NCJ Number
239843
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 17 Issue: 4 Dated: July/August 2012 Pages: 279-288
Date Published
August 2012
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper critically reviews and evaluates the literature on taking responsibility for offending, in order to determine the rationale for the popularity of this treatment target.
Abstract
Sexual offenders in treatment programs are usually expected to take responsibility for their offendingwhich the authors define, on the basis of a literature review, as giving a detailed and precise disclosure of events which avoids external attributions of cause and matches the official/victim's account of the offense. However, research has not established that a failure to take responsibility for offending is a risk factor for future recidivism. In this paper, the authors critically reviews and evaluates the literature on taking responsibility for offending, in order to determine the rationale for the popularity of this treatment target. The authors consider the reasons why sex offenders fail to take responsibility for their offending and examine some potential problems with focusing on this goal in treatment programs. The authors also describe alternative treatment strategies for taking responsibility and conclude that there is less need for offenders to take responsibility for their past offending than there is for them to take responsibility for their future actions. (Published Abstract)