Sex offender Programs

Sex Offender Programs

Goal of Sex Offender Programs

The sex offender treatment program was first started in 1990 in Butler, North Carolina (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2012). This was an intensive program with 112 beds and was a domestic therapeutic program for male sex criminals in the Bureau of Prisons. The program still utilizes a very wide range of cognitive-behavioral and relapse deterrence methods to treat and manage sex offenders (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2012). The main goal of this program is to help sex criminals manage their sexual abnormality in order to reduce sexual recidivism (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2012). This program sticks to the concept that while there is more than likely no everlasting cure for paraphilia disorders, criminal sexual behavior can be successfully achieved in almost all cases through competent treatment and intensive supervision (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2012). This program also holds to the notion that while sexually abnormal disorders are motivated by biological, social and psychological factors, illegal sexual behavior is a hugely volitional act (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2012).

All sex offenders enter the treatment program at different stages of refusal and reason. But, in managing with partial resources for a lot of sex criminals in the Bureau of Prisons, this program looks to offer services to the most driven and psychologically suited criminals (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2012). This program is intended to help people that want to help themselves and will be dedicated to long term behavioral changes. This treatment program persuades the members to change their illegal routine and become honest, responsible, law abiding people with self-control skills (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2012). The process of this program is gauged in terms of completing treatment goals and maintaining therapeutic improvements. The amount of time in the program does not establish any type of progress for members (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2012). They do not graduate from this just because it is seen as a lifetime endeavor that has to continue long after the criminal is released from jail.

What has been learned

Many sex offenders suffer from a variety of problems both big and small. Despite the issues, some studies done on sex offenders provide evidence that suggest the treatment programs used today are more effective than what was used before the 1980's (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2012). Evaluations comparing various therapeutic approaches show that cognitive behavior treatment and hormonal treatments hold promise to reduce sex offender recidivism rates. Cognitive behavioral treatment programs are typically given in a group setting and focus on treating the cognitive distortions, lack of empathy, and denial of the offense and deviant sexual preference of