NCJ Number
86072
Date Published
1982
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Because patients in closed institutions, particularly sexual offenders, cannot be diagnosed and evaluated in a natural environment, nondangerous behavior related to the offenses must be identified, modified, and measured as the means for determining progress and readiness for release.
Abstract
The particular offending behavior of rapists and pedophiles is not a realistic option for their behavior in closed, secure institutions, so other means of measuring behavioral progress must be found for these sex offenders. This involves assessing the attitudes and behaviors underlying the offending behavior that can be monitored in a hospital environment. For the rapist, this involves determining whether the offense was motivated by sexual feelings or aggressive feelings. If the offense was sexually motivated, then it should be determined if the force was merely instrumental in experiencing sexual intercourse or was in itself arousing. After determining the dynamics of the act of rape for each individual, a therapy program can aim at changing these dynamics of interaction with women. Questions relevant to the dynamics of pedophilism include (1) whether such behavior results from a deviant sexual preference or is situationally induced; (2) whether the pedophile is aggressive or nonaggressive; and (3) whether the pedophile is homosexual, heterosexual, or bisexual in the choice of a victim. Identified problems should be addressed in the order in which the patient is likely to face them when released. This means starting with anxiety reduction techniques and then moving progressively to social skills training, sex education, sexual counseling, and revision of patterns of sexual arousal. The latter should focus on enhancing nondeviant sexual arousal. Thirty-six references are listed.