Sorry Ana you're right. I put that clumsily. I didn't mean that the whole three years is needed for every sex offender - if they get a long sentence, the calculation that decides how long is spent in custody is what counts (so the starting point is that a sentence that gives at least three years in custody is better), and the programme manager will prioritise those who need to get on it straight away so it's not disrupted by imminent release. Some sex offenders who are very dangerous will go through tests and assessments but might not necessarily join the programme, as a partially treated dangerous sex offender's risk rises - they learn more dodges than ways to control themselves when they find what the authorities are looking for - they are the ones who are put under close surveillance and heavily supervised if they're released.
On the subject of denial, it's been found that denial is not significant either way in determining whether a sex offender is still high risk. Sounds iffy, but it's because there are so many different reasons to deny, some of which can be undermined quickly after sentence. Shame, fear of lost reputation, instructions by lawyers, difficulty believing that he's done any harm, fear of prison and vigilantes/violence, being scared that the consequences will mean loss of loved ones, belief that what he did wasn't actually an offence and so on. The media do stir up the public about denial and remorse, but they don't have direct contact with the offender and don't know what his thoughts and feelings are about what he's done. The judge only knows what information he's had up to the point of sentencing and a sex offender won't tell the people who do his reports exactly what he did for fear of getting a heavier sentence. Afterwards, the judge often receives feedback about the progress of the prisoner., and they use that in an educative way to inform how they sit on future cases.
