NCJ Number
225780
Journal
Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 70 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2008 Pages: 42-45
Date Published
December 2008
Length
4 pages
Annotation
After discussing the prevalence and characteristics of sex offenders, this article describes sex offender treatment within U.S. correctional systems, with a focus on the sex offender treatment program at the Regional Correctional Facility at Fort Sill, OK.
Abstract
According to the Center for Sex Offender Management, there were approximately 116,979 arrests for sex-related offenses in 2004. In addition, many sex offenders were not found guilty as charged, and only 16 percent of offenses committed were disclosed. There are currently an estimated 170,000 sex offenders under community supervision in the United States. Criminal justice researcher Andrew Harris has identified two primary traits of sex offenders: sexual deviancy (arousal to things or ideas that most individuals would consider unhealthy or inappropriate) and an antisocial lifestyle and orientation (pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others). This article also reviews Groth’s typologies and subtypes for child sex abusers and rapists. The general discussion of sex offender treatment notes that most sex offender treatment approaches are based in cognitive-behavioral therapy. The objective of such treatment is to change offenders’ behavior by helping them develop new ways of thinking that translate into new ways of behaving. This includes teaching offenders how to prepare themselves for urges to relapse by identifying high-risk situations, learning urge-control methods, and developing effective coping skills for dealing with stress and social interactions. The sex offender treatment program at Fort Sill is known as STOP. It is designed for low-risk to moderate-risk sex offenders. The program’s focus is on influencing offenders to admit their crimes and commit to stopping their deviant and harmful sex offenses through the development of empathy and relapse-prevention skills. 12 notes