NCJ Number
202263
Journal
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 15 Issue: 4 Dated: October 2003 Pages: 323-338
Date Published
October 2003
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article examines the perceptions of sexual offenders about the treatment they have received.
Abstract
Seeking the views of the clients is essential in order to ensure that treatment is relevant and reflexive, and promotes relapse prevention. An evaluation was conducted from the perspective of the client of outpatient/community-based sexual offender group treatment programs that were run between 1992 and 2000. A questionnaire was given to participants to complete at the end of the treatment groups. The results of the study suggest that sexual offenders have a positive experience of group treatment. Most are able to recall significant issues addressed in the group and feel that their understanding of their offending was enhanced by therapy. The majority of subjects would have liked to have spent more time discussing their motivation to offend and victim issues, which suggests that sexual offenders have more interest than is commonly assumed in understanding their offending and its impact on victims. Many positive aspects of group (rather than individual) treatment were recognized by participants. Most respondents felt that the amount of homework set was appropriate. Positive comments were made in respect to the impact of the group on the likelihood of reoffending. Most offenders felt equally able to talk with male or female group leaders. More than 78 percent of subjects felt group leaders had either extremely or fairly supportive attitudes towards them. A minority of subjects felt that group leaders’ attitudes were less than positive toward them. A significant minority was unable to state anything that they had addressed during the group. Negative comments related to the behavior of other group members, but some offenders cited issues relating to the organization of the groups as problematic. A small number of negative comments were made regarding group leaders’ approach or attitudes, and a small minority of respondents considered that group leaders could have contributed more to the group. Future research could benefit from a larger sample size, and could control for factors such as treatment length and offender characteristics. 4 tables, 20 references