Static Risk Factors are best described as which of the following?

• A. Characteristics of an offender that can be changed over time
• B. Characteristics of an offender that can be changed over time due to therapy
• C. Characteristics of an offender that can't be changed over time
• D. Environmental influences that do not relate to risk

Answer: (C)

Static risk factors are unchangeable characteristics that help predict future behavior because they come from a person’s history or inherent traits and cannot be altered through time or interventions. They include factors like age at first offense, prior criminal history, and long-standing patterns of violence or antisocial behavior. Since these elements are fixed or historical, they aren’t targets for therapy in the same way dynamic factors are. Dynamic risk factors, by contrast, can change with time and treatment—things like current mood, employment status, housing stability, or ongoing substance use. Environmental influences can relate to risk, but static risk factors specifically describe those unchangeable, risk-relevant characteristics. This is why the description that they can’t be changed over time best fits.