What is the future of this issue? As I mentioned in my first blog, sexual predators have been around for many years, and are not a threat that will disappear anytime soon. Sex crimes, which go hand in hand with their predators, will not disappear soon either. While they may never go away completely, policies are being implemented in the punishment, and treatment of sexual offenders while incarcerated. Preventative measures are continuously being pushed in hope of decreasing the occurrence of sex crimes.
Controversial questions are often asked throughout the correctional system and law enforcement as to the most effective way to punish sex offenders, for example: how long should they be incarcerated? Should the time incarcerated vary depending on the crime? How long should they be monitored after release? Does psychological treatment really work in preventing the risk of future offenses? Answers to these questions have varied over the years. Some psychologists and policy makers believe that these questions ignore crucial statistics, like the fact that sex offenders are not likely to repeat their crimes with the appropriate treatment. The most common and effective treatment is a modern behavioral model stressing relapse prevention through recognition and avoidance of criminal impulses.
A common misperception is that psychologists do not face challenges in the treatment of sex offenders. They often struggle to convince law enforcement to take treatment seriously, and convince society that their treatment is effective. A common public misperception is about the recidivism rate of offenders. While most will guess recidivism rates to be in the 70s or 80s, the actually percentages are only 10 or 20 percent, which tend to surprise the public.
Offenders commit sexual crimes for different reasons. Psychologists say some reasons include the highly psychopathic behavior of some offenders have increased in repeated offenses. Studies in the last 10 years have determined that factors that increase an offender’s risk of reoffending after release include number of previous offenses, age, sexual preoccupations, and intimacy deficits.
There are countless challenges in the treatment of sex offenders. Psychologist’s treatment offenders does not come in a one size fits all package, and the treatment of each offender is individualized. One challenge that psychologists often face is when offenders do not reveal all previous crimes or sexually deviant thoughts. Offenders do not reveal previous crimes for fear that they will be convicted again. There is no easy way to alleviate this issue, but psychologists are forced to work around it. This stage is most problematic in the early stages of treatment, but can be worked though.
Despite the challenges that psychologists and law enforcement may face, the treatment of sex offenders is in full effect. It may not be a problem that is going away, but it is definitely one that is being addressed by psychologists, law enforcement, and the correctional system.
References:
Kersting, Karen. Monitor Staff: “New Hope for Sex Offender Treatment: Research suggests psychological treatment helps reduce recidivism among convicted sex offenders” Volume 34, No.7, July/August 2008.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree, sex offenders are not going away, but now their psychological issues are being addressed. I believe that is very important because before most acts were just swept under the rug instead of being looked at as a psychological problem.
ReplyDelete