Treating Offenders in the Community: Assessment and Treatment Issues and the Special Challenges of Sexual Offenders (From Personal Construct Perspectives on Forensic Psychology, P 143-177, 2003, James Horley, ed., -- See NCJ-213479)

• NCJ Number: 213484
• Author(s): Anthony Eccles; William Walker
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 35 pages
• Sale Source: Brunner-Routledge
• Publication Format: Book Chapter
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This chapter presents a strategy for delivering community-based cognitive-behavioral treatment to offenders, specifically sexual offenders.

Abstract

There is a sound research base that demonstrates the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral approaches to treating offenders in the community. This chapter focuses specifically on treating sexual offenders in the community, discussing the challenges of working with a community-based offender population as well as the advantages of establishing therapeutic communities. The challenges of working with community-based offenders include poor attendance, the problem of finding an appropriate treatment location, and employment conflicts. A therapeutic community is thus presented as an attractive method of delivering community-based treatment, particularly to sexual offenders who may be under stringent supervision requirements. Special considerations when working with community-based offenders are reviewed, such as security and location issues for community-based clinics as well as special treatment and assessment considerations. The authors caution community-based treatment providers who assess sexual offenders to gather as much independent information as possible about four main domains: criminal history, criminal personality, criminal attitudes, and criminal associates. Group cognitive-behavioral therapeutic strategies are recommended for treating sexual offenders. Such approaches should include an analysis of cognitive distortions influencing the thoughts and subsequent actions of the offenders. An offense analysis is also recommended in order to develop a comprehensive relapse prevention plan; such an analysis examines predisposing risk factors, precipitating risk factors, and perpetuating risk factors. An outline of the Deniers Programme for community-based sexual offenders is presented. The goal of the Programme is to increase offenders’ knowledge of: (1) cognitive distortions; (2) victim impact issues; and (3) relapse prevention. Finally, special management concerns with community-based sexual offenders are considered, such as the possible need to institute curfews and the problems that arise for sexual offenders when they simply shop in a mall where there is ready access to potential victims. References