Putting responsivity into risk assessment: the use of the Structured Assessment of Risk and Need (SARN) with sexual offenders who have an intellectual disability.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the relevance of the Structured Assessment of Risk and Need (SARN) for sexual offenders with intellectual disability (ID). Design/methodology/approach - A thematic analysis was conducted on the transcript of a discussion group of experts who work with sex offenders with ID in custody. Findings - The principal concern of the researchers at the outset of the paper was that the risk factors within the SARN might not be relevant to sexual offenders with an intellectual disability. However, what emerged from the analysis was that, from the perspective of expert practitioners, the limitations of the SARN with respect to working with sex offenders with ID is as much to do with the way in which it is administered, as it is to do with its "content". Practical implications - The process of risk assessment is critical when assessing risk with sex offenders with ID, highlighting the importance of incorporating responsivity principles into the risk assessment process. Originality/value - The paper encourages risk assessors to rethink their assumptions about indicators of risk and progress and provides guidance about how practitioners can assess risk more effectively with sex offenders with ID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]