Definition
The static vs dynamic risk distinction is fundamental to modern risk assessment. Static (or historical) risk factors are fixed features of the individual or their history that do not change — age at first offence, number of prior convictions, sex, history of violence. Dynamic risk factors are properties that can change over time and intervention — substance misuse, employment, accommodation, antisocial peers, antisocial cognitions, emotional regulation.
Static factors are typically the better predictors of long-term recidivism — past behaviour is the most reliable predictor of future behaviour. Dynamic factors are the targets for treatment because changing them is what reduces risk. A good risk-assessment system uses both: static factors to set the baseline level of concern, dynamic factors to identify the levers for intervention and to monitor change.
Why it matters
Where it shows up
Risk-assessment tools are designed around this distinction. Treatment-planning frameworks build interventions explicitly on dynamic factors. Parole-board decisions look for evidence of dynamic change since sentencing. Research reviews keep the two types of factor analytically separate to avoid double-counting.