Sex Offender Treatment

Abstract

Convicted sex offenders attending an outpatient treatment program in Connecticut were surveyed about their experiences in therapy, their perceived importance of treatment content, their satisfaction with the help they receive, and their engagement in therapeutic services. There were strong correlations between perceived importance of content items and satisfaction with services. A robust correlation was also found between engagement and satisfaction. Clients rated accountability and victim empathy as the most important components of treatment. Other popular content areas were thinking errors, relapse prevention concepts, uncovering motivations to offend, and controlling deviant arousal. Most sex offenders valued the peer support and confrontation offered by group therapy. Though reduced recidivism is clearly the crucial measure of treatment success, clients who are engaged in the treatment process and develop healthy interpersonal skills by participating in therapy may be less likely to engage in abusive behavior. Implications for practitioners are discussed.

“I Feel Your Pain”: Do Batter Intervention Programs Impact Perpetrators’ Empathy for Victims?

“…There is criticism of methods that are highly confrontational that may be found in feminist-based interventions (Loeffler, Prelog, Unnithan, & Pogrebin, 2009;van Wormer & Bednar, 2002). The concern is that highly confrontational methods can be shame invoking, and many people respond to shame by erecting defenses.…”

“…Although there seems to be an absence of empirical research that validates the relationship between increased empathy and increased accountability in the domestic violence literature, the importance of increased empathy for victims as a step toward accountability is well developed in the literature regarding sex offenders (Levenson, Prescott, & D'Amora, 2010;Rosentan, Ritchie, & Laux, 2009;Wastell, Cairns, & Haywood, 2009). This article proposes that as with the treatment of sex offenders, the goal of promoting the development of empathy in perpetrators for their victims may also reduce the risk of reoffending.…”

A narrative review of research on clinical responses to the problem of sexual offenses in the last decade

“…Experiential therapy may involve learning to empathize with the victim. In one study, sex offenders reported that learning "accountability" and "empathy" for their victims were the most important concepts acquired in therapy (Levenson, Prescott, & D'Amora, 2010). However, the research on therapy aimed at increasing victim empathy was found to have weak evidence of efficacy in treating sex offenders Smith, 2012).…”

Déjà vu: from Furby to Långström and the evaluation of sex offender treatment effectiveness

“…Similarly, in sexual offender treatment, research has revealed that warm, empathic, encouraging, directive and non-confrontational therapist characteristics were associated with general treatment benefits, and, more specifically, with decreased denial and minimization and improved relationships (Marshall, 2005;Marshall et al, 2003;Marshall et al, 2002;Marshall, Burton, & Marshall, 2013Serran et al, 2003Walji et al, 2013). Sex offender clients themselves have identified process variables and therapist qualities as crucial to their engagement in counselling (Levenson, Macgowan, Morin, & Cotter, 2009;Levenson & Prescott, 2009;Levenson, Prescott, & D'Amora, 2010). Sex offender treatment, however, has historically employed confrontational methods and a focus on content over process, perhaps inhibiting engagement (Yates, Prescott, & Ward, 2010).…”