Abstract

This study compared the psychological characteristics of sex trafficking facilitators and rapists in Korea, and examined differences in treatment responses to correctional psychological programs and recidivism outcomes. The sample included 493 facilitators and 6,416 rapists selected from 16,378 individuals released from 53 correctional institutions between 2015 and 2020. Demographics and offense-related characteristics, static recidivism risk, and cognitive-emotional variables were analyzed using t-tests, 眒2 tests, multivariate analyses, and repeated-measures MANOVA. Facilitators showed higher recidivism risk levels than rapists. Psychologically, facilitators scored higher on self-esteem, anger expression, and impulsivity, while scoring lower on rape myth acceptance, child molestation beliefs, loneliness, anger suppression, and anger control. Although therapeutic change was observed in both groups following treatment, facilitators demonstrated smaller improvements across several variables, indicating relatively limited treatment responsiveness. Follow-up data also revealed higher rates of sexual reoffending among facilitators. These findings suggest that even within the same sexual offender category, the mechanisms sustaining criminal behavior and the nature of treatment needs may differ substantially. While emotional deficits and cognitive distortions appear to function as primary risk factors among rapists, facilitators’ offending may be more closely associated with economic motives and an instrumental offending structure centered on organized control. Accordingly, differentiated assessment frameworks and tailored correctional psychological treatment programs are needed based on offense-type-specific risk factors and responsivity characteristics in accordance with the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) principle.