Sex offender recidivism risk is a multifaceted phenomenon requiring consideration across multiple risk factor domains. The impact of treatment involvement and subsequent recidivism is given limited attention in comparison to other forensic mental health issues. The present analysis is a retrospective study of sex offenders treated at a secure facility utilizing a cognitive-behavioral program matched with an untreated correctional sample. Variables studied included demographic, criminal history, offense related, and treatment progress. Recidivism was assessed through arrest data. Multivariate analysis suggests that recidivism is significantly related to quality of treatment involvement, offender demographics, offense characteristics, and criminal history. Successfully treated offenders were significantly less likely to subsequently reoffend. Recidivists were also significantly younger, less likely married, had engaged in more victim grooming or less violent offending behavior, and had significantly more prior property charges. The authors discuss the clinical and policy implications of the interrelationship between treatment involvement and recidivism.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abel, G. G., Mittelman, M., Becker, J. V., Rathner, J., & Rouleau, J. L. (1988). Predicting child molesters' response to treatment . Annals of New York Academy of Sciences, 528, 223-234 .
2.
Borum, R. (1996). Improving the clinical practice of violence risk assessment . American Psychologist, 51, 945-956 .
3.
Broadhurst, R. G., & Maller, R. A. (1992). The recidivism of sex offenders in the Western Australian prison population . British Journal of Criminology, 32, 54-80 .
4.
Bumby, K. M. (1996). Assessing the cognitive distortions of child molesters and rapists: Development and validation of the MOLEST and RAPE Scales . Sexual Abuse: Journal of Research and Treatment, 8(1), 37-54 .
5.
Convicted Sex Offender Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. § 29-2922 (1992).
6.
Doren, D. M. (1998). Recidivism base rates, predictions of sex offender recidivism, and the “Sexual Predator” commitment laws . Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 16(1), 97-114 .
7.
Elbogen, E. B., Mercado, C., Tomkins, A. J., & Scalora, M. J. (2001). Clinical practice and violence risk assessment: Availability of MacArthur Risk Factors. In D. Farrington, C. R. Hollin, & M. McMurran (Eds.), Sex and violence: The psychology of crimes and risk assessment (pp. 38-55). New York: Routledge Kegan Paul .
8.
Furby, L., Weinrott, M. R., & Blackshaw, L. (1989). Sex offender recidivism: A review . Psychological Bulletin, 105, 3-30 .
9.
Gallagher, C. A., Wilson, D. B., Hirschfield, P., Coggeshall, M. B., & MacKenzie, D. L. (1999). A quantitative review of the effect of sex offender treatment on sexual reoffending . Corrections Management Quarterly, 3(4), 19-29 .
10.
Gibbens, T. C. N., Soothill, K. L., & Way, C. K. (1981). Sex offenses against young girls: A long-term record study . Psychological Medicine, 11, 351-357 .
11.
Hall, G. C. N. (1995). Sexual offender recidivism revisited: A meta-analysis of recent treatment studies . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63, 802-809 .
12.
Hanson, R. K., & Bussière, M. T. (1998). Predicting relapse: A meta-analysis of sexual offender recidivism studies . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66(2), 348-362 .
13.
Hanson, R. K., Gordon, A., Harris, A. J. R., Marques, J. K., Murphy, W., Quinsey, V. L., et al. (in press). First report of the collaborative outcome data project on the effectiveness of psychological treatment for sex offenders . Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment.
14.
Hanson, R. K., & Harris, A. J. R. (2000). Where should we intervene? Dynamic predictors of sexual offense recidivism . Criminal Justice and Behavior, 27(1), 6-35 .
15.
Hanson, R. K., & Harris, A. J. R. (2001). A structured approach for evaluating change among sexual offenders . Sexual Abuse: Journal of Research and Treatment, 13(2), 105-122 .
16.
Hanson, R. K., Steffy, R. A., & Gauthier, R. (1993). Long-term recidivism of child molesters . Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology, 61, 646-652 .
17.
Hanson, R. K., & Thornton, D. (2000). Improving risk assessments for sex offenders: A comparison of three actuarial scales . Law and Human Behavior, 24(1), 119-136 .
18.
Heilbrun, K. (1997). Prediction versus management models relevant to risk assessment: The importance of legal decision-making context . Law and Human Behavior, 21, 347-359 .
19.
Heilbrun, K., Bennet, W. S., Evans, J. H., Offutt, R. A., Reiff, H. J., & White, A. J. (1988). Assessing treatability in mentally disordered offenders: A conceptual note . Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 6, 479-486 .
20.
Hollingshead, A. B. (1971). Commentary on “The indiscriminate state of social class assessment.” Social Forces, 49, 563-567 .
21.
Hunter, J. A., & Figueredo, A. J. (1999). Factors associated with treatment compliance in a population of juvenile sexual offenders . Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 11(1), 49-67 .
22.
Kansas v. Hendricks, 117 S. Ct. 2072 (1997).
23.
Kraemer, B. D., Salisbury, S. B., & Spielman, C. R. (1998). Pretreatment variables associated with treatment failure in a residential juvenile sex-offender program . Criminal Justice and Behavior, 25(2), 190-202 .
24.
Lang, R. A., Pugh, G. M., & Langevin, R. (1988). Treatment of incest and pedophilic offenders: A pilot study . Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 6, 239-255 .
25.
Malcolm, P. B., Andrews, D. A., & Quinsey, V. L. (1993). Discriminant and predictive validity of phallometrically measured sexual age and gender preference . Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 8(4), 486-501 .
26.
Maletzky, B. M. (1993). Factors associated with success and failure in the behavioral and cognitive treatment of sexual offenders . Annals of Sex Research, 6, 241-258 .
27.
Marques, J., Nelson, C., West, M., & Day, D. M. (1994). The relationship between treatment goals and recidivism among child molesters . Behaviour Research and Therapy, 32, 577-588 .
28.
Marques, J. K. (1999). How to answer the question “Does sex offender treatment work?” Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 14, 437-451 .
29.
Marshall, W. L., & Barbaree, H. E. (1988). The long-term evaluation of a behavioral treatment program . Behaviour Research and Therapy, 26, 499-511 .
30.
Marshall, W. L., Barbaree, H. E., & Eccles, A. (1991). Early onset and deviant sexuality in child molesters . Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 6, 323-335 .
31.
Marshall, W.L., Jones, R., Ward, T., Johnson, P., & Barbaree, H. G. (1991). Treatment outcome for sex offenders . Clinical Psychology Review, 11, 465-485 .
32.
Marshall, W. L., & Pithers, W. D. (1994). A reconsideration of treatment outcome with sex offenders . Criminal Justice and Behavior, 21, 10-27 .
33.
McGrath, R. J. (1991). Sex offender risk assessment and dispositional planning: A review of empirical and clinical findings . International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 35, 328-350 .
34.
McGrath, R. J., Hoke, S. E., & Vojtisek, J. E. (1998). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of sex offenders . Criminal Justice and Behavior, 25(2), 203-225 .
35.
Polizzi, D. M., MacKenzie, D. L., & Hickman, L. J. (1999). What works about sex offender treatment? A review of prison- and nonprison-based treatment programs . International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 43(3), 357-374 .
36.
Prentky, R. A., Knight, R. A., & Lee, A. F. (1997). Risk factors associated with recidivism among extrafamilial child molesters . Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology, 65, 141-149 .
37.
Prentky, R. A., Lee, A. F., Knight, R. A., & Cerce, D. D. (1997). Recidivism rates among child molesters and rapists: A methodological analysis . Law and Human Behavior, 21(6), 635-659 .
38.
Proulx, J., Paradis, Y., McKibben, A., Aubut, J., & Quimet, M. (1997). Static and dynamic predictors of recidivism in sexual aggressors . Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 9, 7-27 .
39.
Quinsey, V. L., Harris, G. T., Rice, M. E., & Cormier, C. A. (1998). Violent offenders: Appraising and managing risk. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association .
40.
Quinsey, V. L., Khanna, A., & Malcolm, P. B. (1998). A retrospective evaluation of the regional treatment centre sex offender treatment program . Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13(5), 621-644 .
41.
Quinsey, V. L., Lalumiere, M. L., Rice, M. E., & Harris, G. T. (1995). Predicting sexual offenses. In J. C. Campbell (Ed.), Assessing dangerousness: Violence by sexual offenders, batterers, and child abusers (pp. 114-137). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage .
42.
Quinsey, V. L., Rice, M. E., & Harris, G. T. (1995). Actuarial prediction of sexual recidivism . Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 10, 85-105 .
43.
Raymond, N. C., Coleman, E., Ohlerking, F., Christenson, G. A., & Miner, M. (1999). Psychiatric comorbidity in pedophilic sex offenders . American Journal of Psychiatry, 156(5), 786-788 .
44.
Rice, M. E., Quinsey, V. L., & Harris, G. T. (1991). Sexual recidivism among child molesters released from a maximum security institution . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 381-386 .
45.
Rogers, R., Gillis, J. R., Dickens, S. E., & Webster, C. D. (1988). Treatment recommendations for mentally disordered offenders: More than roulette? Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 6(4), 487-495 .
46.
Romero, J. J., & Williams, L. M. (1985). Recidivism among convicted sex offenders: A 10-year follow-up study . Federal Probation, 49(1), 58-64 .
47.
Salter, A. S. (1988). Treating sex offenders and victims: A practical guide. Newbury Park, CA: Sage .
48.
Schopp, R. F., Scalora, M. J., & Pearce, M. (1999). Expert testimony and professional judgment: Psychological expertise and commitment as a sexual predator after Hendricks. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 5(1), 120-174 .
49.
Seto, M. C., & Barbaree, H. E. (1999). Psychopathy, treatment behavior, and sexual recidivism . Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 14, 1235-1248 .
50.
Skeem, J. L., Mulvey, E. P., & Lidz, C. W. (2000). Building mental health professionals' decisional models into tests of predictive validity: The accuracy of contextualized predictions of violence . Law and Human Behavior, 24(6), 607-628 .
51.
Sturgeon, V. H., & Taylor, J. (1980). Report of a five-year follow-up study of mentally disordered sex offenders released from Atascadero State Hospital in 1973 . Criminal Justice Journal, 4, 31-63 .
