Rowlands, M. T., Palk, G., & Young, R. McD. (2017). Psychological and legal aspects of dangerous sex offenders: A review of the literature. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 24(6), 812–824. Web.
The article by Rowlands et al. (2017) provides an insight into the modern legal practices with regard to sex offenders. The researchers utilize United States, United Kingdom, and Australia’s legislation to identify the way these countries respond to sex offenses and treat offenders after the sentence. Consequently, the researchers determined that the majority of the countries mentioned above do not provide concrete assessment criteria for measuring the risk of repeated offense. The study provides considerations for the individual’s dangerousness risk assessment. Mainly it points to the need for implementation of actuarial assessment in combination with clinical case formulation. It explores the limitation of actuarial assessment and psychological aspects which might be associated with a sex offense.
Simultaneously, the authors suggest that repeated crimes on sexual grounds are common among lawbreakers that exhibit signs of mental disorders. Finally, the authors conclude the article with a summary of their findings and recommendations for further research. As a result, I will use this article for cross-comparison of legal practices to manage sex offenders. In addition, the review of the psychological factors in sex-related crimes will be used as a central point in my research.
Hollomotz, A., & Greenhalgh, J. (2019). A realist analysis of treatment programmes for sex offenders with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 33(4), 729–738. Web.
The research of Hollomotz & Greenhalgh (2019) exploits realist evaluation methodological strategy to explore sex offender treatment programs. This method is applied to review the literature on sex offender treatment programs for people with various intellectual disabilities. The treatment programs analyzed in the article offer cognitive behavioral therapy, but little is known on the effectiveness of such programs. The study aims to include the leading programs from countries of English‐ and German‐speaking regions such as n Canada, Germany, Switzerland, the UK, and the USA. To elicit the underlying theories from the programs for sex offenders with intellectual disabilities, the researchers interviewed with key informants who designed the programs. As a result, the discussion revolves around such key outcomes as the cultivation of prosocial identities and increased risk management capacities.
The authors conclude that articulation of how intended programs are expected to work will contribute to the selection of more comprehensive outcome indicators. For my research, this article would be considered as the focal point in the indication of effective treatment of sexual offenders with psychological imbalance.
Simmons, M. L. (2019). Evaluating the legal assumptions of Victoria’s sex offender Registration Act 2004 from a psychological perspective. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 26(5), 783–796. Web.
The work of Simmons (2019) tries to analyze the Sex Offender Registration Act 2004 and subsequent implications that emerge from the Act. The four assumptions to which the author applies literature review are: “sexual offenders are more dangerous than non-sexual offenders; sexual offenders who target children are more dangerous than those who target adults; recidivism risk can be accurately assessed for sexual offenders who target adults; the Act is a useful tool for investigations and prosecutions;” Consequently, the research is focused on the analysis of the Act, its current implications and theoretical background which helps to analyze its effectiveness.
However, the research results demonstrate that none of the assumptions holds valid empirical evidence. Moreover, the investigation concludes that the Act plays a minuscule role in the insurance of the safety of the community and can be rendered ineffective. This article will be used to provide the background on current trends that address the crimes of a sexual offense.