Abstract:
This literature scoping review compared recidivism rates of moderate- and highrisk
sexual offenders who received cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) oriented
treatments. Ten empirical studies from 2001 to 2014 were selected for review
that met the following criteria: (a) Treatment program included a CBT-based
intervention with a comparative intervention; (b) participants included adult, male,
moderate- and high-risk sexual offenders only; and (c) follow-up data for up to
12 months. Data were analyzed using a summative metric for recidivism rate
comparisons (N = 3,073 for CBT and N = 3,588, for comparison approaches).
Sexual offense recidivism rates varied from 0.6% to 21.8% (with CBT) and from
4.5% to 32.3% (with comparison intervention). The within-sample median rate of
violent recidivism with a history of sexual offense was 21.1% (with CBT) versus
32.6% (comparison). Sexual offenders had a general felonies (within-sample) median
recidivism rate of 27.05% (with CBT) versus 51.05% (comparison). The evidence
supports the conclusion that CBT in its various forms is an efficacious treatment
modality to prevent offense recidivism by sexual offenders. Suggestions for future
research are considered.
