NCJ Number
146660
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 39 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1994) Pages: 241-245
Date Published
1994
Length
5 pages
Annotation
A sex offender and his wife appeared for therapy at a prominent university clinic and faked engagement in treatment for 2 years; details provided by the case study constitute an extreme example of the manipulation, collusion, and deception that often occur in sex offender treatment programs.
Abstract
The offender admitted sexual relations with his 8-year- old daughter but denied that he had sexually abused his sons. He stated that he was angry with his ex-wife and that he sexually abused his daughter during weekend visitations. Approximately seven 1-hour interviews were conducted with the offender to assess his amenability to treatment. Detailed sex, marital, and family of origin histories were obtained, as well as accounts of sexual abuse. Both the offender and his new wife completed an extensive test battery. For 2 years, the offender attended a weekly 2-hour sex offender group where he talked explicitly about his daughter and his sexual fantasies, personal problems, and marital difficulties. He also attended 1-hour biweekly family sessions. For 2 years, therapy moved very slowly, if at all, but part of this was attributed to the offender's lack of affect, feelings, and social skills. Over 400 pages of documentation on the offender and his children were obtained. These documents indicated that the children told contradictory stories to authorities. Further, repeated changes in doctors, hospitals, and therapists made it difficult to obtain an accurate assessment of damage inflicted on the children. The offender's decision to pursue legal remedies to overturn his past pleas of guilty and to prove his innocence precipitated his discharge from the treatment program. 8 references