Sexual Offences: High Levels of Public Concern & Need for Proportional Treatment Intensity - Essay Sample

Introduction

Sexual offenses have raised many concerns as the individuals convicted of sexual offending have been often referred to mentally challenged, which might not be accurate as most of them are of sob minds. The crime is distinct due to high levels of concern that evoke to the public. There is no enough developed outcome research concerning the treatment of sexual offenders (Garcia, Delavenne, Assumpcao, & Thibaut, 2013). The treatment intensity to be applied should be proportional to the level of the offender's risk and should focus on the features of recidivism. The paper focuses on the treatment of sex offenders and their relation to Forensic psychology in terms of sentences and rehabilitation.

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From the public point of view, the aim of treating sexual offenders is to reduce the probability of re-offending. After the treatment, both the society and individual agree on the virtues of the treated sex offender, which builds a productive and satisfying life for the offender as a citizen abided by the law. Given the merits of non-offending and public safety goals for satisfactory social adjustment, the act of recidivism is utilized as the best criterion for assessing the efficacy of the offender treatment (Hanson & Yates, 2013). In the process of treating offenders of low-risk, the primary focus should on the goals of the treatment rather than on the reduction of the sexual reoffending, such as intimacy deficits, family reintegration, or shame. Sometimes any specialized treatment employed has to be contraindicated and served by routine interventions of criminal justice like frequent supervision while in the society.

Principles of Sexual Offenders’ Treatment

In the past, there was pessimism in the ability to reduce the re-offending risk of sexual offenders. This pessimism resulted in the development of what works in the offenders' rehabilitation process. The programs that enabled the reductions in recidivism were identified by the extent they adhere to three basic principles regarding sexual offender's treatment. The principles became known as the need, risk, and responsively; they were referred to as the principles of effective corrections.

The risk principle relates to the intensity of the treatment services to the offender`s risk for re-offending. The principle states a proportional relationship with the two factors (Langstrom, Enebrink, Lauren, Lindblom, Werko, & Hanson, 2013). For the high-risk offenders, treatment services of high intensity should be applied to achieve the specified goals of the treatment. Low-intensity treatment services to be used to low-risk offenders.

The need principle relates the treatment services to the offender`s life problems that affect the reoffending risk. More attention should be directed to the primary needs relating to the criminal act of the offender rather than focusing on other secondary needs away from the crime, which does not directly assist in reducing the re-offending risk (Langstrom et al., 2013). To illustrate, a requirement like attitudes tolerant of law violation is a primary need, while depression and worry are secondary needs in the treatment process. Psychiatrists or mental providers who rehabilitate sexual offenders have to focus specifically on diverse psychological and psychiatric problems to the extent that the treatment is purposed to reducing re-offense. It is significant to focus on features that are associated empirically with the persistence of violence and the crime.

Finally, the principle of responsively states that the treatment of a sexual offender has to be done in a manner that is probably to connect with the addressed clients. On the part of sexual offenders, it means applying interventions that are of cognitive behavior tailored to the offender`s culture, language, and lifestyle.

Treatment Programs and Future Direction

Essential components of effective treatment have been formalized by several jurisdictions; the elements have been dignified into accreditation standards, which aim at evidence-based medicine that complies with the principles of the sexual offender`s treatment and makes sure integrity is incorporated in the implementation of the principles (Marshall, Laws, & Barbaree, 2013). The programs are designed to change the attitudinal, cognitive, behavioral patterns, and affective patterns that are associated with the act of sexual aggression.

The treatment programs are based on various models and methods. Some of the ways are insight-oriented, classical behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, therapeutic communities' methods, hormonal and castration medication, intensive supervision, and treatment method based on faith.

One new development model for sexual treatment is the Good Lives Model of sexual offender treatment, which is one of the significant influences in the offender`s treatment. The model has its roots in positive and humanistic psychology and shares specific characteristics of treatment involving cognitive behavior (Yates, 2013). In the Good Lives Model, its rehabilitation aim is to help the sexual offender to meet their life goals and needs an appropriate and social manner. Also, the model help in increasing motivation for the treatment and diminish the attraction of reoffending as the offenders have been assisted in attaining their life goals, psychological satisfaction, and well-being. The model has positive outcomes on targets within the treatment, which are progress on the purposes of the therapy, motivational increase, and improved engagement with the treatment.

Another sexual offender's treatment approach that is promising is Circles of Support and Accountability. The procedure is deliberated to re-integrate offenders of high risk through the community process (Marshall et al., 2013). It uses the services of trained volunteers from the community who provide demanding support to the community members to assist the offender by establishing the necessary skills and implementing plans for risk management for community integration. The approach helps sexual offenders by reducing the risk of doing the same crime.

The medical treatment of sex offenders focuses on reducing the risk of sex offenders and re-offending. The approaches include hormonal therapy and surgical castration (Marshall et al., 2013). Surgical castration is done based on the volunteer. The individual offender has to volunteer to be castrated. This approach mostly combines medical intervention with psychological treatment so that the offender will have had treatment if they stop taking the hormones.

Currently, treatment of sec offenders consists of trained professionals or therapist who tries to address and treat disorders that co-occur and help offenders to be responsible for what they do and recognize their wrong actions. They also document and play the role of advising courts that are dealing with the offenders on the risk level the offenders to the community they live.

Furthermore, individuals who are not subject to the controls of the criminal justice system and who have Hebephilic and Pedophilic sexual interests can be treated using a way that combines elements of Good Lives Model, interventions of cognitive behavior, and medications that are androgen-deprived (Yates, 2013). The patients are recruited to the treatment technique, and a consultation process is arranged with the patients that have Pedophilia with the intention of minimizing shame and discrimination.

More so, there are programs that rely on psychotherapy or counseling, which are insight-oriented. It can be done in a group or individual setting. The programs take the form of practices that are more of traditional treatment, which includes talk therapy, which explores the causes and thoughts that cause offending behaviors.

Another criterion is the use of skills orientation. The approach is designed in such a way that the treatment is focused on the rehearsal of new skills after they are developed. The skills alter the cognition and behavior of the offender, and the alteration reduces the risk of the offense and reoffending (Marshall et al., 2013). Continuity of care is incorporated in this criterion to ensure maintenance or follow up of the supervision and ensure the programs employed reinforce the skills that were learned and make sure the overall management of the offender continues.

Several factors determine the eligibility of sex offenders to participate in treatment. Some of the determinants are seriousness attached to a sex offense, willingness of the offenders to get treated, risk level of the crime, and available treatments (Garcia et al., 2013). Most sex offenders get therapy as a requirement or condition of their court sentence. The treatment might occur in a community, or it might take place in a secure setting where the sex offender is kept like a mental health facility or in prison. Some treatment programs are mandatory, and others are voluntary, where the sex offenders chose to be treated or deny.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the methods applied in a sexual offender`s treatment, which could be behavioral or cognitive has to follow the principles of the offender`s treatment, which are needs, risk, and responsively for effective treatment. The methods should demonstrate the likelihood of reducing the risk of recidivism or reoffending by reducing sexual aggression rather than general psychotherapy. The treatment should be responsive and flexible to the social and personal characteristics of the offender. The best methods to be used in treatment of sexual offenders are Good Lives Models, Circles of Centers and Accountability Approach, and use of techniques that incorporate cognitive behavior in the models. Some professionals who are experts in sex offender's treatment lead various intervention strategies and therapy sessions. They can license social workers, trained nurses, and probation officers.

References

Garcia, F. D., Delavenne, H. G., Assumpcao, A. D. F. A. & Thibaut, F. (2013). Pharmacologic treatment of sex offenders with the paraphilic disorder. Current psychiatry reports, 15(5), 356. DOI.org/10.1007/s11920-013-0356-5

Hanson, R. K., & Yates, P. M. (2013). Psychological treatment of sex offenders. Current Psychiatry Reports, 15(3), 348. DOI.org/10.1007/s11920-012-0348-x

Langstrom, N., Enebrink, P., Lauren, E. M., Lindblom, J., Werko, S., & Hanson, R. K. (2013). Preventing sexual abusers of children from reoffending: a systematic review of medical and psychological interventions. Bmj, 347, f4630. DOI.org/10.1136/bmj.f4630

Marshall, W. L., Laws, D. R., & Barbaree, H. E. (Eds.). (2013). Handbook of sexual assault: Issues, theories, and treatment of the offender. Springer Science & Business Media.

Yates, P. M. (2013). Treatment of sexual offenders: Research, best practices, and emerging models. International Journal of behavioral consultation and therapy, 8(3-4), 89. DOI.org/10.1037/h0100989