Religiously Responsive Treatment for People Convicted of Sexual Offences

Let Him Who Is without Sin Cast the First Stone: Religious Struggle among Persons Convicted of Sexually Offending

“…Given the strong inverse relationship between religious struggle and self-compassion found in this study, previous research that suggests self-compassion may promote desistance (Morley et al 2016), along with the promise of compassion-based approaches to therapy (Harper et al 2019;Walton and Hocken 2019), it is important to continue to study the impact of religious struggles on perceptions of the self in this, and other, populations. Research examining the efficacy of acceptance and compassion approaches to therapy for this population should also be examined for their potential impact on religious struggles.…”

Reentry in Practice: Sexual Offending, Self-Narratives, and the Implications of Stigma in Norway

“…Burchfield and Mingus (2014) underline how, once released, those convicted of sexual offenses are in particular need of the community support networks provided by local social capital because their stigma is so pronounced. Finally, the third circle consists of society at large—the public attitudes and labeling that can potentially either help or hinder reintegrative processes (Harper, 2019). These three circles, all agents of informal social control, can either deprive or provide people with opportunities to attain social bonds and the sense of belonging required for tertiary desistance (Harris, 2014; Laub & Sampson, 2001).…”

“…The heterogeneity among individuals who have sexually offended are missed by focusing largely on a few sensational cases, meaning that those responsible for the offenses often are portrayed as a homogenous group of extraordinarily deviant, incurable, monstrous predators (Farmer et al, 2016; Mancini, 2018; McCartan, 2010; Willis et al, 2010). These unvarnished portrayals can shape public opinion and lead to more public concern (Galeste et al, 2012; Harper, 2019; Harper & Hogue, 2017; Zatkin et al, 2021). Being recognized as someone who is able to change might therefore be a greater challenge for those who have sexually offended than for those who have committed other crimes, perhaps because society lacks “redemption scripts” (Maruna, 2001) or a language for desistance regarding sexual offending.…”

“…If such scripts do become available to ordinary members of society, they might open up for a willingness to provide released people with the social recognition they need to form their redemption scripts, and hence allow achievement of a state of tertiary desistance. A first step in this direction might be to communicate about sexual crime in more sensible and effective ways (Harper, 2019). By educating the public about sexual offending, true recidivism rates, and the fact that it is indeed possible, even normative, not to re-offend, the chances of truly successful reentry might improve.…”