Negative affect and emotions such as anger and anxiety, are risk factors related to sexual offending (Howells, Day, & Wright, 2004; Serran & Marshall, 2006). Consequently, most sexual offender treatment programs teach offenders how to cope with situations that produce negative emotionality (Pithers et al., 1989; Marshall, Marshall, Serran, 2006). A review of mindfulness meditation, a positive therapeutic approach, has demonstrated utility in improving emotional management skills (Baer, 2003), however meditation has yet to be considered as a treatment for sexual offenders. The present study is a pilot attempt at exploring the feasibility of using meditation in working with sexual offenders. Results show that participants were receptive to meditation, thought it may be beneficial, and were able to concentrate and relax during an experiential session. The potential benefits of mindfulness for improving emotional management in sexual offenders will be discussed and directions for future research will be explored.

Negative affect and emotions such as anger and anxiety, are risk factors related to sexual offending (Howells, Day, & Wright, 2004; Serran & Marshall, 2006). Consequently, most sexual offender treatment programs teach offenders how to cope with situations that produce negative emotionality (Pithers et al., 1989; Marshall, Marshall, Serran, 2006). A review of mindfulness meditation, a positive therapeutic approach, has demonstrated utility in improving emotional management skills (Baer, 2003), however meditation has yet to be considered as a treatment for sexual offenders. The present study is a pilot attempt at exploring the feasibility of using meditation in working with sexual offenders. Results show that participants were receptive to meditation, thought it may be beneficial, and were able to concentrate and relax during an experiential session. The potential benefits of mindfulness for improving emotional management in sexual offenders will be discussed and directions for future research will be explored.

This study was focused on exploring the relationship between victimization history, attachment to parents, pornography exposure/use, and characteristics of the sexual offences committed by male adolescents. It was hypothesized that, the poorer the attachment to parents, the greater number of abuses experienced, and the more exposure to pornography, the more likely an adolescent would be to have had more victims, have offended against more age groups, have both male and female victims, have committed penetration in his sexual offences, and have been forceful or violent in his sexual offences. The study involved secondary analysis of a large data set that was based on prior administration of an extensive survey which also included a number of psychological measures and questionnaires. A total of 308 male participants ranging in age from 13 to 20 at the time of completing the survey were included in this study. Participants were 12-17 years of age at the time of their sexual offending. A series of regressions were used to examine if attachment to parents, history of abuse/neglect, and pornography use could predict the number of victims, age group of victims, gender of victims, sexual intrusiveness, and level of force in the sexual offences that had been committed by the participants. Predictor variables that emerged as important in this study were the duration of the sexual offending, having experienced three or more types of abuse, and exposure to live sex. In general, it was suggested that treatment efforts should focus on intervening promptly and reducing the duration of an adolescent’s sexual offending and that intervention for all types of abuse be prioritized. Additionally, it was recommended that future research seek to identify characteristics that might predispose certain victimized individuals to develop sexual offending behaviours in the future. In general, it was noted that further explorations are needed regarding applicable theoretical approaches, as well as the various factors, and interactions among factors, that contribute to the characteristics of sexual offences committed by male adolescents.

To date no study has explored persecutory delusions in people who commit sexual offences, and whether attributional style and self-concept are any different between sex offenders with and without persecutory delusions. The present study is preceded by a literature review exploring literature on mentally ill sexually offenders. As this area of research is extremely limited to further understanding of mentally ill sex offenders, literature on individuals with persecutory delusions, specifically attributional style and self-esteem will be presented. Finally, research on attributions and self-esteem in sexual offenders is reviewed. The literature review concludes with implications for future research and clinical interventions. This is followed by a research study that aims to explore the relationship between attributional style and self-concept in men with persecutory delusions who commit sexual offences. Sex offenders with persecutory delusions, sex offenders without delusions and normal controls were compared on implicit and explicit measures of attributional style and self-esteem. The three groups were found to have similar attributional styles and levels of self-esteem and no significant differences were found between the three groups. The results are discussed in light of these findings. Limitations of the study are discussed together with future implications for research and treatment of mentally ill sex offenders.

Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Research has indicated that there is a worldwide increase in the numbers of sexual offenders brought before court in the last two decades as well as an increase in recidivism after imprisonment of sexual offenders. It was found that imprisonment is not the only effective sentence option for sexual offenders and that there are certain categories of sexual offenders that can be rehabilitated more effectively within the community while serving a community-based sentence like correctional supervision. Research has also shown that the risk of re-offending can be decreased by such a sentence. In order for courts to consider correctional supervision as sentence for certain sexual offenders they request pre-sentence assessment reports from social workers to assist them to determine the suitable offenders for this sentence option. The court has certain expectations from social workers in terms of these pre-sentence assessments that are not always met. Amongst other factors, this is caused by the difference in approach between social workers and judicial officials as well as the different goals each profession has in terms of sexual offenders. The problems and needs of social workers with the pre-sentence assessment of sexual offenders were explored in this study as well as the expectations and problems of judicial officials in this regard. Social workers indicated that they lack certain skills, knowledge and confidence as well as professional support and resources to compile effective pre-sentence reports. Judicial officials expect more intensive and comprehensive assessments that focus on the determination of risk of re-offending and the risk to the community. In order to address the problems and needs of both the social workers and judicial officials, suggestions for the improvement of co-operation and understanding of the two different approaches were made as well as guidelines for social workers, trainers and supervisors to enable social workers to present more effective pre-sentence assessments to courts. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Moral habilitation is the intentional and directed shaping of a new subjectivity in accordance with a culturally sanctioned, pro-social standard of daily ethical conduct. Treatment programs for sexual offenders are enterprises in moral habilitation that involve instilling participants with new values, beliefs, and practices. This research represents a person-centred ethnography that combined concepts of morality, stigma, selfhood, and agency with the treatment and community (re)integration of sexual offenders to learn how some of these men narrated their transformations from dysfunction to a state of self-regulation and greater wellbeing. To this end, 18 men of Euro-Canadian or Aboriginal ancestry living in western Canada were interviewed about their experiences in sexual offender treatment programs, their transitions from prison to community life, and their changing self-concepts. In this transition, participants described their motivations to change as derived from their experiences of (a) a stigmatized, unfulfilling life, (b) the desire for a better or “normal” life, (c) social supports, and (d) a determined and willful mindset. They adopted multiple narrative strategies to protect their self-concepts while the progression of time and ethical self-reformation facilitated a transition from shame and self-doubt to self-acceptance. Through this research, I propose a model of Ethical Self-Reformation (ESR) that combines the institutional morality of treatment programs with stigmatizing public moral discourses to individuals’ enactments of agency, will, and motivation to sustain what is in effect amoral enterprise. Moral habilitation is conceptualized as the internalized, automatic responses of an embodied morality as practiced through the ESR model. This research concludes that sexual offender treatment programs can effectively lead to moral habilitation if the offender is willing to submit to the process; but it also advises that programs need to be more individualized if treatment responsivity is to be enhanced.

Research has indicated that there is a worldwide increase in the numbers of sexual offenders brought before court in the last two decades as well as an increase in recidivism after imprisonment of sexual offenders. It was found that imprisonment is not the only effective sentence option for sexual offenders and that there are certain categories of sexual offenders that can be rehabilitated more effectively within the community while serving a community-based sentence like correctional supervision. Research has also shown that the risk of re-offending can be decreased by such a sentence. In order for courts to consider correctional supervision as sentence for certain sexual offenders they request pre-sentence assessment reports from social workers to assist them to determine the suitable offenders for this sentence option. The court has certain expectations from social workers in terms of these pre-sentence assessments that are not always met. Amongst other factors, this is caused by the difference in approach between social workers and judicial officials as well as the different goals each profession has in terms of sexual offenders. The problems and needs of social workers with the pre-sentence assessment of sexual offenders were explored in this study as well as the expectations and problems of judicial officials in this regard. Social workers indicated that they lack certain skills, knowledge and confidence as well as professional support and resources to compile effective pre-sentence reports. Judicial officials expect more intensive and comprehensive assessments that focus on the determination of risk of re-offending and the risk to the community. In order to address the problems and needs of both the social workers and judicial officials, suggestions for the improvement of co-operation and understanding of the two different approaches were made as well as guidelines for social workers, trainers and supervisors to enable social workers to present more effective pre-sentence assessments to courts. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Thesis (doctoral)--La Salle University, 2005. / ProQuest dissertations and theses ; AAT 3227728. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-64)

Trauma-informed care (TIC) incorporates evidence about the prevalence and impact of early trauma on behavior across the lifespan. TIC is a person-centered response that focuses on improving client functioning by viewing and responding to maladaptive behavior in the context of traumatic experiences. TIC is grounded in the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, a collaborative research project between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013a). The ACE study began in 1997 to collect information (n=17,337) via a 10-item survey about adverse childhood experiences related to abuse (emotional, physical, and sexual), neglect (emotional and physical), and household dysfunction (domestic violence, divorce, death of a parent, or the presence of a substance-abusing, mentally ill, or incarcerated member in the household). The ACE score reflects the total number of adverse experiences endorsed by that individual. Dozens of publications analyzing ACE data have revealed staggering evidence of the pervasive and enduring nature of early trauma. Findings are clear and consistent, demonstrating that as the number of early adverse experiences increases, the risk for myriad health, mental health, and behavioral problems in adulthood also increases in a robust and cumulative fashion (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013b). For example, as ACE scores increase, so does the likelihood of alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, suicide attempts, fetal death, obesity, heart disease, liver disease, intimate partner violence, early initiation of sexual activity, multiple sexual partners, sexually transmitted diseases, and unintended pregnancies. Furthermore, childhood adversity is associated with adult criminality, including sexual offending; sex offenders report significantly higher ACE scores than the general population (Reavis, Looman, Franco, & Rojas, 2013). Reavis et al. (2013) opined that it is therefore unsurprising that offense-specific models of sex offender treatment have produced mixed results in terms of effectiveness, and suggested that treatment programs should more strongly emphasize the role of early trauma on self-regulation and attachment. This 90-minute workshop will first provide an overview of the principles of trauma informed care. Participants will learn about the various ways that early trauma lays the groundwork for a range of interpersonal problems and maladaptive coping skills stemming from longstanding relational deficits and distorted cognitive schema about oneself and others. Then, workshop participants will learn to incorporate an interpersonal process approach to sex offender treatment, which combines elements of developmental, family systems, and cognitive models to conceptualize adult client behavior in the context of childhood trauma (Teyber & McClure, 2011). Participants will learn how to establish a nonthreatening sex offender treatment environment that facilitates trust, emotional safety, and intimacy. Participants will learn to utilize immediacy interventions to create corrective experiences; when clinicians respond effectively to relational themes and patterns as they present themselves in individual and group therapy, client skills can be enhanced, practiced, and reinforced. This workshop will reflect the conference theme of "Shouldering Responsibility: Making Society Safer" by introducing an innovative model and framework for promoting change. TIC recognizes the role of traumatic events in the development of high-risk behavior and values the subjectivity of trauma as a central function in the healing process. By exploring and understanding maladaptive and abusive behavior through the lens of early trauma, clinicians can help sex offender clients learn and generalize new skills, enhance their interpersonal relationships, and improve their general well-being (Teyber & McClure, 2011). This type of personal growth would be expected to mitigate future potential to reoffend as the client incorporates more healthy and successful strategies for relating to others and meeting emotional needs.