What treatment do sex offenders want?

Abstract

Eighty-seven sex offenders being assessed pretrial and presentence or posttrial for probation/parole were administered a questionnaire inquiring about desire for treatment, acceptable types of treatment and the nature of any problems, as perceived by the offenders. Three groups were examined: sexual aggressors against adult females, incest perpetrators, and pedophilic offenders. In spite of their legal circumstances, only 49.4% of the sex offenders wanted treatment. The preferred therapies were individual psychotherapy, social skills training and group therapy. The most frequently used therapy for sex offenders, namely, aversion conditioning, was among the least acceptable, along with castration, sex drive reducing drug therapy, and, paradoxically, group therapy. Male therapists were preferred more than twice as often as female therapists. Sex offenders saw interpersonal relations and lack of social skills as their major problems. Many were concerned about coping with the sequelae of their crimes. Less than two in five considered their anomalous sexual behavior to be a problem for them. Results suggest that there is considerable disparity between therapists' application of treatment and the offenders' perceptions of their own needs. Improving congruence between therapist and offender-patient goals may enhance treatment compliance and therapy success for sex offenders generally.