NCJ Number
207367
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 48 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2004 Pages: 587-599
Date Published
October 2004
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This British study examined whether there was a link between a sex offender's level of self-esteem prior to treatment and reconvictions for sex offenses in a community sample and prison sample of offenders who had at least begun cognitive-behavioral treatment.
Abstract
The prison sample consisted of 172 adult males who had completed a prison sentence for a sex offense and had been assessed prior to participation in the national sex offender treatment program of Her Majesty's Prison Service. The longest follow-up for any of the released inmates in the sample was 6.1 years, with the average follow-up period being 4 years. The community sample consisted of 53 adult males who had been assessed prior to participating in community-based treatment as part of the Sex-Offender Treatment Evaluation Project. Each offender in the community sample was monitored for reconvictions over 6 years. The Self-Esteem Scale was used to measure the self-esteem of each offender in both samples prior to entering treatment. Lower levels of self-esteem were significantly associated with higher rates of repeat sex offenses in both samples. Recidivism was highest for those with lower levels of self-esteem and lowest for those with higher levels of self-esteem; those with intermediate levels of self-esteem had an intermediate recidivism rate. This suggests that the effectiveness of treatment will be improved with the use of methods to increase levels of self-esteem. 2 tables and 39 references