Refining the deviancy categorization of child abusers - Rebecca Mandeville-Norden

There are currently two 'doses' of treatment available to sex offenders within the UK Probation Service: a longer dose for offenders who demonstrate significant difficulties in numerous areas, and a shorter dose for those who demonstrate less pronounced difficulties in fewer areas. Allocation to treatment is based typically on an offender's level of 'deviancy', which is a two-level categorization method derived from an offender's pre-treatment scores in a battery of psychometric assessments. This paper examines the utility of this method in terms of its success in allocating offenders to the most appropriate treatement, with particular reference to how this compares with a more recently developed three-level categorization method. Evidence from recent studies that examine the short- and longer-term effectiveness of sex offender treatment offers evidence to support Beech's 'deviancy' categorization method, while the three-level categorization method appear to be more successful in describing offenders with difficulties in a limited number of areas.
From: Journal of Sexual Aggression, Vol. 14 no. 1 (2008)