Week 7 - Sex offender treatment Flashcards
What is the most effective way to unlearn through punishment?
Punishment is most effective when it is consistent, swift, and related to the offense.
Does increasing the severity of punishment reduce recidivism?
No, there is little relationship between penalty increase and recidivism-decrease.
For whom does more punishment not work?
For those for whom initial punishment does not work, more punishment does not work either.
What is almost always more effective than punishment for behavior correction?
Rewarding good behavior.
What are the three key principles for reducing recidivism through treatment?
Risk, Need, Responsivity.
What does the Risk principle state?
Higher risk requires more intensive intervention
Why should low-risk offenders not receive intensive treatment?
It can be a waste of resources and might even increase their risk.
What must treatment match according to the Responsivity principle?
The learning style of the offender.
What are the two kinds of patient-responsivity?
Changeable factors and structural handicaps.
Name an example of a responsivity factor that might require treatment before addressing risk factors.
Severe psychiatric problems like psychosis or depression.
What is essential for responsivity in treatment?
Customization.
On what should treatment focus according to the Need principle?
The offender’s most important dynamic risk factors.
What personal factor can be important but should not be the primary focus?
Personal needs, focus should be on criminogenic needs.
At what ages can children become victims, according to Felson & Cundiff (2014)?
From the age of 13/14 years.
What are the three types of disinhibition?
State disinhibition (intoxication), trait disinhibition (impulsivity), and ‘choice’ disinhibition (antisocial traits)
What medication can be used to lower or nullify the sensitivity of the sexual system?
Anti-androgens.
What is a significant downside of using medication to control deviant sexual behavior?
Taking away deviance often means taking away everything.
According to a meta-analysis by Gannon et al. (2019), by how much can treatment reduce recidivism?
Treatment can reduce recidivism by roughly one-third
What makes treatment more effective?
If provided by trained professionals and if it includes some form of ‘arousal-conditioning’.
Can sex offenders learn to behave and feel differently?
Learning to behave differently is possible; learning to feel differently is more complicated but might not be impossible.
