A Serial Rapist Treated With Behavioral and Cognitive Techniques and Followed for 12 Years

Abstract

This article describes a serial rapist treated in a sexual abuse clinic, then followed for 12 years. Following a discussion of the patient’s offending and personal history, an account is presented of the assessment and treatment techniques employed with such dangerous offenders. Because community safety is an issue in such treatment, a variety of methods were utilized to ensure safety both during and after treatment. While this patient appeared to benefit from treatment and apparently remained offense-free during follow-up, it cannot be assumed that all such cases can be treated with such facility. Indeed, while pedophiles and exhibitionists have been successfully treated using similar techniques, the treatment of rapists remains controversial and results are not as sanguine as this case would indicate. Treatment outcome data for all sexual offenders, and for rapists in particular, are presented throughout the discussion.