The results of a comprehensive social-therapeutic treatment of prison inmates who had been sentenced for sexual offences showed multifaceted patterns of results. Offender variables played an important role in the outcomes. Individuals who had victimised children were particularly assigned to STUs, and persons with a not generally assessed paraphilic disorder may be relevant for less promising results in sexual recidivism. There were also hints that the intensive treatment in STUs may not be superior to therapeutic interventions in regular prisons. Based on our findings, differentiated selections of groups, treatment contexts and outcome measures are suggested for further development of successful treatment strategies in custody.
Lösel et al. (Wed,) studied this question.