Individual research recommendation details

Recommendation ID

NG66/1

Question

Psychological and pharmacological interventions for people with paraphilic disorders:- What is the clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness and safety of specific psychological and pharmacological interventions both in and out of prison among people with paraphilic disorders?

Any explanatory notes
(if applicable)

Why this is important:- The limited evidence for pharmacological interventions (for example, medroxyprogesterone acetate) provides no clear evidence of benefit in people with paraphilias. A randomised trial with an adequate sample size is needed to examine the effectiveness of medroxyprogesterone acetate in these populations.
There is also insufficient evidence on the effectiveness of psychological interventions for people with paraphilias in the criminal justice system. An individual patient data analysis of existing large scale data sets of paedophiles who have been treated in the criminal justice system should be conducted to inform the choice of treatment and the design of any future research. Psychological interventions for paraphilias (such as sex offender treatment programme) should be tested in large
randomised controlled trials in criminal justice populations. This research could have a significant impact upon updates of this guideline.
Important outcomes could include:
- offending and re-offending rates
- mental health problems
- cost-effectiveness
- service utilisation.
When designing the trials, consideration should be given to the timing, intensity and duration of interventions in the context of the criminal justice system.

Source guidance details

Comes from guidance

Mental health of adults in contact with the criminal justice system

Number

NG66

Date issued

March 2017

Other details