Examination of treatment completion and predicted outcome among incarcerated sex
offenders.
T. A. Shaw, M. J. Herkov and R. A. Greer,
Bull. Amer. Acad. Psychiatry & the Law
23(1): 35-41, 1995.
This article addresses the prediction of treatment completion and outcome of 114 adult sex offender
using variables found to predict treatment outcome in outpatient sex offender programs. The
variables of reading ability, marital status, age, presence of antisocial personality disorder, offense
and victim discrimination, and instant offense were used. Three outcomes of treatment were
assessed: (1) those who were rejected from the program during the evaluation phase; (2) those who
dropped out of treatment; and (3) those who successfully completed the program. Results indicated
that only reading ability and marital status were predictive of treatment outcome, with those with
high reading ability and married having the best outcome. Failure of the other variables to
differentiate between groups is attributed to differences in psychopathology between incarcerated
and outpatient sex offenders and differences in structure between programs.