NCJ Number
105352
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 31 Issue: 1 Dated: (1987) Pages: 61-69
Date Published
1987
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Dangerous sexual offenders present problems for correctional decisionmakers because of the types of crimes they have committed and the lack of any clear and effective clinical treatment.
Abstract
These offenders include rapists who have murdered, child molesters, and serial rapists. They usually receive treatment only after being placed in custody. Treatment generally assumes either that the behavior is learned or that it results from organic dysfunctions and thus uses either behavior modification and other aversive techniques or chemical castration. By itself, custody does little to treat these offenders adequately. However, they often respond well to the custodial environment, and this adaptation is often confused with effective treatment results. These false positives make it difficult to predict the offenders' potential once they are released to the community. Thus, supervised treatment remains the primary legal response for released offenders, while others will require a secure environment. 24 references. (Author abstract modified)