Forensic Psychology For Dummies (143 page)

In addition to his acceptance of untrammelled sexual gratification quite early on, in his teens he raped a young woman but managed to avoid being convicted of the crime. The stage was thus set for a continuation of this predatory activity. His patterns of behaviour and attitudes were ingrained within a view of himself that was shaped in part by the way his parents and others in his family treated him. Possibly, his only feeling of being at all significant came when he was sexually violent.

But even these precursors in parental role models, deep-seated attitudes and a limited understanding of the consequences of his actions may not have turned him into a serial killer. Only when he got together with Rose, who had a background in crime and prostitution, was he encouraged to take his depredations further. Together, they created an environment that made sexual violence and murder a way of life.

Appraising some sex offender treatment programmes

Treating sex offenders needs to be broadly based, dealing with the many different aspects of their thoughts, feelings and actions that contribute to their offending. This process involves intensive and frequent contact with offenders in a supportive and open context, which can be very difficult to achieve in a prison. Also, many sex offenders don’t want to participate in such activities.

The general disgust that other prisoners have for sex offenders can make their experience of prison particularly damaging and dangerous. As a result, many prison systems organise prisons so that sex offenders are kept away from other prisoners. Certain prisons or wings of prisons even contain only people convicted of sex offences. Of course, this approach can be counterproductive because these individuals then mix with each other and help to validate each other’s sexual preferences, including teaching each other how to avoid detection.

Those offenders willing to participate in treatment programmes may discover how to ‘fake being good’. They master the vocabulary of therapy and know what to say without ever totally accepting the new attitudes and behaviours that society requires of them. But providing some form of treatment is better than leaving these people to rot in prison, or letting them back in the community with no hope of rehabilitation.

The ‘good-lives’ approach

Many sexual offenders come from dysfunctional families and have themselves experienced various forms of abuse. They’ve often been told that they’re worthless and their criminal offending may well emerge out of a mixture of doing to others what’s been done to them, as well as attempts to gain some feeling of significance.

In recognition of the extent to which offending can grow out of habits, and beliefs embedded in destructive and personal processes, one approach to therapy emerging in recent years emphasises enabling offenders to develop the skills to achieve a ‘good life’ in an acceptable way. Thus, instead of focusing on the reduction of the risks of re-offending, this more humanitarian approach deals directly with helping to achieve positive aspects of life.

Central to this approach is the proposal that everyone, offender or not, seeks a number of primary features in their lives:

Autonomy

Community

Creativity

Freedom from stress

Friendship

Happiness

Health

Knowledge

Mastery of experiences, and

Meaning in life