An Abuse of Disability? Assessing Treatment Outcome in Sexual Offenders with Learning Disabilities

Abstract

There is growing recognition that, of the small proportion of people with learning disabilities who do offend, a disproportionate number are likely to have committed offences of a sexual nature. Perhaps of greater concern is the lack of empirical data to support the diversity of clinical interventions employed with this client group, and an absence of objective criteria for determining the outcome of such interventions. This paper describes initial findings of a study designed to assess treatment outcomes in eight male sexual offenders with learning disabilities currently detained in a special hospital. Data were collected through a range of quantitative research instruments in order to establish the utility of various assessment methods. Results obtained demonstrate positive shifts in several of the areas targeted during treatment. However, difficulties in the use of quantitative instruments with such inherently small samples are highlighted and discussed, and the paper, therefore, concludes by outlining how the research will develop hereafter through the development of a more qualitatively oriented, ordinal assessment instrument.

Managing risk: a qualitative study of community‐based professionals working with learning‐disabled sex offenders

“…The vast majority of people with a learning disability have little, if any, contact with the criminal justice system (Day 1993, Riding 2002). There is little consensus, however, as to the representation of this group in the crime statistics, with some suggesting less offences than the general population (O'Callaghan 1998) and others indicating more crimes committed (Lyall et al .…”