NCJ Number
122791
Date Published
1986
Length
60 pages
Annotation
The availability of sex offender treatment, both residential and community-based outpatient programs, has become a topic of discussion for rape crisis centers and all persons who deal with crime victims.
Abstract
Sex offenders are generally classified as rapist, exhibitionist, child molester, or incest offenders (including pedophiles). Adolescent sex offenders can be categorized as naive experimenter, undersocialized child exploiter, pseudosocialized child exploiter, sexual aggressive, sexual compulsive, disturbed impulsive, and group-influenced. Two sex offender classifications not readily included with major rapist categories are satyrs or male nymphomaniacs who have insatiable sexual desires and intellectual or libertime rapists who victimize passive women by force to demonstrate their virility and superiority. Another sex offender classification is based on anger and power. Anger rapists use more force than is necessary to control the victim, while power rapists threaten the victim with a weapon rather than physically controlling her. Basics of most sex offender treatment programs include continuous assessment, postrelease treatment, peer group therapy, individual therapy, and family therapy. The paper examines how rape crisis centers can participate in the treatment process and the position taken by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape on the treatment of sex offenders. Treatment methods and the issue of recidivism are discussed, and an overview of national sex offender programs and Pennsylvania programs is presented. 18 references.