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Assessing Risk and Recidivism in African Americans

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Guide to Psychological Assessment with African Americans

Abstract

The assessment of risk and recidivism is an important component of forensic evaluation, but it is a challenging task. The import of this type of evaluations is particularly relevant due to the high number of African Americans that are incarcerated (approximately 38 %), in comparison to their representation in the population (approximately 13 %). Further, the stakes of such an evaluation are high, and have direct implications for an individual’s freedom. In this chapter we discuss common measures used to assess risk and recidivism for violent and sexual offenses ranging from juveniles to adults.

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Correspondence to Natalie M. Bennett BS .

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Bennett, N., Leany, B., Benuto, L. (2015). Assessing Risk and Recidivism in African Americans. In: Benuto, L., Leany, B. (eds) Guide to Psychological Assessment with African Americans. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1004-5_20

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