Treatment for Inappropriate or Illegal Sexual Behavior
Disclaimer: This site is intended for general public information only. Information on this site should not be considered an alternative for medical or legal professional advice for specific or personal cases.
Recent Item
From Dale Jenkins with Advocates For Change (AFC) in Colorado
August 28, 2018, at the International Association for the Treatment of Sexual Offenders (IATSO) Conference, Dr. Theresa Gannon presented on the “Future directions in sexual offending: Is treatment effective?” The presentation, which I have attached [here], discussed the results of a meta-analysis Dr. Gannon and her colleagues conducted involving approximately 42,000 adults who had committed sex offenses. The meta-analysis, as you will see from the presentation, is the highest level of research. The fact that Dr. Gannon’s N = 41,476 individuals, makes the research even more impactful.
Dr. Gannon and her colleagues found that one of the conditions under which treatment was more effective was the absence of the use of polygraph. Others conditions/results were: the presence of treatment resulted in reduced recidivism rates; programs that used arousal conditioning produced better outcomes; treatment is more effective when there is hands-on psychological trained expertise involved in the treatment program and the treatment providers are supervised; a group modality is more effective than a group/individual modality; treatment provided in the community is more effective than treatment provided in an institution; and the use of RNR (Risk-Need-Responsivity)/evidence-based treatment is more effective.
The meta-analysis is presently out for peer review and has yet to be published.
* * * * * * *
The treatment of those who demonstrate inappropriate sexual behavior is not a A-to-Z process but is a circular path. It involves not only what treatment should be provided but where and that it turn modifies the type of treatment provided. Treatment is conducted in the community for those who are doing it voluntarily and for those who are doing it involuntarily due to having gone through the judicial process (probation or parole). In addition, those who are doing it involuntarily may be doing so while incarcerated, while in the community or while civility committed after serving a period of incarceration.
Because the environment of where the treatment is to be conducted impacts upon the type of treatment to be provided, there will be differences in the treatment approach taken. The major difference in treatment between those doing treatment while incarcerated and those doing so in the community is the addition of an overall management strategy and a bigger emphasis on the individual being responsible for managing their behavior, sexual or otherwise.
Efficacy of Sex Offender Treatment Still Up in the Air - High-quality studies are lacking on whether treatment lowers risk of re-offending. Psychology Today, Witness - A blog about forensic psychology by Karen Franklin, Ph.D.
We would suggest that individuals, their families and loved ones look at the materials from NEARI Press. NEARI serves as a source of practical, cutting-edge information for professionals and the public about promising and best-practice interventions with those who sexually abuse.s.
Per the Vera Institute of Justice 2008 report Treatment And Reentry Practices for Sex Offenders, there are some consistent treatment components which occur both in the community as well as within prison.
These treatment components are-
Section 1905.300 General Standards for Treatment, (g)(5)
International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy (IJBCT), 2013, Vol. 8 , No. 3-4
The use of anti-libidinal medications in the treatment of sexual offenders. Jayson Ware, Director Sex &
Violent Offender Therapeutic Programmes, Corrective Services NSW and Dr Stephen Allnutt, FRCPC, FRANZCP
Reviews what these medications are and what effects they have, how commonly they are used or should be used, how
effective they actually are, and finally in our clinical opinion which sex offenders would benefit from the taking these
medications. We also raise briefly some of the ethical, legal, and medical implications of their use.ed reversible when
treatment is discontinued, although permanent effects in body chemistry can sometimes be seen.
Anti-libidinal Medication in Managing Sexual Offenders – Karen Harrison, LLB Hons, Dip Bar Vocational
Studies, Ph.D, PGCHE (Note: ppsx file, PowerPoint)
New Directions in Sex Offender Practice Conference, 8th October 2012, University of Birmingham.
Pharmacological Interventions with Adult Male Sexual Offenders
Adopted by the ATSA Executive Board of Directors on August 30, 2012
The treatment components listed above are used in combination with each other to provide an overall treatment approach with cognitive behavioral treatment being the foundation. In most prison environments less emphasis is given to drug therapy as an approach.
Please report broken links on our Contact Us page.
Recent Item
From Dale Jenkins with Advocates For Change (AFC) in Colorado
August 28, 2018, at the International Association for the Treatment of Sexual Offenders (IATSO) Conference, Dr. Theresa Gannon presented on the “Future directions in sexual offending: Is treatment effective?” The presentation, which I have attached [here], discussed the results of a meta-analysis Dr. Gannon and her colleagues conducted involving approximately 42,000 adults who had committed sex offenses. The meta-analysis, as you will see from the presentation, is the highest level of research. The fact that Dr. Gannon’s N = 41,476 individuals, makes the research even more impactful.
Dr. Gannon and her colleagues found that one of the conditions under which treatment was more effective was the absence of the use of polygraph. Others conditions/results were: the presence of treatment resulted in reduced recidivism rates; programs that used arousal conditioning produced better outcomes; treatment is more effective when there is hands-on psychological trained expertise involved in the treatment program and the treatment providers are supervised; a group modality is more effective than a group/individual modality; treatment provided in the community is more effective than treatment provided in an institution; and the use of RNR (Risk-Need-Responsivity)/evidence-based treatment is more effective.
The meta-analysis is presently out for peer review and has yet to be published.
* * * * * * *
The treatment of those who demonstrate inappropriate sexual behavior is not a A-to-Z process but is a circular path. It involves not only what treatment should be provided but where and that it turn modifies the type of treatment provided. Treatment is conducted in the community for those who are doing it voluntarily and for those who are doing it involuntarily due to having gone through the judicial process (probation or parole). In addition, those who are doing it involuntarily may be doing so while incarcerated, while in the community or while civility committed after serving a period of incarceration.
Because the environment of where the treatment is to be conducted impacts upon the type of treatment to be provided, there will be differences in the treatment approach taken. The major difference in treatment between those doing treatment while incarcerated and those doing so in the community is the addition of an overall management strategy and a bigger emphasis on the individual being responsible for managing their behavior, sexual or otherwise.
Efficacy of Sex Offender Treatment Still Up in the Air - High-quality studies are lacking on whether treatment lowers risk of re-offending. Psychology Today, Witness - A blog about forensic psychology by Karen Franklin, Ph.D.
We would suggest that individuals, their families and loved ones look at the materials from NEARI Press. NEARI serves as a source of practical, cutting-edge information for professionals and the public about promising and best-practice interventions with those who sexually abuse.s.
Per the Vera Institute of Justice 2008 report Treatment And Reentry Practices for Sex Offenders, there are some consistent treatment components which occur both in the community as well as within prison.
These treatment components are-
- CBT or Cognitive behavioral treatment. Effective cognitive behavioral treatments focuses on the following: helping offenders define the problems that led them into conflict with authorities, assisting offenders with selecting goals, motivating offenders to generate new alternative pro-social solutions, and then assisting with facilitating these solution. In short, CB'I' centers on assisting offenders with thinking differently about their actions and responding to stimuli in a legally permissible fashion.
- Relapse Prevention. A treatment that uses cognitive and behavioral techniques to help offenders identify and change negative behavioral patterns.
- Arousal Control. This element of treatment is intended to assess, identify, and decrease or replace deviant sexual desires, arousal, thoughts, and fantasies, replacing this deviancy with healthier sexual attitudes and functioning.
Section 1905.300 General Standards for Treatment, (g)(5)
- Victim empathy. Focuses on increasing the individual's empathy for the people they offended with their inappropriate or illegal sexual behavior.
International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy (IJBCT), 2013, Vol. 8 , No. 3-4
- Psycho-educational. Focuses on teaching an individual the components of sexual offending, the impact is has on others, sexual behavior, offending cycles, victim empathy, managing emotions and other issues.
- Drug therapy (pharmacological). Sometimes referred to as “Chemical castration” is the administration of medication designed to reduce libido and sexual arousal. Unlike surgical castration, where the testicles or ovaries are removed through an incision in the body, chemical castration does not actually castrate the person, nor is it a form of sterilization.
The use of anti-libidinal medications in the treatment of sexual offenders. Jayson Ware, Director Sex &
Violent Offender Therapeutic Programmes, Corrective Services NSW and Dr Stephen Allnutt, FRCPC, FRANZCP
Reviews what these medications are and what effects they have, how commonly they are used or should be used, how
effective they actually are, and finally in our clinical opinion which sex offenders would benefit from the taking these
medications. We also raise briefly some of the ethical, legal, and medical implications of their use.ed reversible when
treatment is discontinued, although permanent effects in body chemistry can sometimes be seen.
Anti-libidinal Medication in Managing Sexual Offenders – Karen Harrison, LLB Hons, Dip Bar Vocational
Studies, Ph.D, PGCHE (Note: ppsx file, PowerPoint)
New Directions in Sex Offender Practice Conference, 8th October 2012, University of Birmingham.
Pharmacological Interventions with Adult Male Sexual Offenders
Adopted by the ATSA Executive Board of Directors on August 30, 2012
- Truth test which utilizes the polygraph to determine the accuracy of an individual’s reporting of past and current inappropriate or illegal sexual behavior. The above link refers back to the Physiological Assessments page under the Assessment tab of this website.
The treatment components listed above are used in combination with each other to provide an overall treatment approach with cognitive behavioral treatment being the foundation. In most prison environments less emphasis is given to drug therapy as an approach.
Please report broken links on our Contact Us page.
Please report broken links on our Contact Us page