using actual behaviors involved in offending, that sexu-
ally motivated offenses are frequently labeled as violent
(nonsexual) offenses in official police “rap sheet”
records: For example, sexually motivated homicides
were recorded as homicides. It was argued on the basis
of these data that a tabulation of violent offenses corre-
sponds more closely to the number of sexually moti-
vated offenses than a tabulation of officially recorded
sexual offenses. The prediction of violent offenses
rather than sexual offenses appears on the basis of this
work to better capture the intent of legislation dealing
with the risk sex offenders present to society.
Descriptions of the items, scoring criteria, the
method of derivation of the scale, and the results
obtained with it in follow-up studies can be found in the
2006 book Violent Offenders: Appraising and
Managing Risk(see Further Readings below). Updated
information on the SORAG is maintained at www
.mhcp-research.com/ragpage.htm.Vernon L. QuinseySee alsoForensic Assessment; Violence Risk Appraisal
Guide (VRAG); Violence Risk AssessmentFurther Readings
Harris, G. T., Rice, M. E., Quinsey, V. L., Lalumière, M. L.,
Boer, D., & Lang, C. (2003). A multi-site comparison of
actuarial risk instruments for sex offenders. Psychological
Assessment, 15,413–425.
Quinsey, V. L., Harris, G. T., Rice, M. E., & Cormier, C.
(2006). Violent offenders: Appraising and managing risk
(2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.
Rice, M. E., & Harris, G. T. (1997). Cross validation and
extension of the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide for child
molesters and rapists. Law and Human Behavior,
21,231–241.
Rice, M. E., Harris, G. T., Lang, C., & Cormier, C. (2006).
Violent sex offenses: How are they best measured from
official records? Law and Human Behavior, 30,525–541.SEXOFFENDERTREATMENT
Given the rising concern about the problem of sexual
violence, increased attention has been given to the eval-
uation of existing treatment interventions and the explo-
ration of new treatment models that aim to prevent orreduce future sexual violence. Because the rehabilita-
tion of sex offenders might curb future sex offending
and thus enhance overall public safety, the importance
of research that examines the efficacy of sex offender
treatment interventions cannot be overstated. To date,
the majority of research has been directed at examining
whether suitable treatment interventions exist, whether
sex offenders are amenable to such treatment, and most
important, whether such treatments “work.”
Numerous treatment models have been used to
rehabilitate sex offenders. While some forms of treat-
ment were developed specifically for use with sex
offender populations, most have been adopted from the
larger class of treatment techniques developed for use
with wide-ranging clinical populations. Moreover,
while some of these sex-offender-specific treatment
approaches have received at least modest empirical
support, others have only limited support or have not
yet been subject to any form of systematic evaluation.
Indeed, because of the many difficulties in evaluating
treatment outcome with this population, considerable
work remains with regard to understanding what
works for whom and whether this treatment success
actually translates into reductions in recidivism.Treatment Models
The cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) approach,
which involves an integration of both cognitive and
behavioral therapy techniques, has been adapted for use
with sexual offenders. The central tenet of CBT is
essentially that our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions
interact with one another in a cyclical manner, such that
changing thoughts about a situation or event might
change subsequent behaviors that ultimately change
our emotions. Purely cognitive interventions used with
sex offenders include cognitive restructuring, which is
aimed at challenging rationalizations, minimizations,
or other offense-supportive beliefs involved in the initi-
ation or maintenance of sexual offending behavior. For
example, a therapist using a cognitive restructuring
technique might challenge an offender’s minimization
that “no one was hurt,” by having the offender examine
the veracity of such belief.
Behavioral approaches have also been used in the
treatment of aberrant sexual behaviors. Behavioral ther-
apies are premised on the idea that deviancy is a learned
behavior that can be unlearned. Thus, inappropriate (or
deviant) sexual desire might be reduced if associated
with negative consequences, while appropriate sexual730 ———Sex Offender TreatmentS-Cutler (Encyc)-45463.qxd 11/18/2007 12:44 PM Page 730