Special need offender - Essay Example

In most countries, convicted sex offenders are required to register with the sex offenders’ registry in their areas of jurisdiction. These registry databases are open to the public for viewing (Borzecki, 2008). If an individual is involved in a high-level sexual offence, he or she is deemed to stay in the registry forever but if the crime is low level, he or she may be registered for a short duration of time. There are various programs that have been established to aid in treating the sexual offenders and all programs are geared towards one goal: making the offenders refrain from committing future sexual offences.

Before an individual is admitted to a treatment program it is always essential for the individual to admit guilt and agree to be treated. The reason behind this is that all sexual offenders are manipulative in nature and when put together they will effectively confront their manipulative problem since all of them have had similar experiences. Another reason for group therapy is that the offenders will be free to share with each other without fear of being victimized. These therapy groups provide the sexual offenders with the right environment to be aware of the harm they cause to their victims; they acquire new skills of coping with life as well as learn healthy ways of meeting their sexual and emotional needs both from their peers and therapists (Borzecki, 2008).

Group therapy has its own pitfalls in that some sexual offenders don’t fully explain their inner most feelings. Some may hide their true emotions and tell lies to their counterparts. As a result, ascertaining if a sexual offender is telling the truth to others could be difficult. Secondly, there’s always no evidence of success of this therapy to cure sexual abuse and prevent recidivism. It is just an approach that is insisted by the system. Community notification is also a program that has been put in place in order to curb sexual offences.

In this program convicted sexual offenders are required to register to the sexual offenders’ registry and these databases are left to the public for view. The state also has a role to play by informing the public about sex offenders who live in close proximity. This program is efficient in the sense that sex offenders who are known to the public are arrested more quickly for new crimes than offenders who are not known to the public. Community notification on the other hand, has resulted in many sexual offenders losing their jobs or home, getting threats or being harassed or losing their property.

Research has shown that 19% of sex offenders have realized some negative consequences in other family members. (Furby, 2009). Community notification does not fully play its role of enhancing public safety by exerting stressors such as loss of employment, shame, isolation and depression on a sexual offender. These may force the sexual offenders to commit sexual crimes again in protest of their fate. Some states also publicize the location of sex offenders without fully conducting risk assessment and this may bring anxiety among citizens making them live in constant fear.

Residence restriction is also a program implored by many states to reduce sexual offenders’ activities. These states have enacted laws which prevent sexual offenders from residing in close proximity to a day care centre, a school or a school bus stop. The most common restrictive distance is 1,000 to