Offenders amenable to treatment acknowledge commission of the offense and accept responsibility, recognize their behavior as a serious problem and desire to stop it, and are willing to enter and fully participate in treatment. After determining whether or not an offender is amenable to treatment, several other variables must be examined to ascertain the degree of risk the offender poses to the community. This risk assessment helps identify the types of controls required to protect the community from the offender. Since 1980 there have been many studies that have investigated recidivism among known sex offenders. Factors related to recidivism are level of denial, offense type, multiple paraphilias, criminality, sexual arousal patterns, impulsivity, alcohol abuse psychopathology, use of force, social supports, employment status, age, grooming or attack behavior, victim characteristics, length of time at risk, environmental factors, supervision and treatment resources, and multiple variables. Offenders not considered amenable to treatment are generally recommended for incarceration. Other offender variables that are contraindications for community placement include a history of using extensive violence, force, or weapons in offenses; a fixation on nonconsensual sexual activity; and no history of consensual adult sexual functioning. 75 references