Treatment of offenders with psychopathic traits has been a widely debated topic for decades. The
current study examined the influence of psychopathy and treatment behaviour on recidivism. The
sample included 117 high-risk sexual offenders admitted to the Regional Treatment Centre Sex
Offender Treatment Program (RTCSOTP) while serving a federal sentence of two years or more.
Offenders were grouped based on their scores on the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R)
and treatment behaviour. With an average follow-up time of 82.62 months, sexual and violent
recidivism rates of offenders scoring high and low on the PCL-R could not be distinguished posttreatment. When examining general recidivism and any recidivism, recidivism rates of offenders
scoring high on psychopathy and who demonstrated good treatment behaviour were not
significantly different than those of offenders scoring low on the PCL-R regardless of treatment
behaviour. Implications for treatment are discussed.
