Research

The current prison and criminal justice system has not proven to be helpful in rehabilitating offenders and preventing recidivism. To successfully alter this situation it is important to understand what steps and measures are available to assist those who find themselves imprisoned. The techniques used in cognitive behavioral therapy have proven to be effective in treating depression, anxiety and drug addictions among other things. Analyzing the techniques developed in cognitive behavioral theory and applying them to psychotherapy in prison environments can assist in making improvements in the prevention of criminal activity, rates of incarceration and safety and security of the general population. The literature shows that the use of

In comparison with other statutes, states such as Illinois, Kansas, New Jersey, Arizona and many others have statutes that authorize the confinement and treatment of sex offenders upon their release from prison (Lieb, 1996). For instance, Illinois Sexually Violent Predator Law defines a sexually dangerous person as “someome suffering from a mental disorder continually for at least one year, coupled with criminal propensities to the commisition of sex offenses, and who has demostrated propensities toward acts of sexual assault or acts of sexual molestation of children.” (Lieb, 1996, p. 16). Unlike Washington State, Illinois requires the individual to have at least one year of displaying a mental disorder. Illinois also has the option of either sentencing the individual for the crime committed, or offer treatment under the Civil Commitment Statute (Lieb, 1996). Unlike Illinois, Washington punishes the individual first and upon release he/she is evaluated to see if the individual fits under the category of a sexually violent predator. The state of Illinois appoints two qualified psychiatrists to determine whether the individual meets the criteria to be placed under civil commitment (Libel, 1996).

Barbaree looked at 224 sex offenders. Of those men, 33 committed a new offense of some kind for a general recidivism rate of 14.7 percent. Even more interesting was the study did not support the idea that good treatment behavior, as in positive or appropriate behavior in group sessions, good homework assignments, and positive ratings of motivation, could be associated with a less of a chance for recidivism. They gave two possible reasons for this finding. Sex offenders, by the very nature of their criminal behavior, are masters of manipulation and exploitation. These individuals can exhibit behavior that contributes to favorable assessments. The second possible reason is these skills are learned, or enhanced, in the treatment setting. Data from a program

I selected polygraph data from 60 case files for in this study. Participants were males aged 10-18 enrolled in 12 months residential treatment facility for juveniles with sexual behavior problems in Idaho. The demographic characteristics are presented in data below. This group included youth who received only resided at Sequel for residential sexual behavior problems. Services provided included group therapy, individual, family, and trauma therapy. The program director and clinicians were licensed mental health providers who met established criteria for providing treatment to juvenile sex offenders in the state of Idaho. All participants are court ordered to this facility for charges of sexual offenses on adults or children. Most of the youth are on probation with will be until they are 21 years of age. This facility only treats male sex

Sex offenders tend to blend in to society virtually unnoticed until they offend or reoffend (Polizzi, MacKenzie, & Hickman, 1999). Currently, there is a large group of mental health professionals representing a variety of disciplines, including psychology, psychiatry clinical social work, counseling, and medicine, that continue to believe in the potential efficacy of treating sex offenders. Over the past decade, the sex offender treatment field has grown rapidly and the treatment of juvenile sex offenders is on the rise (Parks & Bard, 2006). The rationale for treating juvenile offenders is based on research which indicates that inappropriate sexual behavior patterns develop early and a failure to intervene and change behavior early often means that the offender will continue to escalate his/her inappropriate behavior, which could present an even greater danger to society (Ayland & West, 2006). Vivian-Bryne, (2004) suggests that professionals who treat adult sex offenders report that offenders who are incarcerated will eventually return to the community and therefore, therapeutic measures should be taken to reduce the likelihood that they will reoffend even if those measures have not conclusively been identified as effective. Sexual offenders may find therapy valuable because it can allow them to retrace their upbringing to help them identify and understand the roots of their

have an effect in reducing recidivism. As Hetz et al. (2003) found that those who participated in

“The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) defines recidivism as a return to incarceration within three years of the offender’s date of release from a state correctional institution.” (Schelle, 2012) The 2011 recidivism rate for all juvenile offenders was 36.7%. The recidivism rate for African American juvenile offenders was 43.8%. Eighty-two percent of the juveniles who recidivated did so with a new crime, and the other 18% returned because of technical violations. “Of all juveniles released in 2008, 40.9% of males returned to IDOC, while only 15.8% of females returned,” (Schelle, 2012). Surprisingly, juvenile sex offenders had the lowest recidivism rate at 13.6%. (Schelle, 2012)

Because reduction of the likelihood of offender recidivism in the future is clearly a priority, the criminal justice system has begun to look into the effectiveness of treatment programs. The following body of research further discusses the purpose and effectiveness of different treatment methods that can be employed by psychologists with the intention of rehabilitating sex offenders.

Over the years, in the United States the approach to sex offenders has changed. The criminal justice model doesn’t see sex offenders any different from any other type of crime. Sex offenders are responsible for their actions. In contrast, the medical model see/believe sex offenders as mentally ill with diagnosable sexual disorders. Laws in the United States are based on this model. Offenders are usually admitted to a hospital or a mental health hospital.

Sexual assault is one of the fastest growing violent crimes in America. Approximately 20% of all people charged with a sexual offense are juveniles. Among adult sex offenders, almost 50% report that their first offense occurred during their adolescence. (FBI, 1993) There are many different opinions, treatment options and legislation to manage the growing numbers of juvenile sex offenders. In today’s society the psychological and behavioral modification treatments used to manage juvenile sex offenders is also a growing concern. To understand and determine the proposed treatment methods, several related issues will need to be reviewed such as traditional sex offender therapy methods like cognitive therapy and alternative therapies like

Great assessment of the clients needs furthermore clients who have convictions regarding sexual offenses with minors are even more difficult due to resources being limited in the community especially, housing. However in CT probation is a tremendous help when it comes to housing individual with these kind of convictions. We have a few halfway houses which are group setting and shelters specifically used for sex offenders in different towns. Although, you live in Idaho they may have some services that might assist you. Most times they don’t advertise this assistance because it limited however if you can advocate for the client it could help. I have worked as a case manager for last 15 years and we have to find solutions for all types of clients

When working with this specific population mental health professionals are often called on to evaluate and manage sex offender’s behavior. There are also times when individuals may be asked to give an opinion as to if the offender will repeat the behavior. Often times people that work with this population are referred to as (SOSs) Sex Offender Specialists. They have a specific group of diverse training and background. Some of these trainings incIude but are not limited to cognitive-behavioral, psychopharmacological, and therapeutic orientations.

The treatment for sexual offenders is done in a three principal approach which is cognitive behavioral approach, psycho-educational approach, and pharmacological approach. The cognitive behavioral approach gives emphasis on altering the habits of the offended relating toward sexual offending and “deviant patterns of arousal”. (CSOM) This means altering the daily habits of the offender which may be everything they had known previously to incarceration. The second principal of psycho-educational focuses on altering the offender’s state of mind toward their victims and attempts to instill the understanding of how they inflicted harm with their actions. With psychology there is never a set time on how long a set goal will be reached. Times vary between individuals and can sometime never reach their desired outcome. In conjunction with those previous principals the offenders are also treated under the pharmacological

For centuries, society has said, the punishment should fit the crime, but at what point do we reach a line we aren’t willing to cross. Sexual assault is a serious problem we are faced with every day, and it does not discriminate between men, women, or children. In fact, every 98 seconds, someone is sexually assaulted in America and every 8th minute of that, the victim is a child. Mandatory chemical castration in convicted sex offenders is a debate that has long been analyzed and attacked from both sides and each have shown to offer valid points, but the deterrence and recidivism rates have proven that rendering a sexual offender impotent with chemical castration is more effective than prison, can free the offender of unwanted sexual urges, and shows we take this issue seriously by putting the victims’ rights above the predator.

"Playing God" l Can't make my own decisions Or make any with precision Well, maybe you should tie me up So I don't go where you don't want me You say that I've been changing