NCJ Number
141032
Date Published
1991
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Sex offender treatment in correctional institutions and psychiatric hospitals is discussed, with emphasis on treatment efforts in the United Kingdom, the treatment methods used, and results of treatment evaluations.
Abstract
Offender denial, motivation to change, and cooperation in the process of treatment are all crucial influences on the outcome of therapy. It is also useful for therapists to examine the offender's deviant behavior in terms of its antecedents and consequences and to be aware of sex offender profiles developed through descriptive research. Treatment usually aims to reduce the severity or frequency of sex offenses, using aversion therapy, covert sensitization, orgasmic reconditioning, castration or medication, training in social skills, group therapy, or a combination of treatment techniques. Denial and minimization by offenders must also be addressed; persuasion and contingency management are useful. Evaluation studies indicating that community-based treatment programs show more promise than institutional programs suggest the need for post-release programs in the community and the desirability of using multi-modal historical and behavioral analysis to link institutional and community aspects of therapy. Figures and 75 references