Psychopathy, treatment behavior, and sex offender recidivism

Consistent with findings in other areas of clinical practice, it was predic ted that good treatment behavior (in terms of in-session behavior; homework qualify, and global ratings of motivation and change achieved) would be as sociated with parole success and lower recidivism in a sample of 283 ser of fenders. This prediction was not supported: Good treatment behavior was unr elated to parole failure or general recidivism, and it was associated with higher serious recidivism (a new violent or sexual offense) after an averag e time at risk of 32 months. Further exploration revealed that men tr,ha sc ored higher in psychopathy and better in treatment behavior were the most l ikely to reoffend. These results could have important implications for risk management and treatment planning.