The Evolution of a Multisite Sexual Offender Treatment Program

Abstract

In June 1991, the Home Secretary announced that Her Majesty's Prison Service of England and Wales would introduce a national strategy for the treatment of imprisoned sexual offenders. Since 1991, the Sex Offender Treatment Program (SOTP) has been established in 25 penal establishments, ranging from the highest security to the lowest, and is situated in every part of the country, from Northumbria to Devon. There are 5 aspects of SOTP that we believe make it unusual in comparison with other programs: (1) its multisite implementation; (2) its commitment to systematic evolution guided by its own short-term evaluations and other research information; (3) the use of lay therapists in the delivery of treatment; (4) the emphasis on therapist style as well as program content; and (5) a system of annual external accreditation of quality of content and delivery. This chapter discusses each of these areas in turn and also considers some of the challenges that have been encountered during the design, implementation, and monitoring of the program. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)