NCJ Number
147753
Date Published
1993
Length
10 pages
Annotation
To determine the degree of dangerousness and treatability appropriate to a particular sexual offender, the courts, parole boards, correctional agencies, and service providers must consider more than the suitability of treatment; they must also examine resource allocation, efficacy of individual treatments, community attitudes, and society's moral responsibilities to the offender.
Abstract
To distinguish between dangerousness and treatability, a scheme should include at least four levels: treatable and not dangerous, not treatable and not dangerous, treatable and dangerous, and not treatable and dangerous. This author maintains there is no way of predicting the risk of future offending on the basis of the type and circumstances of the index offense. Predictive factors related to offender characteristics, however, include age, prior criminal record, antisocial personality disorders, and substance abuse. In Australia, treatment of sex offenders has generally relied on behavior modification and the use of libido-reducing medication, and has virtually ignored other alternatives, including group therapy. In treating the sex offender, the community must recognize the continuing tension between preserving the offender's rights and protecting society. 36 references