NCJ Number
219745
Journal
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2007 Pages: 91-105
Date Published
June 2007
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study explored the possibility of moderating variables in the relationship between denial and recidivism among adult male sexual offenders.
Abstract
Results indicated that the relationship between denial and sexual recidivism was moderated by risk but not by psychopathy. Denial was associated with increased sexual recidivism among low-risk offenders and with decreased recidivism among high-risk offenders. Post hoc analyses revealed that the risk factor most related to the interaction between denial and recidivism was “relationship to victims.” Among incest offenders, denial was associated with increased sexual recidivism while, on the other hand, denial played no part in the recidivism risk of sexual offenders who offended against unrelated individuals. The results thus suggest that denial may be associated with increased sexual recidivism among certain groups of sexual offenders, specifically incest and other low-risk offenders, which is important information for clinicians and practitioners working with this population. Future research should include data on victims and the context of sexual recidivism. For study 1, denial and recidivism data were collected from the 489 male offenders convicted of hands-on sexual offenses and were assessed at the Royal Ottawa Hospital, Sexual Behaviors Clinic between 1983 and 1995. The Rapid Risk Assessment for Sexual Offense Recidivism (RRASOR) and the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) were scored for each offender using information collected at assessment and from their criminal record data. Data were analyzed using sequential logistic regression models. Study 2 attempted to replicate the results of study 1 using 2 independent samples of sexual offenders: (1) a dataset of 287 sexual offenders who received Washington State’s Special Sex Offender Sentencing Alternative (SSOSA) (treatment) and 300 sexual offenders who were eligible for SSOSA but did not receive it; and (2) a dataset of 24 sexual recidivists, 7 non-sexually violent recidivists, and 42 non-recidivists who were released from Federal correctional institutions in British Columbia. Data were analyzed using the odds ratio and fixed effect meta-analytic statistics. Tables, references