A 25-Year Follow-Up of Cognitive/Behavioral Therapy with 7,275 Sexual Offenders

Abstract

Outcome data are presented, grouped into 5-year cohorts, for 7,275 sexual offenders entering a cognitive/behavioral treatment program. Assessment variables included treatment completion, self-admission of covert and/or overt deviant behaviors, the presence of deviant sexual arousal, or being recharged for any sexual crime (regardless of plea or conviction). It proved possible to follow 62% for the cohort at 5 years after initiating treatment, but follow-up completion rates decreased with time. Outcomes were significantly different based on offender subtype, with child molesters and exhibitionists achieving better overall success than pedophiles or rapists. Prematurely terminating treatment was a strong indicator of committing a new sexual offense. Of interest was the general improvement of success rates over each successive 5-year period for many types of offenders. Unfortunately, failure rates remained comparatively high for rapists (20%) and homosexual pedophiles (16%), regardless of when they were treated over the 25-year period. Implications for clinical practice and future research are drawn.