Pedophilia, now termed pedophilic disorder, has been consistently defined by mental health professionals, social scientists, and historians as sexual interest in prepubescent children. In this chapter, we review evolving professional definitions of this disorder, available information regarding the prevalence of pedophilia, as well as etiological models to explain the development and manifestation of pedophilic interests. This includes considerations of historical as well as current views of how this disorder develops. Assessment strategies are reviewed, including the importance of a pretreatment psychosexual history as well as formal and structured assessment tools that are beneficial in treatment. Important treatment models for pedophilia include cognitive-behavioral therapy, relapse prevention, psychopharmacological interventions, and use of the risk-needs-responsivity framework. The chapter further describes empirical research related to recidivism and assessment of sex offender risk among those diagnosed with pedophilia, including the identification of common risk assessment tools. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of relevant policy issues and directions for future research in this important area.

Adults with pedophilic interests are often viewed by the public as a homogenous subgroup based on what we know from those who sexually offend against children. The stigma associated with child sexual abuse may serve to deter such behaviors but may also interfere with the person’s stability and willingness to seek assistance in managing pedophilic interests. This article contrasts the sex offender response and prevention efforts typically employed in the U.S. (i.e., containment, registration, and notification policies and public education programs) with treatment programs aimed at preventing child sexual abuse in Germany, Belgium, and Canada. Five major areas are identified that should be further examined with regard to implementing preventative outreach and treatment programs in the U.S.: barriers to outreach and treatment programs, how to expand or reframe current preventative educational programs, implementation of such programs in light of current mandating reporting policies, promising treatment approaches for pedophilic interests among non-offenders, and ethical concerns relevant to preventative psychological interventions.

A pedofilia é um tema complexo e multifacetado, que exige abordagem interdisciplinar. No que tange às ciências jurídicas, uma das questões mais importantes a serem enfrentadas diz respeito à adequação da resposta penal dada aos pedófilos condenados pela Justiça criminal brasileira. O objetivo geral da presente pesquisa é verificar como a resposta penal dada aos pedófilos judicialmente condenados pode ser mais adequada à luz do atual estado de arte da clínica. Para que o escopo principal fosse alcançado, foram formulados três objetivos específicos, quais sejam, (I) identificar os aspectos clínicos da pedofilia que são relevantes para a compreensão do fenômeno pelos operadores do Direito e que permitem uma abordagem interdisciplinar; (II) enumerar os aspectos éticos e os pressupostos desejáveis das medidas terapêuticas e das consequências jurídicas da condenação criminal dos pedófilos; e, (III) averiguar, à luz de medidas alternativas e eticamente defensáveis, novas possibilidades de resposta penal para os pedófilos judicialmente condenados. Todas as questões permitiram também a reflexão sobre a adequação e a pertinência das atuais propostas legislativas em trâmite no Congresso Nacional acerca da matéria. A abordagem não se restringe à dogmática jurídica e estabelece elos com outras áreas do conhecimento humano, notadamente com a Medicina Forense, com a Psiquiatria Forense e com a Psicologia Jurídica. Esta pesquisa pretende contribuir para o debate jurídico-penal acerca da pertinência ou não da implementação de medidas terapêuticas obrigatórias aos pedófilos judicialmente condenados, bem como oferecer subsídios para a proposição de um novo paradigma à prática forense no tocante às consequências jurídicas decorrentes da condenação criminal de pessoas com transtorno pedofílico. / Pedophilia is a complex and multifaceted subject that requires an interdisciplinary approach. Regarding the juridical sciences, one of the most important issues to be faced concerns the adequacy of the criminal response given to convicted pedophiles by the Brazilian criminal justice. The general aim of this research is to verify how the criminal response given to convicted pedophiles may be more appropriate in the light of the current state of the clinic art. For the main purpose to be reached, three specific aims were formulated: (I) to identify the clinical aspects of pedophilia that are relevant to understanding the phenomenon by the Law operators and that allow an interdisciplinary approach; (II) to enumerate the ethical aspects and the desirable presuppositions of the therapeutic measures and the juridical consequences of criminal conviction of pedophiles; and (III) to examine, in the light of alternative and ethically defensible measures, new possibilities of criminal response for convicted pedophiles. All issues also allowed the reflection on the appropriateness and aptness of the current legislative proposals in course at the National Congress on the subject. The approach is not limited to law doctrine and establishes links with other areas of the human knowledge, especially with the Forensic Medicine, Forensic Psychiatry and Forensic Psychology. This research intends to contribute to the criminal legal debate about the aptness or not of the implementation of mandatory therapeutic measures to convicted pedophiles, as well as to offer subsidies for the proposal of a new paradigm to forensic practice with regard to the juridical consequences of the criminal condemnation of people with pedophilic disorder.

A pedofilia é um tema complexo e multifacetado, que exige abordagem interdisciplinar. No que tange às ciências jurídicas, uma das questões mais importantes a serem enfrentadas diz respeito à adequação da resposta penal dada aos pedófilos condenados pela Justiça criminal brasileira. O objetivo geral da presente pesquisa é verificar como a resposta penal dada aos pedófilos judicialmente condenados pode ser mais adequada à luz do atual estado de arte da clínica. Para que o escopo principal fosse alcançado, foram formulados três objetivos específicos, quais sejam, (I) identificar os aspectos clínicos da pedofilia que são relevantes para a compreensão do fenômeno pelos operadores do Direito e que permitem uma abordagem interdisciplinar; (II) enumerar os aspectos éticos e os pressupostos desejáveis das medidas terapêuticas e das consequências jurídicas da condenação criminal dos pedófilos; e, (III) averiguar, à luz de medidas alternativas e eticamente defensáveis, novas possibilidades de resposta penal para os pedófilos judicialmente condenados. Todas as questões permitiram também a reflexão sobre a adequação e a pertinência das atuais propostas legislativas em trâmite no Congresso Nacional acerca da matéria. A abordagem não se restringe à dogmática jurídica e estabelece elos com outras áreas do conhecimento humano, notadamente com a Medicina Forense, com a Psiquiatria Forense e com a Psicologia Jurídica. Esta pesquisa pretende contribuir para o debate jurídico-penal acerca da pertinência ou não da implementação de medidas terapêuticas obrigatórias aos pedófilos judicialmente condenados, bem como oferecer subsídios para a proposição de um novo paradigma à prática forense no tocante às consequências jurídicas decorrentes da condenação criminal de pessoas com transtorno pedofílico. / Pedophilia is a complex and multifaceted subject that requires an interdisciplinary approach. Regarding the juridical sciences, one of the most important issues to be faced concerns the adequacy of the criminal response given to convicted pedophiles by the Brazilian criminal justice. The general aim of this research is to verify how the criminal response given to convicted pedophiles may be more appropriate in the light of the current state of the clinic art. For the main purpose to be reached, three specific aims were formulated: (I) to identify the clinical aspects of pedophilia that are relevant to understanding the phenomenon by the Law operators and that allow an interdisciplinary approach; (II) to enumerate the ethical aspects and the desirable presuppositions of the therapeutic measures and the juridical consequences of criminal conviction of pedophiles; and (III) to examine, in the light of alternative and ethically defensible measures, new possibilities of criminal response for convicted pedophiles. All issues also allowed the reflection on the appropriateness and aptness of the current legislative proposals in course at the National Congress on the subject. The approach is not limited to law doctrine and establishes links with other areas of the human knowledge, especially with the Forensic Medicine, Forensic Psychiatry and Forensic Psychology. This research intends to contribute to the criminal legal debate about the aptness or not of the implementation of mandatory therapeutic measures to convicted pedophiles, as well as to offer subsidies for the proposal of a new paradigm to forensic practice with regard to the juridical consequences of the criminal condemnation of people with pedophilic disorder.

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