Title: Different types of sexual offenders
Headings: Different types of sexual offenders
Different types of sexual offenders
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Content: Research has found that the recidivism rates after five years of being released is 10%-15% and the rates can be higher depending on the offender (Hanson & Morton-Bourgon, 2005). There are several different treatment programs that are used in the treatment of sexual offenders. Some of the common treatments are psychotherapy, pharmacology and the controversial surgical castration. Psychotherapeutic treatments involve cognitive behavioral and behavioral therapy while pharmacological treatment involves the use of medications that are intended to reduce sexual urges and thus behavior (Klugman, Stone & Winslade, 2000). Surgical castration which is not often used involves removing the testicles thus removing the production of male hormones and reducing sexual urges (Klugman, Stone & Winslade, 2000). Research has found however, that surgical castration is not completely effective at reducing sexual urges and that if testosterone is taken, sexual urges will resume (Klugman, Stone & Winslade, 2000). The use of medications can also be problematic in that there are side effects that can occur as well as if the person discontinues their use, their sexual urges will also resume (Klugman, Stone & Winslade, 2000). It appears, however that cognitive behavioral therapy is a common choice for treatment programs and has been somewhat successful, despite the high recidivism rates (Bradford, 1994). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) works through examining the “factors that are associated with the sex offender’s deviancy and the cognitive distortions are systematically broken down, with the intentions of enabling the offender to recognize the wrongfulness of his behavior, conform his behavior accordingly, and to reinforce behavior change” (Klugman, Stone & Winslade, 2000, p.94). Jeglic, Moster, Schaffer & Wnuk (2010) discuss two different CBT approaches that have been used in treatment programs in their article on CBT for sexual offenders.