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SOTIPS On-Demand Training Now Live! • Click here for more details •

SOTIPS

Sex Offender
Treatment Intervention
and Progress Scale

Open pages of a spiral-bound manual detailing sexual risk management strategies and examples, titled "Sex Offender Treatment Intervention and Progress Scale."

The SOTIPS is a 16-item, statistically-derived dynamic measure designed to aid clinicians, correctional caseworkers, and probation and parole officers in assessing risk, treatment and supervision needs, and progress among adult males who have been convicted of sexual offenses.

The SOTIPS can be used as part of a combined static and dynamic risk assessment approach, either with the VASOR-2 or the Static-99R. Combined SOTIPS/VASOR-2 and SOTIPS/Static-99R scores have predicted sexual recidivism better than either instrument alone.

Background

Statistical analysis output showing model information, case processing summary, correlated data summary, categorical variable information, goodness of fit, tests of model effects, and parameter estimates. Features logistic regression with binomial distribution, various variables, and statistical significance values.
ROC curve graph with sensitivity vs. 1-specificity, featuring three lines: Static99R Groups, btps_16_items_3_levels, BTPFSxS99R_groups, and a reference line. Legend indicates sources of the curves.
3D bar chart showing sexual reoffending rates at 3 years, categorized by SOTIPS and VASOR-2 risk levels. Bars display low, moderate-low, moderate-high, and high risk levels in green, yellow, orange, and red respectively. The chart includes axes for SOTIPS Risk Level (vertical) and VASOR-2 Risk Level (horizontal), with reoffending rates on the side axis ranging from 0% to 25%.

The predecessor of the SOTIPS was the Sex Offender Treatment Needs and Progress Scale. This 22-item scale had minimal validation, but showed significant promise as an early dynamic assessment tool for sexual offense recidivism. Starting in 2001, the Vermont Department of Corrections scored every adult male under community supervision for a sexual offense every six months. With support from the National Institute of Justice, ten years of collected data were used to refine this earlier tool into the SOTIPS.

The SOTIPS was one of the first dynamic risk instruments that not only improved on the ability of static assessment alone, but also established an on-going, empirically validated measure of changes in risk and needs for this population.

Today, the SOTIPS is used throughout the United States and a variety of countries outside of North America. It has received support from the NIJ for continued evaluation and has been studied in a variety of jurisdictions by independent researchers. The developers continue to update information on the SOTIPS to ensure that it is employed according to best practice standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

Person holding a pen filling out a form titled 'Rating Guide' with categories: Sexuality and Risk Responsibility, Criminality, Treatment and Supervision Cooperation, Self-Management, Social Stability and Supports. Choices range from 0 to 3 for rating importance. Copyright 2013 R. McGrath, G. Cumming, M. Lasher.

  • The SOTIPS development is detailed in both the 2011 NIJ Grant Report and 2012 study published in Sexual Abuse.

    In 2016, the SOTIPS development team published a study in Criminal Justice and Behavior which examined how SOTIPS data can provide information on sex offense desistance patterns.

    The SOTIPS is also useful as a means of identifying treatment needs. A 2015 study in the International Journal of Forensic Mental Health details this.

    Since its publication, SOTIPS research has been examined in a replication study. The results of this NIJ-sponsored project are detailed in a 2021 paper in the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology and a 2023 paper in Sexual Abuse.

    In 2024, a paper in Psychological Assessment examined the SOTIPS’ utility against the Stable-2007 and the VRS-SO.

    Currently, there are other programs conducting evaluation studies of the SOTIPS, and the results of these studies will be included here as they become public.

  • The SOTIPS has been validated for use with adult males convicted of one or more Category A sex offenses and committed at least one of these sex offenses on or after their 18th birthday. Category A sex offenses include sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, child molestation, exhibitionism, voyeurism, and Internet luring. 

    The SOTIPS can be used as a clinical guide for identifying treatment and supervision needs and progress with men whose only sex offense convictions are Category B sex offenses, such as possessing child sexual abuse material and statutory rape.

  • The SOTIPS was designed to be scored by clinicians, correctional caseworkers, and probation and parole officers.

    Although professionals who have an understanding risk assessment principles can use the SOTIPS by carefully following the manual, participating in a SOTIPS training is recommended.

  • There is not a formal schedule of SOTIPS trainings. If you’d like to see if there is an upcoming training near you, or would like to learn more about scheduling a training for your organization, feel free to contact us.

    In the meantime, we now offer on-demand training for the SOTIPS on this website; click here for more information.

  • The SOTIPS, in its published form, is freely available for qualified users.