Treating offenders in the community: Assessment and treatment issues and the special challenges of sexual offenders

This chapter will address the treatment of offenders in the community with a special emphasis illustrating the problems and processes of treatment using the example of sexual offenders. The perspective we will describe is a cognitive-behavioural one, the most effective (Gendreau, Goggin, Cullen & Andrews, 2001) and increasingly common approach to offender treatment in North America. We have worked with offenders in both the prison setting and in the community. While we have been involved with both sexual and nonsexual offenders, the bulk of our involvement concerns the former.