Sex Offenders And Sexual Offenders

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Sex Offender Population There is no “standard” sexual offender. Child molesters and rapists come from a multitude of backgrounds and are most often seen as law abiding individuals. In most cases, offenders are male; however, there have been cases of females committing sexual offences reported in the past (Schaffer, Jeglic, Moster & Wnuk, 2010). This treatment manual will focus on the male sexual offender population; they may vary in age, from youth to senior citizens. In fact, more than half of the adult male sexual offender population began offending in their teens (Terry, 2004). This program will feature a ‘rolling group’, this allows individuals to be at different stages in the program which will allow for patients to ease into the program at their own pace. Most male sexual offenders plan their crimes in advance; it is rarely an impulsive act. Although in some circumstances, offenders may take advantage of the chance to offend. In most cases, male sexual offenders know their victims and use this as an advantage to find situations in which the victim is vulnerable to an attack (Schaffer et al., 2010). Sexual assaults could include physical violence, overpowering or threats. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy & Treatment Effectiveness Research has indicated that treatment specifically for sexual offenders may lower the chance of recidivism among some sexual offenders (Terry, 2004). This specific treatment focuses on altering unusual sexual interests, modifying attitudes and beliefs that attempt to support sexual offending, increasing empathy and understanding for victims, and teaching skills that help prevent reoffending from occurring and to help offenders lead ordinary lives (Marshall, Marshall, Serran & O’Brien, 2013). Most c... ... middle of paper ... ...to inform the police and the potential victim that has been named. In order to further protect the confidence of the offender; the therapist and offender will under no circumstance been seen together in public (Murphy, 2011). If the two run into each other anywhere outside of the office, they are required to pretend they do not know one another. However, if the offender is comfortable with being acknowledged by the therapist in public, the offender must be the first to engage in conversation. The guidelines listed above exist in order to protect the offender in the therapeutic relationship. Each of these guidelines will be discussed in the very first session that is held between the two individuals. If the offender has any questions regarding the confidence limitations they are free to ask the therapist during any one of the sessions throughout the treatment period.

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