Treatment of sex offenders in Israeli prison settings.

The number of incarcerated sex offenders in the Israeli prison system has steadily increased during the past decade. While treatment of sex offenders is complex, treatment of those in prison seems to be more challenging. This publication presents major considerations and dilemmas, clinical as well as ethics-related, derived from the experience of the psychiatric division in the Israeli prison service in treating sex offenders in this special setting. The psychiatrist treating the incarcerated offender must always maintain a sensitive balance between the needs and wishes of his patient and the potential threat to society stemming from recidivism.