Sexual offending as an incurable behavioral disorder

Sexual offending as an incurable behavioral disorder is an assumption made by many sex offender treatment programs. For example, Colorado's Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB)'s Standards and Guidelines stated, "Many offenders can learn through treatment to manage their sexual offending behaviors and decrease their risk of re-offense. Such behavioral management should not, however, be considered a 'cure'; a successful treatment cannot permanently eliminate the risk that sex offenders may repeat their offenses."

A proposed revision removes the language about incurability and stresses that offenders are capable of change: "Responsibility for change ultimately rests with the offender. Individuals are responsible for their attitudes and behaviors and are capable of eliminating abusive behavior through personal ownership of a change process. While responsibility for change is the offender’s, the therapeutic alliance between the offender and the therapist is a predictive and important facet of responsivity leading to behavioral change. An empathetic therapeutic approach contributes to an offender’s motivation to change, as does the supervising officer’s positive working alliance with the offender."