Assessing and Managing Offense Analogue and Offense Replacement Behaviors (OABs and ORBs) in Sexual Offense Treatment Contexts

Keira C. Stockdale

Dynamic security involves constructively utilizing staff interactions with correctional clientele—including persons with a history of sexual offenses—to contribute to a safe and rehabilitative environment. Offense linked proxy behaviors, known as offense analogue behaviors (OABs), represent criminogenic needs expressed in controlled institutional and community settings and can jeopardize safety, security, and/or release success. By contrast, offense replacement behaviors (ORBs) represent prosocial alternative behaviors that can supplant OABs, contribute to safe and effective corrections environments, and promote successful reintegration. This plenary session provides an overview of the OAB and ORB concepts in the context of sexual offense risk assessment and treatment—their assessment, monitoring, intervention and management through both formal and informal means. In addition to correctional programming, interpersonal interactions, per core correctional practices, are crucial to reducing the presence of OABs and increasing ORBs, which also enhances dynamic security. I conclude with recommendations for assessing and managing sexual offense OABs and ORBs through routine day-to-day operations.   

Keira C. Stockdale obtained a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Saskatchewan in 2008. Her doctoral research involved a psychometric evaluation of a violence risk assessment and treatment planning tool for youth: the Violence Risk Scale - Youth Version. Her clinical experiences have included the provision of assessment and treatment services to high-risk, justice-involved adult and youth in both institutional and community settings. Keira is currently employed at the Saskatoon Police Service with a mandate to provide clinical and behavioral science knowledge/expertise to the design, implementation, and evaluation of police and integrated community practices with the goal of increasing community safety and wellbeing. Keira is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology and Health Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. She is currently working on applied research initiatives with university, government, and police partners as part of a recently established police analytics lab, and supervises psychology graduate students, residents, and postdoctoral fellows in clinical and research activities.