The limited research literature that relates specifically to sexual offenders against adults (rapists) would suggest that they are more likely to demonstrate a greater criminogenic profile but to have experienced fewer childhood and adult psychological difficulties than child molesters. This study describes the characteristics of an urban sample of convicted rapists (n =80), and compares them to a sample of child molesters (n = 230) on background and offense-related variables. Although there were a number of similarities between the two groups, rapists were less likely to have been sexually victimized as a child. The sexual recidivism rate was low (5 percent) for rapists after an average time at risk of 3 years despite a trend toward them being less compliant in the community. Treatment needs of those with a range of psychological difficulties and future directions for research are discussed. These include the need to increase the sample size, particularly of those in community treatment; the augmentation of data with information on cognitive and affective functioning in rapists; and the need to address the role of risk-related variables in predicting community failure. Data were collected from 310 participants over a 7-year period and included 80 offenders against adults and 230 child molesters. Tables, references