Treating Sexual Offenders Who Deny Their Guilt: A Pilot Study

Abstract

A brief structured module combining elements of relapse prevention and victim empathy training with paradoxical interventions and positive reinforcement was evaluated for its effectiveness in modifying the denial of sexual offenders. Early data suggested that this procedure was effective in modifying the denial of approximately 50% of the sample and thus helped to prepare them for entry into a sexual offender treatment program. The sample consisted of offenders who were judged unamenable to treatment due to total denial of their offenses.