tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post5961922466933700091..comments2024-03-20T19:17:02.285-07:00Comments on IN THE NEWS: Judge bars Static-99R risk tool from SVP trialKaren Franklin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01032855743077403199noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-51054529331602304492012-12-17T18:27:29.492-08:002012-12-17T18:27:29.492-08:00Great blog!Great blog!Phil Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06446967499722684033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-82311682840419851712012-12-15T21:21:26.137-08:002012-12-15T21:21:26.137-08:00At Dr. Wollert’s request, here are links to a lett...At Dr. Wollert’s request, here are links to <a href="http://bit.ly/Perren" rel="nofollow">a letter from David Thornton</a> explaining the reasons for denying access to the the data, and <a href="http://bit.ly/PerrenOrder" rel="nofollow"> the judge’s subsequent order</a> excluding the Static-99R. Karen Franklin, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01032855743077403199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-56723027215161938492012-12-15T16:42:06.455-08:002012-12-15T16:42:06.455-08:00Hi Jan:
Perhaps a timeline of events might be hel...Hi Jan:<br /><br />Perhaps a timeline of events might be helpful. I described the desired data on many occasions (1.04.12, 2.01.12, 10.24.12, and 11.19.12). Attorney Rios filed motions to compel the release of the data on 2.01.12 and 8.13.12. Dr. Thornton replied that he didn't understand the data request on 2.01.12. On 2.02.12 he stated that the data couldn't be released because of Public Safety Canada Policies. On 8.17.12 AAG Dufour filed a motion indicating, among other things, that a) the data may not exist; b) Dr. Thornton doesn't have the raw data; c) the data is privileged as a trade secret; and d) the STATIC team couldn't release the data because of confidentiality agreements with their employers. A hearing on the issue was set for 10.31.12. On 10.10.12 AAG Dufour wrote a letter to Mr. Rios indicating that Leslie Helmus and Dr. Thornton were writing a paper using the data and that "the data you are looking for will be available on November 12, 2012." Mr. Dufour also requested that the hearing be rescheduled. On 11.07.12 Dr. Thornton sent a cover letter and a rough draft of his article with Ms. Helmus to Mr. Dufour. The letter indicated that Dr. Thornton requested the data from Dr. Hanson but that Dr. Hanson initially refused to accede to Dr. Thornton's request. He reportedly agreed to a study that would lead to the data's release after Dr. Thornton proposed to write a paper with Ms. Helmus that compared the Static-99R and the MATS-1. On 11.07.12 Mr. Rios sent me the letter that included the cover letter and rough draft. The draft did not include all of the requested data. On 11.17.12 I sent a letter and an attachment to Mr. Rios indicating "what we asked for, why we asked for it, and why the information we received was not sufficient." On 11.28.12 Judge Levine signed an Order that stated the following: "On October 31, 2012, the petitioner or state informed the court that it talked to Dr. David Thornton, one of the developers of the Static-99R and state witness, and that he agreed to provide the requested data to the respondent. On November 20, 2012, after being advised that Dr. David Thornton failed to provide the state or the respondent with the requested data the court made the following finding: That any testimony or evidence pertaining to the Static-99R, without the disclosure of the requested data, would violate the respondent’s due process rights, specifically, his right to present a defense. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, that any evidence or testimony pertaining to the actuarial instrument Static-99R is inadmissible."<br /><br />The foregoing record clearly shows that the process of requesting the Static-99R data was respectful and deliberate, that the AAG held a good-faith belief that Dr. Thornton was committed to releasing the requested data, and that Dr. Thornton did not so. <br /><br />I agree with Karen that it would be better for everyone if the researchers in our field could work together in a more collaborative way.<br /><br />Rich Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17441732987732864328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-2380871337815667022012-12-15T15:16:38.551-08:002012-12-15T15:16:38.551-08:00Hi Jan,
Perhaps the confusion is because in the bl...Hi Jan,<br />Perhaps the confusion is because in the blog post I quote a document from the Perren case attributing the decision to agency policy, whereas Dr. Abbott, Dr. Wollert, Dr. Cramer and others have had direct interactions with Dr. Hanson in which he apparently denied requests to share data, without referencing institutional rules.Karen Franklin, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01032855743077403199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-2555523464234381752012-12-15T12:28:39.890-08:002012-12-15T12:28:39.890-08:00I based "assumption" about the reason fo...I based "assumption" about the reason for Hanson's refusal on the statement in Franklin's blog<br /><br />" Public Safety Canada, his agency, takes the position that it will not release data on which research is still being conducted, and that "external experts can review the data set only to verify substantive claims (i.e., verify fraud), not to conduct new analyses," according to a document filed in the case."<br /><br />So it is not "unfounded".<br /><br />Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01006920007939619976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-538018636508024372012-12-15T09:13:04.284-08:002012-12-15T09:13:04.284-08:00I think the reason you attribute to Hanson refusin...I think the reason you attribute to Hanson refusing to turn over data requested by Wollert’s research group and by Ted and I is based on an unfounded assumption. In the responses to the three requests mentioned in the blog, Hanson did not state his employer imposed restrictions that prevented him from releasing the data. In the case of the requests by Ted and me and by Elliot Cramer, Hanson refused to release the data because he did not think the areas we were researching were worthwhile enough. In the Static-99R issue in Wisconsin, Hanson released only part of the requested data and refused to release the data most critical to Wollert’s analysis. These examples make it obvious Hanson’s employer did not prohibit release of the data.<br /><br />The three requests for data at issue did not ask for release of the entire data set. Ted and I simply requested correlational data for items and total score. The two requests by Wollert’s research team were for frequency data at specific age groups. To say independent researchers would have to request data-sets from all the contributors under the circumstances of the limited requests for data is simply ludicrous. Moreover, Helmus extensively cleaned the 23 data sets using standards that have not been published so it would not be possible to have the exact data upon which they have published results.<br /><br />Two examples come to mind regarding researchers releasing data upon request. Wollert & Cramer (2011) requested data from Ray Blanchard related to his publication on pedohebephilia. Dr. Blanchard clearly disagreed with the thesis of their research but graciously provided the data. When I was investigating the item correlation issue with the Static-99, Dr. Jan Looman generously provided the data I requested from his sample and he even ran a specific statistical test of the data for me. It is inconceivable to me and inconsistent with the customs of scientific investigation and debate that the Static-99R research group would stymie legitimate efforts to verify their published results or to extend the use of the Static-99/99R data in other areas not explored by the researchers. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03622111232125311768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-22412463340965589872012-12-14T17:03:09.383-08:002012-12-14T17:03:09.383-08:00I think that it is unfair to criticize Hanson for ...I think that it is unfair to criticize Hanson for complying with restrictions place on him by his employer. If he is unable to release the data he is unable to release the data. I feel compelled to point out that he and his team collected data from other researchers and performed a variety of analyses on those data. The wrote in detail about the datasets and the analyses they performed. If anyone is so inclined they could contact the same researchers and make the same request.Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01006920007939619976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-39982674482436074682012-12-14T09:57:23.359-08:002012-12-14T09:57:23.359-08:00Great blog post, Karen!
Regarding the issue of pr...Great blog post, Karen!<br /><br />Regarding the issue of professionals working together, I want to point out that I invited Dr. Hanson to co-author my 2006 article, "Low Baserates Limit Expert Certainty When Current Actuarial Tests Are Used to Identify Sexually Violent Predators."<br /><br />He declined.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17441732987732864328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-48492822417966830222012-12-14T09:30:44.224-08:002012-12-14T09:30:44.224-08:00My understanding is that Dr. Thornton did attempt ...My understanding is that Dr. Thornton did attempt to obtain release of the data, but Dr. Hanson rejected the request. Searching the electronic membership database, neither Hanson nor Thornton appear to be members of the APA. However, in many states, such as California, one need not be a member of the American Psychological Association to be bound by its Ethics Code, as it is codified into state licensing regulations. Someone who is not licensed at all would obviously not face any licensure sanctions for violating the Ethics Code. Karen Franklin, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01032855743077403199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-30163492319288367042012-12-14T09:24:03.135-08:002012-12-14T09:24:03.135-08:00Dr. Abbott,
Thanks for sharing your experience of ...Dr. Abbott,<br />Thanks for sharing your experience of attempting to obtain Static-99R data. I have updated the blog post (in red) to reflect that.Karen Franklin, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01032855743077403199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-5841588322020173842012-12-14T09:11:43.490-08:002012-12-14T09:11:43.490-08:00Hanson and his research group refused to turn over...Hanson and his research group refused to turn over data we requested related to our research on the Static-99R (see Donaldson and Abbott, 2011). While I agree with you about APA ethics for release of data, I wonder if Thornton is immune from following them since he is not a licensed psychologist in Wisconsin. Don't know if he is a member of APA, though. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03622111232125311768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-2484953451528368952012-12-14T08:39:55.717-08:002012-12-14T08:39:55.717-08:00I wonder if they were accused of a sexual assault ...I wonder if they were accused of a sexual assault and were subjected to their own test, how would they fare? If they were to take their own test now, how would they rate? <br /><br />I am very pleased to see judges keeping researchers and those that create tests like this accountable. If they want their test used widely as it has been then there is no reason to not share how they came up with the test. It isn't like it is some secret recipe how to make Hostess treats, but a test that can have drastic affects on a person's life, and the rest of their lives. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-53640011042224446552012-12-14T07:46:52.256-08:002012-12-14T07:46:52.256-08:00One step closer to stopping statistical phrenology...One step closer to stopping statistical phrenology!Jeffrey C. Singer, PhD.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17672177092040765517noreply@blogger.com