NCJ Number
227688
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 18 Issue: 3 Dated: May-June 2009 Pages: 302-319
Date Published
June 2009
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the question of including two or more youths who participated in the same gang rape in the same therapy group.
Abstract
Sex offender treatment has been shown to be effective. Studies have shown that recidivism among sex offenders who received treatment was considerably lower than those who were not treated. One of the questions facing the therapists who treat a group of adolescent sex offenders is whether or not to include in the same therapy group two or more youths who participated in the same gang rape. One view, detailed in this paper, claims that the creation of such a subgroup within a therapeutic group may harm the group process. The paper provides a background for group therapy with adolescent sex offenders and points out the characteristics of group rape and describes the uniqueness of working in a prison as opposed to working in the community or other settings outside the home. Characteristics of adolescent sex offenders and the group process provide a rationale against the inclusion in the same therapeutic group of two youths who committed a rape together. However, the observations made during 8 years of clinical experience and research in the prison clarifies why it can and should be done. References