ABSTRACT

We recently completed extensive reviews of the literature (Marshall & Barbaree, 1990a; Marshall, Jones, Ward, Johnston, & Barbaree, 1991; Marshall, Ward, Johnston, Jones, & Barbaree, 1991) concerned with the effectiveness of treatment with sex offenders. These reviews revealed a number of things. Contrary to the earlier gloomy conclusions of Furby, Weinrott, and Blackshaw (1989), we observed what we took to be clear indications that treatment of sex offenders can be effective. Certainly, some studies have found either negative effects for treatment (J. J. Peters Institute, 1980; Rice, Harris, & Quinsey, 1991) or no apparent benefits for the treated offenders (Leger, 1989; Massachusetts Post Audit Bureau, 1979; Saylor, 1979); however, there are also clear demonstrations of treatment effectiveness.