Incarceration and Treatment

This statement indicates that treatment can be effective in remediating conditions giving rise to sex-related crime. However, as noted by Wing (1994), the kinds of treatments offered to sex offenders are quite diverse including pharmacotherapeutic methods, cognitive and behavioral methods, group therapy methods, and multimodal treatment strategies. The purpose of this report is to examine these differing treatment approaches in an effort to determine which, if any approach, is maximally effective.

Some treatment approaches to sex offenders have been, at least in part, pharmacotherapeutic efforts. Commonly, these approaches combine group therapy in conjunction with several kinds of medication. One frequently used medication is buspirone (BSP).

In a comprehensive review of the literature on BSP, Fedoroff and Fedoroff (1992) stated that clinical data indicates that it facilitates non-paraphilic arousal but inhibits paraphilic sexual arousal. The authors further state that data supports the claim that BSP's efficacy in reducing paraphilic arousal is related to its efficacy in reducing obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms. Another excellent drug for paraphilic offe

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in combination with other treatment modalities, operates to decreases the client's isolation. This reduction in feelings of isolation is said to then build trust between the therapist and sex offenders and the trust then enables everyone to work as a team toward the goal of recovery. According to Scott (1994), strategic interventions using the group therapy approach involve group members taking responsibility for supporting each other's recovery, and enabling the group therapist to create a safe environment that supports confrontation as a means to achieving honesty without making individuals feel defensive or attacked. These specific interventions are said to diffuse power struggles, compelling sex offenders to move beyond defensive postures. Unfortunately, Scott (1994) provides little data on the recidivism rates for inmates receiving group therapy though he does note that the intervention has been associated with a lack of recidivism for some inmates. O'Donohue and Letourneau (1993) state that one of the primary difficulties in working with sex offenders who abuse children is their high level of denial; indeed, many offenders insist that the children like what they are doing to them. According to the authors, the key f
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Approximate Word count = 2524
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)

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