Learning from research: Adapting interventions for sexual offending to improve outcomes.

Background: Sexual behaviour towards another person who does not or cannot consent to it causes serious harm to its victims. Understandable tendencies towards isolating or shaming the offenders, however, may actually increase risks of recidivism and further such harms.

Aim: The study aims to consider evidence for the effectiveness of interventions for sex offenders, mainly in a U.

The pharmacologic treatment of problematic sexual interests, paraphilic disorders, and sexual preoccupation in adult men who have committed a sexual offence.

This paper provides an international perspective on the use of medications to treat problematic sexual interests, paraphilic disorders, and sexual preoccupation in men who have committed a sexual offence. Experts from Canada, the Czech Republic (CR), Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States met in Prague, CR in May 2017 to review and compare their treatment approaches. This report is a summary of their discussions, including empirical data from CR and Russia which have not previously been published in the English language.

Post-conviction polygraph testing of sex offenders.

Post-conviction polygraph testing of sex offenders (typically referred to as PCSOT) is common in the US, increasingly applied in England and Wales, but hardly if ever used elsewhere in the world. This article provides an account of the nature and aims of PCSOT, research into its efficacy, and controversies associated with it.

Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist treatment for sexual offenders: A systematic review.

Background: Sexual offending is a significant international issue causing long-term consequences for victims, perpetrators and society.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to review the existing research data assessing the efficacy of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists for treating adult, male, sexual offenders.

Method: The method of this review involved the examination of studies involving participants prescribed at least one month of a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist for the purposes of reducing sexual drive related to offending.

Health screening of people in police custody--evaluation of current police screening procedures in London, UK.

Background: Previous research has highlighted excess health morbidity in offender populations. A small number of studies have described health problems within police custody settings. The efficacy of police screening procedures has not been evaluated.

A large-scale evaluation of Risk Matrix 2000 in Scotland.

Risk Matrix 2000 is a statistically derived risk-assessment instrument for use with convicted male sex offenders. It is a core element of the sex offender risk assessments carried out in England, Wales, and Scotland. This study examines its validity in a large cohort of sex offenders released from Scottish prisons.

A trial of voluntary polygraphy testing in 10 english probation areas.

Sex offenders taking part in treatment programs in 10 probations areas of England were asked to undertake polygraph testing on a voluntary basis. Over a 2-year period 347 offenders attended for testing (43% of those eligible). Outcome was compared with offenders from four probation areas where polygraphy was not introduced.

Health screening in police custody.

Background: There have been few previous studies on the health needs of police detainees. London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) uses health screening procedures which have not yet been evaluated. The objective of this study is to determine the extent of health problems and 'mental vulnerability' in detainees in police custody, and the efficacy of current health screening procedures.

Commentary: Mapping a changing landscape in the ethics of forensic psychiatry.

In 1984, Alan Stone, writing in the Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, stated that "forensic psychiatrists are without any clear guidelines as to what is proper and ethical," adding that because of the nature of psychiatry and the realities of the law, no such guidelines can be drawn. Put starkly, his conclusion was that the practice of forensic psychiatry is fundamentally unethical. In the same issue, several contemporary commentators criticized his position, arguing that he misunderstood the social context of forensic psychiatry and that, in any case, he was wrong to say that ethics standards did not exist.

Accuracy and utility of post-conviction polygraph testing of sex offenders.

Background: Polygraphy is used increasingly in the treatment and supervision of sex offenders, but little research has addressed its accuracy in this setting, or linked accuracy with utility.

Aims: To investigate the utility and accuracy of polygraphy in post-conviction testing of community-based sex offenders.

Method: A self-report measure examined the experiences of offenders with polygraphy.

Commentary: getting at the truth about pathological lying.

Lying is common, and in its many aspects forms a normal part of social interchange. In this issue, Dike et al. review the literature on what has been referred to as pathological lying, highlighting the lack of information available about this phenomenon.

A prospective study of the impact of polygraphy on high-risk behaviors in adult sex offenders.

This study examined whether polygraph testing would result in sex offenders engaging in fewer high-risk behaviors. Fifty adult male sex offenders taking part in community treatment programs were allocated into 2 groups: "Polygraph Aware" subjects were told they would receive a polygraph examination in 3 months regarding their high-risk behaviors, while "Polygraph Unaware" subjects were told their behavior would be reviewed in 3 months. Relevant behaviors for each subject were established at baseline interviews, following which both groups were polygraphed at 3 months.

Casenote assessment of psychopathy in a high security hospital.

INTRODUCTION: There is now a large amount of data demonstrating the internal reliability and construct validity of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL/PCL-R) when used in the assessment of psychopathy in male forensic populations. It has well-established psychometric properties when scored following a review of collateral information and a subsequent interview. However, its internal reliability and factor structure, when casenote information alone has been used, have not been examined outside North America.