1. Managing Sex Offenders in the Community: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

2. Highest Priorities of Sex Offender Management: PUBLIC SAFETY VICTIM PROTECTION

3. Sexual Assault is a Human Rights Issue: protection from victimization considered a basic right of victims

4. Sexual Assault is a Public Health Problem We need to stop viewing sex offending as a problem that can be ameliorated by law, psychology, or medicine. Rather we should view it as a public health problem that is everybody’s business and everybody’s responsibility. Laws (1998)

5. Sexual abuse against persons of all ages represents a serious national problem that cannot be solved solely through the criminal justice system. The public health approach, which focuses on prevention before an act occurs, offers a framework that complements the criminal justice approach. Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA)

6. Myths and Realities About Sex Offenders And Their Victims

7. Myth Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers.

8. 90% of child victims know their offender, with almost half being a family member.

9. 76% of adult women were raped by a current or former husband, live- in-partner, or date. 1998 National Violence Against Women Survey

10. Myth Most child sexual abusers use physical force or threat to gain compliance from their victims.

11. I n most cases, abusers gain access through grooming, deception and enticement.

12. Myth Most child sexual abusers find their victims by frequenting such places as schoolyards and playgrounds.

13. M ost abusers offend against children they know and have established a relationship.

14. Myth Risk rarely changes in an offender with intellectual disability.

15. R isk can change frequently depending on an offenders mental health, living situation, supervision level, and mood.

16. Myth Child sexual abusers are only attracted to children and are not capable of appropriate sexual relationships.

17. T here is a small subset who are exclusively attracted to children, but the majority are or have previously been attracted to adults.

18. Myth If someone sexually assaults an adult, he will not target children as victims; and if someone sexually assaults a child, he will not target adults.

19. M ost sex offenders prey on different types of victims. No assumptions can be made about an offender’s victim preference.

20. There are no pure categories within sexual offending categories alone. Colorado study: 25.7% assaulted both genders 50% crossed over juvenile/adult CROSSOVER

21. Myth Drugs and alcohol cause sexual offenses to occur.

22. D rugs and alcohol are often involved in an assault, but do not cause offenders to commit the assault. They serve as disinhibitors.

23. Myth The majority of sex offenders are caught, convicted, and in prison.

24. 1990 National Crime Victimization Survey: 32% of sexual assaults reported 2003 National Crime Victimization Survey: 39% reported

25. Myth Sexual offense rates are higher than ever and continue to climb.

26. 2003 National Crime Victimization Survey Rapes and Sexual Assaults 19932003 485,000223,000

27. Number of Substantiated Child Sexual Abuse Cases 1992 2003 150,000 90,000 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

28. Myth Sex offending is rare in offenders with intellectual disability.

29. T here are more sex offenders and inappropriate sexual behaviors with this population than with the general prison population.

30. Myth Risk in sexual offenders with intellectual disability is low since sex offender recidivism is low.

31. D ue to impulsivity, attention deficit, and criminal personality risk can be high in many life areas.

32. Myth There are few Paraphilias (sexual deviance) in offenders with intellectual disability.

33. P araphilias in this population bunch together and usually throughout treatment more are discovered.

34. Myth Children who are sexually assaulted will sexually assault others when they grow up.

35. M ost sex offenders were not sexually abused as children and most who are assaulted do not sexually assault others.

36. Myth Sex Offender recidivism rates are very high.

37. 5 years10 years 15 years All sex offenders 14%20%24% Rapists 14%21%24% “Girl Victim” Child Molesters 9%13%16% “Boy Victim” Child Molesters 23%28%35% Over 50 years old at release 7%11%12% Under 50 years old at release 15%21%26% Harris and Hanson (2004)

38. Myth As providers we should only be concerned with sexual behaviors that are criminal.

39. T here are many fringe behaviors in this population which pose serious threats: aggression, theft, nuisance behaviors, fire setting, etc.

40. Myth There are no effective ways to assess risk with offenders who have intellectual disabilities.

41. R isk assessments can be very effective in identifying areas to manage.

42. Myth With a good assessment we can predict who will commit a sexual crime.

43. N o assessment can predict sexual offenses, only manage risk.

44. Myth Treatment is not effective with offenders who have intellectual disability.

45. C ognitive/behavioral approaches and Relapse Prevention can be very effective with this population.

46. Myth Supervision of sexual offenders is only concerned about policing them and not letting them out of your sight.

47. S upervision is concerned with teaching the offender to be responsible and proactive at staying out of tempting situations and engaging in safe situations.

48. WHO ARE SEX OFFENDERS?

49. A ll sex offenders are not alike. There is no “profile” of a sex offender.

50. S ex offenders vary significantly in age and come from all races, ethnicities and socioeconomic classes.

51. There are different types of sex offenders and different levels of risk.

52. FBI TYPOLOGIES OF CHILD MOLESTERS AND RAPISTS

53. SITUATIONAL CHILD MOLESTERS Regressed Morally Indiscriminate Inadequate

54. PREFERENTIAL CHILD MOLESTERS Seduction Introverted Sadistic Diverse

55. RAPISTS Anger Power Sadistic

56. NON-CONTACT SEX OFFENSES Exhibitionism Voyeurism Obscene phone calls Frotteurism

57. SEX OFFENDER RISK ASSESSMENT Empirically-based, scientifically validated tools, designed to predict the risk to reoffend. These tools guide practitioners in identifying sub-groups of offenders who pose a higher risk to reoffend than others.

58. RISK FACTORS Prior sex offenses Diverse sex crimes Deviant sexual interest Sexual preoccupation Antisocial orientation/psychopathy Victim characteristics (male, stranger, unrelated) History of rule violations (non-compliance with supervision, violation of conditional release) Attitudes tolerant of sex crimes Emotional identification with children Conflicts with intimate partners or lack of intimate partner Psychopathy and deviance combined

59. MANAGING SEX OFFENDERS IN THE COMMUNITY

60. Why do we need to talk about supervising sex offenders in the community? Most end up released into the community. Many are not under correctional supervision. Communities can help sex offenders reintegrate and thus prevent future victimization.

61. Sex Offender Management Is: Preventing Sexual Assaults by Known Offenders by: Developing and supporting offenders’ internal controls; and Establishing external controls over activities.

62. A Victim-Centered Approach: Values public safety, victim protection, and reparation. Assists victims and controls offenders. Commitment by and coordination of key professionals. Increases the likelihood that victims will report and receive assistance.

63. A Victim-Centered Approach: In a victim-centered approach to the management and treatment of sex offenders, victims and the community are considered the primary clients.

64. Victim Advocates can ensure that the interests of current and potential future victims remain at the forefront for those working to manage sex offenders in the community.

65. Premises of Sex Offender Management Requires multidisciplinary collaboration Victim safety is paramount

66. True collaboration can be described as a situation in which agencies and individuals who share a common problem or set of interests set aside their agendas regarding the identified concern and come together to forge a collective agenda that addresses each party’s needs.

67. Collaboration is Essential Because: Sexual abuse involves many areas Information and disclosure are key There is a common goal

68. Collaboration and the Public Health Model

69. I n the public health universe problems are defined widely and their solutions are seen as resulting from the collaboration of diverse specialists. I have, no doubt, for example, that reducing violence requires the creative collaboration of the criminal justice, health, mental health, social services, and education establishments. I am not talking about a few top bosses holding summit meetings. I am talking about the troops, the mass of cops, probation officers, doctors, nurses, therapists, counselors, social workers, and truant officers working together every single day. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, M.D.

70. Who are the stakeholders? Criminal justice system personnel such as judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and law enforcement officers Correctional officials responsible for the reentry of sex offenders into the community as well as those supervision officers who monitor offenders in the community Victim advocates and victim treatment providers Sex offender treatment providers Anyone who has a stake in preventing sexual abuse: polygraph examiners, social service providers, child protective agencies and school administrators.

71. Specialized Sex Offender Supervision includes: A primary focus on the prevention of future victimization. Close collaboration and frequent information sharing among supervision agents, victim advocates, law enforcement and other practitioners who share responsibility for sex offender management. Specialized training for agents who work with sex offenders. Special conditions of supervision designed to address risk factors. Sex offender specific caseloads for agents supervising sex offenders.

72. How can citizens help support the management of sex offenders in their communities? Don’t assume preventing sexual assault is someone else’s responsibility. Accept that sex offenders will and do live in communities. Understand that safely supervising sex offenders is complex. Assist criminal justice agencies in monitoring an offender’s behavior and actions. Use available channels for expressing concerns. If there are concerns about a particular sex offender, notify the supervising official immediately.

73. Encourage community members to educate themselves so that they understand who is at risk and how best they can be protected. Get involved in primary prevention, i.e., educational efforts that seek to stop the behaviors and attitudes that allow sexual assault to occur. Listen to your children. Listen to their questions, fears, and concerns. Talk to your children about personal safety issues as they relate to child sexual abuse. Do this when talking about bike safety, crossing the street, or talking to strangers.