NCJ Number
215384
Journal
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2006 Pages: 99-120
Date Published
January 2006
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationship between response to treatment and recidivism among sex offenders as a function of psychopathy.
Abstract
A small but significant correlation was found between the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) scores and ratings on the Response to Treatment-Reversed scale. A significant difference was found in PCL-R total scores between treatment completers and noncompleters which was consistent with previous research indicating that psychopathic traits were associated with negative behaviors in treatment. In addition, a finding consistent with earlier research found that psychopathy was a significant predictor of serious recidivism among sex offenders. In relation to the interaction effects and sexual recidivism, the regression analyses revealed a significant interaction effect between ratings of response to treatment and PCL-R score. The main question addressed in this study was based on recent research that has reported an interaction effect between psychopathy and sex offender treatment among sex offenders. The question was whether psychopathy moderated the association between responses to sex offender treatment and recidivism. Utilizing 418 sex offenders released to the community for an average followup period of 5 years, this study examined the relationship between recidivism and ratings of response to specialized cognitive behavioral treatment. Tables, figures, and references