Treatment Experiences of Child Sexual Offenders in Norway: A Qualitative Study

Contact sex offenders with adult and minor victims: Psychopathological and criminological differences

BACKGROUND

Effective classification of individuals who commit sexual offences is important for their assessment, treatment, and risk management. Victim age has often been used as a distinguishing factor between perpetrators.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to analyse the distinctive psychopathological and criminological characteristics of contact sexual offenders with adult and minor victims.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The study involved 97 adult males who were serving a prison sentence in Spain for at least one contact sexual offence against an adult or a minor.

METHODS

Researchers gathered data on criminological variables concerning the offender, victim, and modus operandi from prison records and interviews. Participants completed the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) in a second session, and between-group differences were analysed.

RESULTS

Sex offenders with minor victims (SOMV) had significantly lower scores than sex offenders with adult victims (SOAV) on the Antisocial (r = -0.283, p = .005) and Sadistic (r = -0.209, p = .04) personality subscales, and on the Alcohol (r = -0.426, p < .001) and Drug dependence (r = -0.332, p = .001) syndrome subscales. SOAV were also more likely to use violence and/or intimidation, use a weapon, offend against female victims, offend against an intimate partner, commit their offences in public places, serve other ongoing prison sentences, and report a history of alcohol and substance abuse. SOMV were older and more likely to offend against family members.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that there are key differences between SOAV and SOMV that should be considered in tailored prevention programmes for each subgroup of offenders.

Looping Disruption: A Relational Mechanism Enhancing Treatment Readiness among Individuals Convicted of Sexual Offending?

Many convicted individuals do not enter or complete treatment programs in prisons, which limits effective rehabilitation and prevention of recidivism. Treatment readiness is suggested to be an important construct when addressing this problem. Nevertheless, the underlying processes (e.g., how readiness factors interact) are not well studied, and even less is known regarding readiness in the sub-population of individuals convicted of sexual offenses. This paper aims to open up the "black box" and explore psychosocial and context-specific processes behind treatment readiness from the vantage point of the individuals' lived experiences. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 adult men convicted of sexual offenses in Swedish prisons, treatment participants (N = 13) as well as non-participants (N = 6). The thematic analysis illustrates readiness obstacles in terms of unintended antagonistic forces in the correctional system operating in the opposite direction of rehabilitative objectives. Nonetheless, a hypothesized relational mechanism, looping disruption, initiated by a non-punitive and supportive response (from prison staff, therapists, close ones, or inmates) to the convicted individual's negative behaviors or emotions, appeared to reverse such negative, punitive loops, contributing to the mobilization of treatment readiness. Implications for theory, policy, and practice are discussed.

“Hurt people hurt other people”: The link between past trauma and sexual offending

Background

A growing body of research documents the high rates of trauma among individuals who have sexually offended. Yet the relationship between prior victimization and subsequent sexual offending remained unclear. Objective: By including the voices and perspectives of individuals convicted of sexual offenses, we sought to strengthen professionals’ understanding of the connection between victimization and offending.

Method

This qualitative study used an online survey to collect data from individuals convicted of sexual offenses (n = 195) with the aims of understanding their perceptions of the link between trauma and offending and what they would like sex-offense treatment providers to know about this connection.

Results

Using grounded theory, five major themes emerged from the data analysis: Relationship between Trauma Offending (n = 91), Acknowledging the Connection (n = 57), Specific Effects of Trauma (n = 48), Individualized Treatment (n = 34), and Recognition of Humanity (n = 26).

Conclusions

The participants perceived a strong connection between one’s own victimization and subsequent sexual offending. In addition, they offered specific recommendations for treatment providers, including individualizing treatment with an emphasis on humanity and compassion. Implications for trauma-informed practice and policy are discussed.