Issues concerning the reliability and validity of the diagnosis of sexual sadism applied in prison settings

This study examined limited aspects of the diagnoses of sexual sadism among incarcerated sexual offenders. The diagnoses examined in this study were made by experienced forensic psychiatrists following DSM-III-R or DSM-IV criteria. Archival data was extracted on 51 sexual offenders for whom a psychiatric evaluation had been requested. Analyses of offense history and features, offender self-reports, and phallometric data, indicated few differences between those offenders diagnosed as sadists and those not so diagnosed. In fact, where there were differences, the data indicated that the nonsadists were the most deviant. The results are discussed in terms of their meaning for both forensic practice in prisons and the value of the diagnosis of sexual sadism.