Analytical Essay on Correctional Treatment for Sex Offenders

Question 1

In the Sex Crime, Offenders & Society book, chapter 4 goes over a couple of possible theories for sex offending. Out of all theories the book highlights, I believe Neutralization or Drift theory best explains sex offending the best. Neutralization or Drift theory explains that offenders are not deviant, but rather they drift out into reoffending by applying specific rationalizations. The chapter goes over what are cognitive distortions and rape myths as it supports the theory neutralization/drift.

Cognitive distortions refer to individuals’ internal processes, including justifications, perceptions, and judgments to rationalize his/her behavior after committing a sexual offense (Mancini, 2014, p. 83). Cognitive distortions reflect a distorted experience that the offender experienced in their life (Mancini, 2014, p. 83). For example, if a sex offender was sexualized and sexually active as a child, they view children as sexual beings (Mancini, 2014, p. 83). To add on, a large research examined cognitive distortions in sex offenders and found various types of distortions (Mancini, 2014, p. 83). Researchers found that offender type is related to specific cognitive distortions, for example, child molesters find that their cognitions center on flawed ideas about that sexual contact with children is acceptable (Mancini, 2014, p. 83). To clarify, they believe that children are like adults in mental and sexual development thus children are interested in sexual activity with adults (Mancini, 2014, p. 83). Lastly, child molesters may misunderstand social cues (Mancini, 2014, p. 84). For example, they might mistake a child’s kindness as an indication of sexual interest or they might mistake normal child behaviors as sexual interest like when a child asks to be tucked in bed, they view it as a sexual invitation (Mancini, 2014, p. 84).

Rapists of adult women on the other hand, they tend to grip on negative views about women (Mancini, 2014, p. 84). For example, rapists of adult women, they see their acts as acceptable, and not criminal or deviant (Mancini, 2014, p. 84). They believe that the offense would have been avoided if the victim had behaved differently, for example, “if she had not flirted with me this would have never happened” (Mancini, 2014, p. 84). To add on criminologists and psychologists founds that rape myths play a role into this type of behavior (Mancini, 2014, p. 85). Rape myths defined from the book are “attitudes and generally false beliefs about rape are widely and persistently held, and that serve to deny and justify male sexual aggression against women” (Mancini, 2014, p. 85). These myths are divided by three neutralizations, denial of responsibility (many women have an unconscious desire to be raped), denial of injury (rape reports are generally fake), and denial of victim (only certain bad women are raped) (Mancini, 2014, p. 85).

To sum up, neutralization/drift theory best explains sex offending as their mind drifts off to a different world and don’t realize that their actions were deviant and rationalize why they committed to their actions. For example, child molesters believe that children are like adults and that sexual contact with them is acceptable or rapists of adult women believe that women deserved to be raped.

Question 2

Gender is important in sex offending as it plays a big role on how we understand and how we punish for it. Females for example have more of a leeway when it comes to punishment compared to males as males get punished more harshly even when it comes to serious sex offenses like minor victims (Shields & Cochran, 2019). Most people view sex offenders as males as they mostly commit these types of crimes, whereas females have a low rate when it comes to sex crimes.

Typically, the social view of a sex offender is a male, and women are viewed as incapable or innocent to sexual offenses (Shields & Cochran, 2019). As a result, sex offenders are generally always view to be males and are perceived to be a big threat compared to females (Shields & Cochran, 2019). This is false as females are just as dangerous when they commit a sex crime as males are. Scholars believe that a huge number of female sex offenses go unreported as they are often viewed as innocent or incapable of committing a sex crime (Shields & Cochran, 2019). As a result, studies found that female sex offenders are likely to be redirected away from punishments and avoid the courts as they are viewed not dangerous (Shields & Cochran, 2019). A study conducted by Ryan Shields and Joshua Cochran of punishments between male sex offenders and female sex offenders. They found that male sex offenders are more likely sentenced to prison and given longer terms than female sex offenders regardless of the degree of the sex offense and whether the offense was committed on a child victim, females were less likely to spend prison time than to be assigned to a community sanction (Shields & Cochran, 2019). Even though both males and females commit similar sex offenses they get treated differently. It seems that the courts trust female sex offenders more when they are supervised than males as males are viewed to be the true sex predator.

Today, gender is important on how we understand sex offending and how we punish it. Today people view sex offenders as mostly male as they statistically commit more sex offenses than females do. Females offenders today don’t get punished severely as male offenders as the courts don’t view females to be dangerous as male offenders.

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Question 3

When it comes to treatment and rehabilitation, gender plays a big role when it comes to which type of treatment and rehabilitation both male and female offenders and victims receive. Specifically, for males offenders as they commit the most sex offense crimes whereas the rate of females who commit sex crimes is lower than the male counterpart. Victims for example seek help after being sexually assaulted and will most likely go through pregnancy and emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy and STDs/HIV (Campbell et al., 2005).

There is a program that was created to help rape survivors called Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) which are specialized nurses who care for sexual assaulted or abused victims as rape victims in the past only received basic services such as medical exams and forensic evidence collection kit (Campbell et al., 2005). Victims felt embarrassed when consulting doctors and were scared to seek further help (Campbell et al., 2005). With SANE victims were able to consult a specialized trained nurse rather than a doctor as these nurses were available 24 hours a day, first response care to sexual assaults in either hospital or non-hospital settings (Campbell et al., 2005).

As for male and female offenders receiving different types of treatments, I believe it’s wrong for gender-specific programming to exist as they both committed a sex offense crime and should be punished accordingly. For example, if a female commits a sex crime against a 13-year-old child their sentencing is less severe whereas a male sex offender they would receive harsher punishment for a similar offense. Today the courts give females a slap on the wrist punishment as they view females to be less threatening compared to males as most people today view sex offenders mostly males as they dominate the sex offense statistics (Shields & Cochran, 2019).

To sum up, gender today can play a big role when it comes to treatment and rehabilitation as male offenders get more supervision as society today views males as they are the only ones who commit sex offenses. Whereas females are innocent and lack the ability to commit such offenses.

Question 4

Correctional treatment can vary for different types of offenders depending on what crime they committed. For example, a sex offender would receive cognitive behavioral therapy and medical/hormonal interventions. While for violent offenders would receive in prison treatment such as The Violent Offender Treatment Program and nonviolent offenders depending on the crime would either receive a rehab program or parole.

There are many reasons why each offender receives different treatment for their crimes, for example, it would be pointless and unjustified for a nonviolent offender who committed vandalism to receive cognitive behavioral therapy and medical/hormonal interventions as cognitive behavioral therapy mainly focuses on sex offenders distorted way of thinking and their beliefs to justify for their crimes ('Violent Offender Treatment Program (VOTP),' 2017) and medical/hormonal focuses on medical treatment to reduce a sex offenders sex offending behaviors such as chemical castration which a male offender would receive an injection of synthetic hormones to lower their sexual arousals (Mancini, 2014, p. 213). Another example would be if a violent offender who committed murder to only receive parole where they are more likely to reoffender and commit more murders. Therefore, it is important that each offender receives the correct correctional treatment for their offenses.

The third example would be If a sex offender was just placed in parole and didn’t receive any cognitive behavioral therapy and medical/hormonal intervention they would reoffender and commit another sex crime as they have both been evaluated to be the most effective treatment programs for sex offenders to reduce sexual recidivism more effective than other psychological therapy such as offenders learn new cognitive skills such as ways to think about their actions carefully, delineate problems that might led them to encounter police and setting goals (Mancini, 2014, p. 261). As such cognitive behavioral therapy focuses mainly on offenders’ way of thinking about their actions and responding to a catalyst in a prosocial shape (Mancini, 2014, p. 261).

To conclude, correctional treatment for sex offenders is different from violent and nonviolent offenders as they are each a different set of crimes. Putting a nonviolent offender who committed vandalism in the Violent Offender Treatment Program would be a waste is he/she doesn’t pose much of a threat to society compared to a violent offender who committed murder.

References

1. Campbell, R., Patterson, D., & Lichty, L. F. (2005, October 1). The Effectiveness of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Programs: A Review of Psychological, Medical, Legal, and Community Outcomes. SAGE Journals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1524838005280328
2. Mancini, C. (2014). Sex Crime, Offenders, and Society: A Critical Look at Sexual Offending and Policy. Carolina Academic Press.
3. Shields, R. T., & Cochran, J. C. (2019, May). The Gender Gap in Sex Offender Punishment. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333518551_The_Gender_Gap_in_Sex_Offender_Punishment
4. Violent Offender Treatment Program (VOTP). (2017, September 5). Programs and Practices - What Works in Criminal Justice - CrimeSolutions.gov. https://www.crimesolutions.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?ID=561#:~:text=The%20Violent%20Offender%20Treatment%20Program,Agency%20(YSA)%20residential%20facility