Contrary to popular belief, not all sex offenders who target children are pedophiles, and not all pedophiles commit sexual offenses. But what is unequivocal is that pedophilia, which is defined as a persistent sexual interest in prepubescent children, is an emotionally charged and controversial topic. Parents are understandably worried about the safety and well-being of their children and want to protect them from being sexually exploited. Mental health and criminal justice professionals want to learn more about the assessment methods and intervention techniques that are available to develop and implement effective policies and practices.In this book, author Michael C. Seto addresses key concerns and questions in dealing with these clinical populations: How can pedophilia be detected? What causes pedophilia and sexual offending against children, and what is the relationship between the two? How do we assess risk to sexually offend? Finally, what do we know about intervention and prevention to reduce the occurrence of sexual offenses against children? In addition to a comprehensive synthesis of theory and research, the author demonstrates how this knowledge informs current treatment practices with the inclusion of illustrative case examples, sample interview questions, assessment tools, and online resources.

Pedophilia and Sexual Offending Against Children: Theory, Assessment, and Intervention

Circles of Support & Accountability (COSA) started 15 years ago in Ontario, Canada, as an alternate means of social support to high-risk sexual offenders released at the end of their sentences with...

/pdf/circles-of-support-accountability-a-canadian-national-bng5uv6jlp.pdf

Circles of Support & Accountability: A Canadian National Replication of Outcome Findings

In an ideal world, there would be a seamless relationship between interventions that focus on risk factors causally associated with sexual reoffending and the subsequent release of, and ongoing support for, offenders into the community. However, emotionally fueled and uninformed public responses to news of released sex offenders, and the legislation such responses have inspired, severely hinder this process. Our aims in this paper are to review findings of research on community attitudes about sex offenders within a desistance framework. More specifically, we provide a synthesis of the current research literature on attitudes towards sex offenders. Second, we consider in more detail those studies that include community member samples. Third, we review interventions aimed at promoting attitude change amongst professionals working with sex offenders and finally formulate some recommendations for promoting positive attitude change amongst the general public.

Desistance and Attitudes Towards Sex Offenders: Facilitation or Hindrance?

Research on the causal factors underlying sex offender recidivism has not considered the success or failure of the reintegration process by which the offender rejoins the community after prison. The authors developed a coding protocol to measure the quality and comprehensiveness of reintegration planning for sex offenders. The protocol was retrospectively applied to groups of recidivists and nonrecidivists who were matched on static risk level and follow-up time. The protocol demonstrated adequate reliability. Compared to nonrecidivists, recidivists had significantly lower scores relating to accommodation, employment, and the Good Lives Model secondary goods, as well as lower total reintegration plan scores. ANCOVAs showed that when IQ and level of sexual deviance were controlled for, accommodation (a place to live) was significantly related to sexual recidivism and the Good Lives Model-secondary goods was significantly related to any recidivism. These results suggest that poor reintegration planning may be a risk factor for recidivism.

The quality of community reintegration planning for child molesters: effects on sexual recidivism.

While most sexual offender treatment programs take an aggressive, confrontational approach that targets the offenders' denial, research has shown that this common approach does not alter actual criminogenic factors related to reoffence rate. Furthermore, this approach can alienate and demoralise offenders, who often report ""not getting anything out of it."" Over the past 40 years, William Marshall and colleagues have developed and refined a motivational, strength-based approach emphasising warmth, empathy, and support for the offenders. Backed by research, this positive approach does not ignore criminogenic factors, but presents them to clients as targets for the development of strengths rather than as deficits to be overcome. The approach has paid off: such programmes in both prison and community settings consistently achieve a broad range of treatment targets and reduce recidivism for both sexual and nonsexual crimes. This book presents the evolution and distinctive features of Marshall's positive approach to treating sexual offenders. The first five chapters review research and theory on sexual offender treatment, including assessment, procedural factors, personal and interpersonal factors (such as therapist features, therapeutic alliance, and group climate), problems with common cognitive-behavioural approaches, and evaluation of treatment programmes. The last three chapters describe three treatment programs developed by Marshall and colleagues for the Canadian prison system: the Preparatory Program, which engages sexual offenders in the process of change before the main treatment program begins; the Primary Program, which targets criminogenic factors that are known to predict reoffence (problems with attitudes and cognitions, self-regulation, relationships, and sexual issues); and the Deniers' Program, which also targets criminogenic factors but is tailored to the specific needs of those who deny committing a sexual offence. This landmark volume will challenge how sexual offender treatment is typically conducted. It is essential reading for psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counsellors, and parole and probation officers working with sexual offenders.

Rehabilitating sexual offenders: A strength-based approach.

The release to the community of a sexual offender is frequently accompanied by intense coverage in the news media. Too often, the type of coverage these releases receive serves only to force many offenders into hiding or out of one community and into another. Forced to move to another community, the scapegoating process starts all over again. It is well known that secrecy and isolation are critical elements in sexual offending behaviour. Thus, forcing offenders into hiding does nothing to increase community safety or offender accountability and, arguably, increases the risk that new victims will be created. The most problematic releases are those in which sexual offenders arrive in a community with few or no links, and with little access to appropriate treatment and supervisory services. This article outlines a restorative approach to the risk management of high-risk sexual offenders in Canada using professionally-facilitated volunteerism. The Circles of Support and Accountability model grew out of an ad hoc, faith-based response to a situation much like that described above in South-Central Ontario, Canada. The resultant pilot project has since reached its twelfth anniversary and the model has proliferated both nationally and internationally.

http://cjnvt.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/HOJO_450.pdf

Circles of Support and Accountability: Engaging Community Volunteers in the Management of High-Risk Sexual Offenders

As many jurisdictions move towards more retributive measures as a means to address public discontent with crime, a parallel movement has developed in regard to restorative justice This article presents three restorative initiatives currently in use in Canada Each initiative addresses offender behavior and community engagement at a different point in the justice continuum The use of Sentencing Circles is an example of how restorative justice principles can be instituted at the front end, prior to an offender becoming lodged in the system The Restorative Justice Options to Parole Suspension project demonstrates how community engagement can assist in preventing offenders from being returned to the system once they have achieved conditional release The Circles of Support and Accountability project has enlisted the support of professionally supported volunteers in the community reintegration of high-risk sexual offenders These initiatives are presented within a framework of effective correctional interventions and increased empowerment for a variety of stakeholders Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd Language: en

/pdf/restorative-justice-innovations-in-canada-4z3kjsk6em.pdf

Restorative justice innovations in Canada.

Sexual offenders are unwelcome in virtually every community. The mere thought that such a person might possibly move to one’s community inflames negative public sentiment beyond seemingly every other contemporary social issue. Until recently, some released sexual offenders in Florida were living under bridges. Now, they have been evicted from even those locations. In other jurisdictions, there is virtually no place within city limits that is not within 1,000 feet of a park, school, daycare, or community centre. As a society, we are slowly but surely banning sexual offenders from our midst. We are forcing sexual offenders into lives of secrecy. However, given that secrecy is a hallmark of sexual offending, are we, in our haste to rid ourselves of these people, potentially making the situation worse? The Good Lives zeitgeist (i.e., Good Lives Model — GLM) suggests that we must see offenders as whole persons, if we hope to achieve maximal reductions in recidivism. Balanced, self-determined lifestyles are, by definition, free of offending. This is a necessary goal for offenders who seek to change their future — gain some balance and perspective in their lives. For the community-at-large, we need to remember that offenders were once members of the community and that, with appropriate rehabilitation and monitoring, many of them can likely reclaim some aspect of their former lives. Instead of pigeon-holing offenders as Bobthe-sexual-offender, we need to consider that a more realistic appraisal of the individual requires acknowledgement of Bob-the-son, Bob-the-mechanic, and Bob-the-father, among others. It has become increasingly clear that the community’s failure to appreciate the wholeness of offenders has perpetuated the sort of marginal, disaffected anomie that likely contributed to Bob’s offending in the first place. While many legislators, law enforcement personnel, and members of the community have worked to increase monitoring and decrease access for sexual offenders, others have attempted to build bridges to this population, in the hope that engagement will assist in increasing safety. Many in this latter group come from faith communities or other groups steeped in restorative justice traditions. In this paper, we hope to familiarise readers with a restorative initiative directed at sexual offenders, known as Circles of Support and Accountability.

/pdf/circles-of-support-and-accountability-an-international-bo8zc03u8t.pdf

Circles of Support and Accountability: An international partnership in reducing sexual offender recidivism

The actions and consequences of sexual offenders continue to be a topic of great discussion among researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the community-at-large. Much of this discussion has centered on how offenders should be managed once released to the community. Legislatures have been quick to enact statutes identifying and limiting the community behaviors of offenders. However, many in the research community have questioned their efficacy, or have published research highlighting potential iatrogenic effects suggesting decreased offender stability and increased risk for new criminality (including sexual reoffending). This paper reviews current practices regarding sexual offender sentencing, statutory risk management, and measures of official control prior to suggesting a model of community engagement in providing both support and accountability frameworks to offenders demonstrating both high risk and need. The Circles of Support and Accountability model of professionally supported wraparound care is described, and research data supporting its effectiveness are provided. General comments are made regarding policy and practice issues in community-based sexual offender risk management. Overall, greater collaboration between researchers, policymakers, and the community-at-large is suggested as a means to increase offender reintegration potential while mitigating risks to vulnerable persons in the community.

/pdf/putting-the-community-back-in-community-risk-management-of-1xfp2jw16r.pdf

Andrew J. McWhinnie

Papers

Circles of Support & Accountability: A Canadian National Replication of Outcome Findings

Circles of Support and Accountability: Engaging Community Volunteers in the Management of High-Risk Sexual Offenders

Restorative justice innovations in Canada.

Circles of Support and Accountability: An international partnership in reducing sexual offender recidivism

Putting the "Community" Back in Community Risk Management of Persons Who Have Sexually Abused