Approaches Used in the Treatment of Violent and Sexual Offenders Essay

Violent and sexual offenders are believed to be among the most dangerous types of people in today’s modern world. This kind of offense is very different than other offenses and is judged based on certain criteria. A violent offense is based on the severity of physical damage, whilst a sexual offense is considered a violation of the person’s most sacred rights. The treatment for both is also set accordingly—a violent offender is taught to control emotions and practice techniques that help analyze the degree of stress, while a sexual offender is meant to change the set of values it has and obtain an understanding of the surrounding world.

When looking at violent offences, there are many things that draw a line between the treatment and assessment of the charges. The primary has to deal with the model and the exhibited behavior and different types of conditions present at that time. There is a noticeable difference between habitual aggression and a first or second-charge violent offense. In the treatment process, those who are engaged in habitual violence have a greater chance to come in contact with services that provide some form of treatment. Some of the important applications and approaches in the treatment of violent offenders are the ways that they process the information, react emotionally, control or regulate their own behavior, changes in their development with the use of learning theory motivation for aggressive behavior, and prevention in relapses (Ireland, 2012). It is stressed that there must be a focus on the anti-social behavior and ability to manage the aggression. It is also emphasized that in the treatment process, emotions and the future outbreaks are incorporated into the process of rehabilitation. The maintenance of aggressive behavior has a lot to do with the way an individual processes the social information and how the behavior develops further. The human behavior, ingrained in every person, has been one of the focuses in the application of treatment. A person is taught to look at the social situation and decode the stimuli by finding a proper response. The interpretation is very important, as the person must have some positive feedback or reaction to the surrounding environment (Ireland, 2012). But since the sexual offences are different in nature, so a more unique approach is required. Marshal and Barbaree note the importance of developmental factors in the theory relating to child sexual abuse. Finkelhor’s precondition model also looks at behavior and how it is modelled. The theories offer a closer understanding of how the behavior develops and what specific aspects maintain its continuance (Ireland, 2012). One of the key factors to consider is the development of the offender and what vulnerabilities they had during the formation of their character and attitude. In many instances, the individuals who exhibit such behavior have been the victims of similar circumstances in the past. The attachments that an individual has and the ability to cope with the environment play a role in how a person will perceive the world outside their unique and skewed point of view.

Often, the problems relating to parenting and low quality of attachment, as well as the inability to trust and disclose feelings at a needed time, lead to a person becoming introvert. The transition from childhood to adulthood is a sensitive time, when an individual develops ‘scripts’. In case there is a lack of social skills and management of the environment, a person becomes closed in and creates its own criteria for proper behavior in a society. In this way, the attachments and socialization help the treatment. For violent offenders, the anger management programs are considered to be one of the most common forms of treatment. Generally, it is a group session that is characterised by short time periods, so that individuals do not lose focus and do not get agitated. The awareness of the offender’s behaviour and their interpretation of their own actions have proven beneficial in the rehabilitation process (DeLisi, 2011). Also, there is much work on the social aspect of the treatment, as the person has to assimilate back into society with the ability to deal with everyday life and pressures. There are techniques and approaches where a person is taught to control the rise of aggressive behaviour, for example, the individuals are presented with an opportunity to distinctly differentiate and label certain behaviours as unwanted for easier comprehension. This results in a better control and resonance between several types of moods and behaviours (Dvoskin, 2012). The cognitive practices are thought to be more in-depth, where an individual has a chance to analyse its own conduct and ways of moral understanding, to find out why they exhibit specific behavioural patterns. These are arranged in groups and are longer in time because of the closer detail examination. The treatment of sexual offenders has some differences, but the foundation of the therapy is built on cognitive analysis and the promotion of good behaviour. The “Good Lives” model encourages the person to look for a strong side in their character and build upon it. There is a practice in the tolerance of distress and acceptance of certain facts about one’s own personality that leads to commitment and rehabilitation. There is much attention paid to the continuity of the treatment, so that the person has time to adjust and get used to the routine. There are separate sessions and therapy programs that focus on different aspects of preparation for the social life, motivation to perform regular and routine tasks, treatment of own distress and the monitoring of general behaviour. The risk of a sexual offender returning to previous behaviour is greatly considered, which sets up an individual treatment program depending on the intensity of the divergence. There is even a division for those who mostly deny their behaviour or might qualify it as a minor deviation from norm. Because of the nature of the offence, such individuals are ensured with a lot of supervision and constant monitoring of the changes in the attitude and behaviour (Craig, 2010).

For violent offenders, relapse prevention is one of the most focused end goals of the treatment. A person must be taught to build on the social life and relationships with family and friends. Because the offence is based on the severity of applied force, the individuals are taught to control their temper. The techniques of cognitive and emotional control are directed to teach how to organise one’s own character. But more importantly, they should be given a glimpse into a life where they can focus on themselves, work on their health, leisure activities and work. In my opinion simply pointing to the behaviour and finding critical points do not bring any result, as the person will not be able to see the other perspective of social life. The Regulation Model of the Relapse Process outlines the organisation of rehabilitation and has several stages. An individual first gets a slight inclination towards recidivism and then it gradually increases. If the person is not taught about the ways to control and lower such impulses, they eventually lose the control of the situation. The same can be said about the success of GLM for sexual offenders, as they are taught the correct way to deal with their emotions. The more an individual understands why he/she is feeling certain things, the better he/she will understand how to cope and control those emotions and thoughts. It also provides more potential guidance for treatment and therapy in terms of understanding what is serving as motivation for individuals; namely what they are aiming to achieve and how this has changed over the offender’s life (Campbell, 2007). The self-determination theory of human motivation and the setting theory illustrate what one must focus on. For example, the self-motivation techniques are taught when a person analyses its abilities and compares it to the possible outcomes. As a result, an individual can motivate himself/herself to strive towards specific goals and work out an organisation of behavior to get closer to the manifestation of the direction (Forgas, 1998). The brain is the centre of the person’s being and information is stored in patterns and schemes. People develop a certain connection with the events in their life through repetition and learning. In case it is possible to re-wire the connection between violence to contain positive outcomes, the understanding of the situation changes. Stress and its control over a person play a major role, as it further leads to anger and uncontrollable behavior. Stress is a reaction of the central nervous system to the conditions that happen outside of an organism and, as such, physical and mental suppression is required.

The challenges of the treatment are both internal and external. There is a lot of therapy and rehabilitation as a result of offending, it still continues. This requires the legislation to adjust community rights and the rights of violent and sexual offenders. Sometimes, it is difficult to access the risk that offenders pose to the community, but some action still must be taken. All the laws relating to post sentencing have been upheld, which proves that the legislation serves its purpose. The researches lead to the fact that it is a reasonable and fair criterion of the applied law to offer therapy and medical support to such offenders. Incarceration alone cannot be effective enough in providing social development and individual growth. The sentencing already passes as a punishment to the person, and any post-sentence restraint adds to further punishment of the released convict. The goals of the preventive detention program are the safety of the community and the change in the behaviour of the offender. The post-sentence preventive detention and therapeutic treatment is aimed at violent and sexual offenders who already permit this in prison. The basis of this policy is an adequate community safety and continued restraint, care and/or therapy of a prisoner to aid its rehabilitation. The therapy targets offenders who are incarcerated for a serious offence, regardless of the time of sentence commencement, relative to enactment of the legislation. However, the scope of the offence for which the treatment applies varies between states. Prior to the treatment, the therapist should review the criminal history of the sexual or violent offender to conclude whether it poses high probability of potential risk or not. This is true for all offenders, as their behaviour patterns are somewhat similar (Gilbert, Jones & Austin, 1986). The environmental factors also increase the internal frustration, which leads to a body’s chemical response. An offender must adopt a narrow focus — concentrating on anti-social behavior and missing core aggression. There are problems with the perception of the situation and previous knowledge. An offender is not aware that its behavior is thought to be unlawful, as they have adapted to such attitude and do not consider it to be outside the norm. The theory describing the process of over-focusing on subjective emotion, which is anger, makes the person act out inner pressure. The therapy teaches the offenders to reorganise their perception. Sometimes they might refuse to recognise the reality of a traumatic perception. So, the facts and situations must be presented to describe in detail the specifics of their behavior and attitude (Esbensen, 2010). Also, there is difficulty in applying the treatment to an individual offender, as there are many loopholes. Some of these loopholes lead to unnecessary punishment to serious violent or sexual offenders. In various preventive schemes, the court evaluates the tendency of the offender to repeat the crime. The court has to perceive a high degree of surety that the probability of the offender’s recidivism after term completion is enough grounds to apply the policy (Mercado & Ogloff, 2007). But sometimes, there are cases when the evidence presents points in the wrong direction and does not allow an objective and fair decision. The eyewitnesses are often instrumental in providing testimonies, but their perspective or recollection of events might be skewed from the truth.

Recidivism is an important point to consider when releasing from custody or judicial supervision. The laws must reflect and aid in the treatment of sexual and violent offenders. There must be a direct link between legislation and the reality of individual characteristics (Serran, 2005). There is no doubt of the correlation between recidivism and therapy. With proper treatment, individuals can learn control and find ways to fit into the society. As such, each person must be treated individually, as there are a number of personal and social factors that play a role.

The research was done to differentiate between the two types of offenders and find the proper treatment approach. The objective was also to clarify how the specific treatment will lead to understanding and reintegration of the offenders into the society. To better understand both environmental and personal factors further research would allow for an in-depth understanding.

References

Campbell, T 2007, Assessing Sex Offenders: Problems and Pitfalls, Charles C Thomas Publisher, Springfield, IL.

Craig, L 2010, Assessment and Treatment of Sexual Offenders with Intellectual Disabilities, John Wiley & Sons Malden, MA.

DeLisi, M 2011, Violent Offenders: Theory, Research, Policy, and Practice, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, Burlingot, MA.

Dvoskin, J 2012, Using Social Science to Reduce Violent Offending, Oxford University Press, New York, NY.

Esbensen, F 2010, Youth Violence: Sex and Race Differences in Offending, Victimization, and Gang Membership, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, PA.

Forgas, J 1998, ‘Happy and mistaken? Mood effects on the fundamentals attribution error’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 75, pp. 318-331.

Gilbert, D, Jones, E & Austin, T 1986, ‘Perceiver-induced constraint: Interpretations of self-generated reality’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 50 no. 2, pp. 296-280.

Ireland, J 2012, Violent and Sexual Offenders: Assessment, Treatment and Management, Routledge, New York, NY.

Mercado, C & Ogloff, J 2007, ‘Risk and the preventive detention of sex offenders in Australia and the United States’, International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, Vol. 30, pp. 49-59.

Serran, G 2005, Sexual Offender Treatment: Controversial Issues, John Wiley & Sons, West Sussex, England.