A five year outcome evaluation of a community-based treatment programme for convicted sexual offenders run by the probation service

Abstract

Recidivism data from a sample of treated sexual offenders were compared with data from a sample of matched controls to evaluate the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioural programme for convicted sex offenders delivered by the probation service in Oxfordshire, England Offenders were followed up for several years (max 6·75). Recidivism was defined as a conviction far any further sexual offence. The overall recidivism rate was generally low with young offenders, rapists and those with previous convictions for sexual offences most likely to recidivate. Treatment effects were greatest for rapists and indecent exposers. There were no differences in the recidivism rates of treated and untreated child abusers which were both very low. The low recidivism rates, relatively small samples and the shorter observation period for treated offenders prevented these promising results from reaching an acceptable level of statistical significance.