Self-regulation of sex offending, future pathways and the Good Lives Model : applications and problems

Two theoretical developments, the Self-Regulation Model of the Offence and Relapse Process and the Good Lives Model, have recently offered promise in the advancement of sex offender treatment. The present paper represents a preliminary attempt to operationalize these theoretical principles by developing a number of practical treatment procedures. We have employed the method of a life map, which traces personal development from birth and which incorporates long-term future projections. This includes all actions, events, incidents and skills (whether positive or negative), which have led to a sense of self-esteem and the development of personal values. These will include risk factors and criminogenic needs which lead to offending as well as positive experiences and self-resources which can be incorporated into a future Good Lives Pathway. Two case illustrations are presented, which demonstrate the way in which all experiences from the past can be incorporated into alternative future pathways. These pathways will include positive self-resources and protective variables which develop into a non-offending future and negative self-resources with risk variables which develop into an offending future. The cases illustrate the way in which GLM and self-regulation pathways can be combined in a robust practical treatment procedure. Practical difficulties inherent in the procedure are also discussed.

Pathways to sex offending

The research of the thesis aimed to contribute to the theoretical understanding of the various pathways that offenders follow in committing sexual offences. Using grounded theory a theoretical model was generated which described four major pathways to sexual offending. Quantitative analyses revealed that offenders who take different pathways differ significantly in respect of their risk of recidivism, demographic variables, rape myth acceptance and aggression. The portfolio considered the limitations of sex offender treatment programs for treating sex offenders with histories of childhood sexual abuse and presented four case studies.

We need to support paedophiles to prevent child sex offending

The sexual abuse of children is, understandably, a key concern for the public. Child sexual abuse can cause long-lasting harms for victims, ranging from relationship difficulties to eating disorders. But misperceptions about those who perpetrate it abound in public debate. Although the terms “paedophile” and “child sex offender” are often used interchangeably, the two are distinct. Paedophiles are sexually attracted to young children. They have either acted on this attraction or fear they might. But not all paedophiles act on their attraction – and this is where support services can help reducing offending. Conversely, not everyone who offends sexually against a child is a paedophile. Some may have a sexual interest in and/or offend against both children and adults. Others do not have a sexual attraction to children but instead act opportunistically...

Restorative Justice and Sex Offending

This essay examines the origins and uses of restorative justice with sexual offending and the contemporary challenges and controversies surrounding this. It charts the range of ad hoc initiatives which have sought to apply a restorative form of intervention with violent or sexual offending from first time and ‘acquaintance’ rape as well as young sexual abusers to high risk sexual offenders in the form of circles of support and accountability. Such schemes are often presented as a counter to the failings of retributive forms of justice and are premised on Braithwaite’s (1989) notion of ‘reintegrative shaming’ that seek to reintegrate offenders into the community. Critics of restorative justice traditionally put forward a number of core objectives when restorative justice is applied to serious forms of offending such as sexual offending. The essay also sets out and seeks to counter these principal challenges and how they may be overcome. For the most part, however, restorative justice has failed to reach its potential as a fully fledged sentencing rationale in being applied as a mainstream response to a wide range of offending including that at the higher end of the spectrum. The essay also seeks to examine barriers to restorative justice within contemporary penal policy and to highlight some of the most controversial applications of the restorative paradigm including those related to clergy sexual abuse. It concludes by offering some thoughts on the future of restorative justice as a mainstream responses to serious forms of offending.

Affect, emotions and sex offending

The role of emotional and other affective states as causes and consequences of sexual offending is emerging as an important area for theoretical analysis and for empirical research. In this paper we focus on whether affective and emotional states serve as causal antecedents for sexual offending. Firstly, we identify five sources of evidence relating to whether emotion is causal. We conclude that the evidence broadly supports the notion that a causal relationship exists, at least for some offenders. We then address attempts to identify mechanisms to explain how such effects are mediated. Finally we discuss the implications of this work for therapeutic interventions with sex offenders.

Desistance from sex offending : motivating change, enriching practice

In this article we draw from desistance research and a strength-based rehabilitation theory, the Good Lives Model (GLM), to present a richer way of intervening with sex offenders. First, we define the concept of desistance and outline some of the major research findings concerning the factors that help offenders to cease offending. Second we briefly describe current best practice sex offender treatment and discuss its efficacy. Third, we explore the relationship between desistance research and the GLM, arguing that the GLM provides a useful conduit for desistance ideas into sex offender treatment programs. Fourth, we briefly consider the treatment implications of an integrated desistance-GLM approach.

Sex Offending and Situational Motivation: Findings from a Qualitative Analysis of Desistance from Sexual Offending

Sex offending is typically understood from a pathology perspective with the origin of the behavior thought to be within the offending individual. Such a perspective may not be beneficial for those seeking to desist from sexual offending and reintegrate into mainstream society. A thematic analysis of 32 self-narratives of men convicted of sexual offences against children suggests that such individuals typically explain their pasts utilizing a script consistent with routine activity theory, emphasizing the role of circumstantial changes in both the onset of and desistance from sexual offending. It is argued that the self-framing of serious offending in this way might be understood as a form of ‘shame management’, a protective cognition that enables desistance by shielding individuals from internalizing stigma for past violence.

Social moralities and discursive constructions of female sex offenders

This article explores legal, scholarly and social responses to women identified as sex offenders. While much has been written on the male paedophile, rapist and sex offender, little research has been done on the role of gender and sexuality in sex offending. This article examines the ways in which the female sex offender is currently theorized and the discourses surrounding policy, legislative and media responses to their crimes. We identify contradictory public discourses where perceptions of female child abusers in particular often succumb to moral panic, in spite of many such offenders being given lenient sentences for their crimes. An examination of the discursive construction of female child abusers suggests that these contradictions are informed by underlying assumptions concerning harm and subjectivity in sex crimes. In exploring these contradictions we illustrate the ways in which such discourses are impacted by social moralities, and how social moralities construct offender and victim subjectivities differently, based on differences in gender, age and sexuality.

An integrated theory of sexual offending

This paper represents a first attempt to provide an integrated framework to explain the onset, development, and maintenance of sexual offending. According to the Integrated Theory of Sexual Offending (ITSO), sexual abuse occurs as a consequence of a number of interacting causal variables. We examine the factors that affect brain development (evolution, genetic variations and neurobiology) and ecological factors (social and cultural environment, personal circumstances, physical environment) and discuss how they impact upon core neuropsychological functions underpinning human action. The ITSO then explains how clinical symptoms arise from the interaction between these neurological systems and ecological factors. The capacity of the ITSO to incorporate competing theories of sexual offending is considered, and we end the paper by critically evaluating its usefulness in stimulating research and further theory development.

Desistance from Sexual Offending: Do the Mainstream Theories Apply?

The literature on desistance from crime has become well established in recent years with strong bodies of evidence supporting the role of factors such as employment, relationships and identity change in this process. However, the relevance of this literature to individuals convicted of sexual crimes is not known as such individuals are almost always excluded from this research. This article presents the results from one of the first empirical studies on desistance from sexual offending based on 32 in-depth life story interviews with adult males previously convicted of child sex offences. In this analysis we explore the significance of work, the role of relationships, and changes in imagined selves in the self-identities of individuals successfully desisting from sexual offending. The findings provide support for all three factors in helping to sustain desistance from sex offending, but also suggest clear differences between desistance from sex offending and other types of crime in these regards.

Desistance from Sexual Offending: A Policy and Research Agenda Whose Time Has Come

For the past three decades or so, criminal justice policies have been enacted under the assumption that individuals who have been convicted of a sex offense are life course persistent sex offenders. In that context, research has been heavily focused on the assessment of risk and the prediction of sexual recidivism.Simultaneously, little to no attention has been given to the majority of individuals convicted of sex offenses who are not arrested or convicted again.Researchers have witnessed a growing gap between scientific knowledge and the sociolegal response to sexual violence and abuse. The current legal landscapecarries important social implications and significant life course impact for a growing number of individuals. More recently, theoretical and research breakthroughs in the study of desistance from crime and delinquency have been made that can help shed some light on desistance from sex offending. Desistance research, in the context of sex offending, however, represents serious theoretical, ethical, legal, and methodological challenges. To that end, this article introduces a special issue exploring current themes in desistance research by examining the life course of individuals convicted of a sexual offense while contextualizing their experiences of desistance.