NCJ Number
98051
Journal
Corrective and Social Psychiatry and Journal of Behavior Technology Methods and Therapy Volume: 31 Issue: 3 Dated: (July 1985) Pages: 83-87
Date Published
1985
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Group therapy for 20 men incarcerated for child molesting or rape at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks produced positive changes in self-satisfaction, behavior, physical self, moral-ethical self, and social self as measured by pretests and posttests with the Counseling Form of the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale.
Abstract
The subjects were divided into two groups by offense. The seven inmates in the child molesters' group met once a week for a year, while the group of 13 rapists met once a week for 12 weeks and then once a month for the rest of the year. The child molesters were required to keep a written log of their responses to issues raised in the group and write an autobiography. They discussed their stereotypes of child molesters, their own self-images (which did not fit these stereotypes), problems relating to women, issues that were stressful, and ways to cope. Since most knew in advance when they felt like approaching a child, warning signs and preventive strategies were examined. warning signs and preventive strategies were examined. Among the subjects discussed in the rapists' group were their self-images and feelings about their bodies, relationships with parents, their view of the ideal woman, relationships with women, expressing anger, and the effect of the rape on their lives and the victims' lives. Most rapists put their mothers on a pedestal and were very possessive of wives and girlfriends. They had a different view of the women they had raped, describing them in derogatory terms. Their relationships with women were shallow, and they viewed themselves as unattractive. Rapists were far more aggressive toward the therapists than were the child molesters. The latter group also had much lower opinions of themselves. All the child molesters and most rapists admitted they had been victims of sexual abuse as children. Both groups accepted many sexual stereotypes and lacked accurate sexual information. Some outcomes of the groups were: recognition of their need for basic sex education, the need for assertiveness training, and the recommendation that future groups place more emphasis on realistic inmate evaluation of their own personalities. A table and 18 references are supplied.