Description of the Strategy

Programs for the assessment and treatment of sexual deviants have flourished over the past several years, with the majority of these programs focusing on sexual offenders. The media focus on sexual offending has driven a remarkable expansion in North American programs for these offenders from a handful in the late 1970s to 1,784 in 1994. Unfortunately, there appears to have been a reciprocal drop in reports of treatment programs for nonoffending paraphilics. What has emerged has been the development of cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) programs for sexual offenders that target a comprehensive range of issues. These programs include a full assessment battery administered before and after treatment, a comprehensive treatment program, and (where possible) postdischarge supervision. The following sections will ...