The design of the INSIGHT Program aligns with RNR model, the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, and schema therapy. The intervention comprises different phases, beginning with an initial individual motivation interview intervention, and followed by a CBT-structured, ST-inspired individual program.

The core of the intervention program consists of a manualized individual program comprising 25 weekly sessions, each lasting approximately 60 minutes.

TAU in Portuguese prisons is primarily aimed to increase educational and professional qualifications

INSIGHT Program:

the program targets the reduction of EMSs' interference in social information processing, which may otherwise lead to the use of deviant behavior to fulfill emotional and sexual needs. Furthermore, the program has specific goals: (1) developing insight about the offense cycle; (2) fostering empathy for victims; (3) enhancing intimate and social/ interpersonal skills; (4) increasing emotional regulation skills.

The study protocol will include the Hanson Sex Attitude Questionnaire (HSAQ; Hanson et al., 1994; Portuguese version by Sousa et al., in press). The Portuguese version of HSAQ is a 38-items self-report measure designed to measure cognitive distortions about child sexual abuse and sexuality. Through a confirmatory factor analysis, it was possible to identify three independent factors, namely: Child as human beings (17 items), Sexual Drive (12 items), and Sexual entitlement (9 items). Each item is scored on a 5-point ordinal scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). The scale does not have a cutoff point, but higher scores indicated more cognitive distortions. In factor 1, scores can vary between 17 and 85, in factor 2 from 12 to 60 and in factor 3 from 9 to 45.

The study protocol will include the Victim Empathy Distortion Scale (VES; Beckett & Fisher, 1994; Portuguese version: Sousa et al., in press. VES is a 28-item questionnaire to assess the individual's understanding of the impact of offending on their victims. The Portuguese version of the scale has two factors: positive misattributions of pleasure in sexual abuse (18 items), and negative attributions of child sexual abuse (10 items). The scale does not have a cutoff point but higher scores on factor one indicated more cognitive distortions about child sexual abuse, while a higher score in factor 2 represents a greater awareness of the impact that the abusive situation has on their victim. The items are rated on a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). In factor 1, scores can vary between 18 and 90, in factor 2 between 10 and 50.

The study protocol will include the Basic Empathy Scale - Adapted (BES Adapted; Salas-Wright et al., 2012; Portuguese version: Pechorro et al., 2015). The BES Adapted is a self-report measure with two dimensions: affective empathy which encompasses three items, and cognitive empathy which includes four items. Each item is scored on a 5-point ordinal scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). The scale does not have a cutoff point, but higher scores indicate greater empathy. In the "affective empathy" factor, scores can vary between 3 and 15, in the "cognitive empathy" factor between 4 and 20. The total score can vary between 7 and 35.