284 Copyright © 2018, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Chapter 19 DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-3958-2.ch019 ABSTRACT This chapter aims to provide an overview of the theories and treatments of sex ofenders. Sex ofence is a major public health and social problem, a violation of human right and has innumerable consequence for the victim, including the community at large. It becomes important for health service providers and policy makers to understand this problem, which is not yet clearly understood. This chapter discusses the concept and defnitions of sex ofences, briefng on the main theories of sexual ofence and treat- ments. Though many theories and treatments are available, more researches are required for the causes, prevention and interventions of sexual ofences to have better clarity in the causes and efectiveness of treatments. INTRODUCTION Sex crimes often elicit moral outrage from the public and they carry the notion that a sex offender is incurable and beyond any redemption which is not backed by evidence. The public expects and deserves evidence-based practices when it comes to safety. Sex offenders are a heterogeneous group of people who are not easily identifiable. They come from all types of social, income, racial, ethnic and religious groups (James, 1996). Offenders can be married or not, employed or unemployed have children and partners or not. Probably the only generalisations that can be safely made about sex offenders are that they are almost always male and they are almost always known to their victims (ABS, 1996, 2004). Sexual offending can vary along a broad spectrum of behaviours, from non-contact offences such as exhibitionism to rape. Much of the research on the nature of sexual offending has focused on one end of this spectrum, concentrating on understanding offences such as rape, incest and child molesting. Ac- cording to legal dictionary, sex offenders are persons who have been convicted of a sex-related crime, An Update on Theories and Treatment of Sex Offenders Rejani Thudalikunnil Gopalan Gujarat Forensic Sciences University, India Amrita Arvind Maharaja Sayajirao University, India