","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/07418820903357673"},{"key":"bibr44-1079063215569543","unstructured":"Zgoba K., Witt P., Dalessandro M., Veysey B. (2008). Megan\u2019s law: Assessing the practical and monetary efficacy (Final Report to the National Institute of Justice). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.ncjrs.gov\/pdffiles1\/nij\/grants\/225370.pdf"}],"container-title":["Sexual Abuse"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/1079063215569543","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/1079063215569543","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/1079063215569543","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,2]],"date-time":"2026-05-02T02:37:09Z","timestamp":1777689429000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/1079063215569543"}},"subtitle":["An Examination of Sex Offender Risk Classification Systems"],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2016,8,2]]},"references-count":44,"journal-issue":{"issue":"8","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2016,12]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/1079063215569543"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1079063215569543","relation":{},"ISSN":["1079-0632","1573-286X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1079-0632","type":"print"},{"value":"1573-286X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2016,8,2]]}}}