An Analysis of Psychological Theories with Regard to Sexual Offenders - Essay Example

An Analysis of Psychological Theories with Regard to Sexual Offenders You're An Analysis on Psychological Theories with Regard to Sexual Offenders Introduction A myriad of psychological theorists, and crime investigators as well have discovered through irrefutable evidence that those who commit crimes of a sexually violent nature are deeply disturbed individuals. This is true despite the fact that a number of psychologists claim a percentage of them suffer from disabilities intellectually or have a low mental capacity in understanding issues of morality in society. Hollin (1989) has defined the fact that the most difficult task in studying crimes of a sexual nature is in the attempt of rationalizing what the sexual offender was motivated by to engage in such an act against another human being. Due to trying to interpret criminal behaviors, Hollin (1989) claims that it is one of the many reasons that the development of criminology was introduced into the legal system, to assist investigators with attempting to decipher the causes and various reasons different forms of crime take place. Through the utilization of criminology the ability to illustrate the impact sexual offenders place in society has been predetermined as well, although the statistics change on a yearly basis. However the use of criminology and the many theories from the heart of this identity of the study of crime have developed ways in which to gauge the characteristics, background, and the environment in which the offender might have developed from and also how it might contribute to their sexual offenses against others (Lynch 2002). In this generation, researchers have found various treatment programs which often work well in the attempt to rehabilitate the offender and reintegrate them back into their former communities. However the research will show that this process can be extensive at times and there are many theorizations associated with this type of crime and its occurrence. Criminological Theories and Crime with Specific Emphases on Sexual Offenders There have been many theorizations utilized to try and depict the reasons why some people focus on criminal actions that are relative to rape and other forceful sexual encounters as well. Some of these theories are rational theory, female delinquent theory, Structural functionist theory, and many, many others. Some have offered better insight as to why these types of crimes occur and others have just lead to more questions as to the occurrence of this type of crime. With regard to rational theory, many criminal theorists state that sexual offenders are always given the choice whether to commit an act of rape of sexual violence or not, in other words they have the ability to rationalize this type of decision (Barbaree et al 1990). The idea of rational theory developed from the concept of economic theory in the mid 20th century with some of the early founding thinkers being Homans, Blau, and Coleman (Sobel 1994). As was stated, this theory views an act of crime in a way that deciphers the choices and decisions that criminal offenders make subsequent to the criminal act itself. It is seemingly closely connected to the 'Theory of Will' in that it gives the idea that any sexual offender has the mental capacity to make their own decisions between right and wrong and by choosing to bring harm to someone else they are detailing that they are fully aware of the consequences of their actions (Barbaree et al 1990). The main difference between the 'Theory of Free Will' and the theory of 'Rational Choice' is the fact that although the 'Free Will theory' shows that possible offenders do make their own choices in regards to committing a serious crime such as a sexual offence they do not rationalize their decisions and are very impulsive in their actions indicating that their reasoning might not be that of a wholly correct mentally functioning human being that has the ability to weigh right from wrong. Rational choice theory shows that there is no question in their competency to determine what is bad and what is good; they simple make the choice to commit crime despite the consequences that might occur. For instance they might rationalize that they have a possibility of not getting caught and place that possibility into a statistical framework, which they then use to gauge their decision to commit a crime based on that personal notion (Sobel 1994). Furthermore, criminological researchers and literary writers who study crime such as Philip Feldman (1993) point out that without psychology having been linked up with law the various theories that are in existence today and of which are utilized to study criminal offenders of sexual violence, and other criminals would not have the potency in the field of crime fighting that they do in this generation of law enforcement and criminal investigations. In his book, Feldman claims that psychology has been the key that legal investigators have needed in recent years to try and begin attempting to understand the criminal mind and its various workings, especially with sex offenders because in the UK this type of crime is not as prevalent as crimes of murder, armed robbery, and kidnapping (Feldman 1993). Another theory that studies different aspects of criminal behavior and of which has been used to try and comprehend why someone would force sex on another person or would place an inclusion of a sexual offence in an ordinary robbery is Robert Merton's concept of the "Social Strain theory" (Goode 1960). By the utilization of this theory criminologists have reached some conclusions about certain personality characteristics of some sexual offenders. There are times when a person might want something so badly, and come to the realization that they are going to gain that item by no other way than through a deviant and purposeful criminal act that they make the decision to go forward with their criminal intentions. Some sexual offenders are unable to handle the social strain in society, of trying to fit in and the dating scene and what not. Therefore the idea is given that due to the strain of social conformity some turn to acts of rape and sexual abuse in order to satisfy needs that they feel would not be met otherwise. This theory is also used to try and decipher reasons for other crimes as well but every once in a while it is used in the area of sexual offences and often works well in sketching out the premeditation that exists within the mind of a sexual offender before the actual violent act takes place (Goode 1960). This theory also defines that offenders are not suffering from any psychological disorders in general when they commit these types of crimes. They are simply under so much societal strain and pressure that they make that one wrong decision which leads them to the criminal act of rape or another form of sexual violence against their victim. For serial rapists and other highly aggressive sexual offenders, this theorization does not come in that handy as their actions and intentions are quite a bit more complex in attempting to understand. For pedophiles however, this theory has been utilized as well and there is an indication that the social strain of attempting to conceal unnatural emotions can become overwhelming for these people and brings about impulsive acts of sexual violence against children at times when least expected (Mead 1934). This is of course an area where the idea of psychology and crime do work well together because understanding sexual offences against children can be extremely complex as it is not a behavior that any adult truly wants to have as Harrower (1998) discusses in her educational book on psychology and crime. She also goes on to discuss the intricacy found within psychology and the understanding of criminal minds, attempting to help criminologists distinguish why such heinous acts against women and even children (pedophiles) occur and if there is indeed a deeply rooted psychological reasoning for these actions besides simple theorizations such as 'Social Strain theory' or 'Rational theory', as well as others. The knowledge about crime has of course come to be accepted as having to do with the psychological workings of the mind nine times out of ten, especially when the crime is relatively focused on rape, sodomizing of children, and other sexual explicit crimes, as this research is clearly emphasizing. A person could theorize all day in order to try and come to a conclusion as to why the crimes occur but there also needs to be a focus on the treatment of such individuals who engage in such violent and unacceptable criminal acts against other people in society. In past years there have been quite a remarkable number of treatments put together to try and restructure and conform the minds of sexual offenders so that they might be able to be reintegrated back into society at some point in time. Treatment procedures for Sexual Offenders Within the treatment process of sexual offenders the first step in properly assessing and treating them is in trying to assess the potential danger that they present to society if released from legal custody (Lafond 2004). Through the utilization of psychology with law enforcement, psychologists have developed ways in which they can properly assess and treat sex offenders with the main fact that they have learned being that one form of treatment won't work with all sex offenders. One of the main tasks that psychologists have is in relaying the information that they have about a sex offender to the courts. Many perceive that once a sex offender, always a sex offender but psychologists state this is not the case with all individual offenders. This is one of the main points that they have to stress to the courts. In order for treatment to actually work there has to be an open mind that the chosen treatment is going to possibly make a difference and will be effective enough to possibly reintegrate a sex offender back into society at some point and time. Not all sex offenders are considered to be in the high-risk profile of becoming repeat offenders, especially if the correct treatment plan is implemented (Hall 1995). Furthermore, people are known to commit sexual crimes for variant reasons, some are highly predatory while others suffer from psychopathic disorders and left without treatment do tend to become repeat offenders. The main point is to try and facilitate a way for them to realize the harm that they have caused onto another human being so that they will be willing to undergo psychoanalytical treatment or even drug therapy to try and change the way that they interact with women, children, or possibly even other men. Cognitive Behavior therapy has been one of the best treatment regimens utilized when working with sexual offenders. This challenges the offenders to face the responsibility their actions have caused to another which makes them see the harm that they have inflicted onto another person. It causes them to have to face their denial, and the distortion of the truth that they have as well (Talbot 1997). Also the psychologists discuss the issue of the cognitive thinking pattern of the offender with him or her and work to find ways to help them overcome the psychological issues that might be the root cause of their criminal nature. Some of the various treatment programs include relapse prevention, behavioral techniques and sessions tailor treatment to meet the needs of offenders that have the greatest chance of recidivism. Many treatment sessions include components on substance abuse, educational support, medications and individual one on one therapy to address sex offender's personal problems and issues (Talbot 1997). Furthermore, psychologists feel that if a sense of empathy can be brought about from the offender then it is one step in the right direction of changing their criminal behavior (Lafond 2004). Through these forms of psychological tools, within the last 10 years the field of psychology has made a number of substantial advances in accurately pinpointing specific factors that place an increased risk onto sexual offenders which define some of them as having the adverse potential of being repeat offenders. The factors that have been clearly found have to do with the number of offenses, intimacy deficits, sexual preoccupations, and their age. Actuarial scales are often used to determine what level of risk there might be in regards to a sexual offender committing more sex crimes but the courts don't often place much value in these. The courts focus more on a past offenders progress reports from the prison psychologist rather than issues of good behavior. Again, the research can clearly define that without these essential psychological treatments and the theories that have assisted law enforcement in understanding sexual offenders better, the legal system would be a long way from finding a useful way of correcting these adverse situations and effectively bringing treatment to these offenders. Without these services these types of criminals would more than likely remained locked away for an indefinite period of time. Also, prison does not seem to be the logical answer because for one, the system would become overburdened by dealing with crimes of this nature and an inaccurate way of treating them. For another more pronounced reason, locking people away who have psychological problems does not change their behavior but only compounds upon it because obviously in prison there are instances of rape and other sexual assaults among the inmates. Therefore the logical way of controlling and minimizing sexual crimes is by getting to the psychological root of the problem and that would be through psychoanalytical techniques and psychological therapy programs in order to treat the offender properly and change his or her cognitive thinking patterns. Critical Evaluation of the Theories in Relation to Sexual Offenders An in depth evaluation of the Rational Choice theory defines the fact that it isn't always logical to attempt to utilize when deciphering the actions of a Sexual offender. This is due to the fact that not all sexual offenders have the capability of rationalizing their behavior and making the appropriate choices. In other words they don't stop to consider right from wrong, they are rather impulsive and act on their feelings of anger and fear nine times out of ten (Markus & Kitayama 1991). The Social Strain theory seems to come closer to interpreting the reasoning for sexual offenders' actions far better than the Rational Choice theory. This is because it emphasizes how some offenders simply can not handle the role they have in society and the shame and humiliation they feel about themselves leads them to bitterness, anger, resentment, and acting out in violent ways against society, often against women and children (Goode 1960). However, there is a newer theory that has developed within the past five years that defines the reasoning of sexual crimes possibly better than any other subsequent theory that exists. Although it is not well known it is beginning to make quite the mark in the area of psychology and in interpreting sexual crimes as well. This theory is centered around shame based syndromes and some theorists label it "The Shame Theory," while others have not determined a scientific title for the theorization but place a correlation of the idea with Adler's "Personality Theory," as these both are seemingly similar in some ways, with regards to why sexual offences occur (Adler 1956). It is perceived by many theorists that it is the shame from past sexual encounters that leads some to the compulsion to assault women as a product of what is known as unacknowledged shame about their sexuality, which in this theory is defined as "shame-rage loops" (Broucek 1991). The evaluation of this theory correlates it well with the Social Strain theory and Adler's personality theory in that it shows that men do not handle their past shame in the same way as women and the males natural tendency to become aggressive and violent can appear which can result in the criminal offences of rape and other forms of sexual abuse. Adler states (1956) that past adverse experiences conflict with the personality of an individual and can draw them into actions that they would not ordinarily find themselves. Therefore these three theories work well together in gaining a comprehension of the causes and the reasons for sexual offenders' actions. Statistically Evidence of Sexual Crimes There has been an increasing occurrence of sexual crimes in England and Wales since 2005. The correlating evidence shows that this has been a 17% increase which gives pause for concern in the geographical areas due to the fact that there are not sufficient means available to counter attack the growing problem (Sian et al 2004-2005). The estimated number amount per year has tallied in at 60,900 which is a high amount when one considers the laws that have been passed to try and bring protection to women and children in society against sex crimes. It is not actually clear why the numbers are escalating but some seem to believe that a lack of funding to properly treat these offenders has a part to do with it as without adequate treatment they will re-offend without question. Another possible explanation is that women and children who have been sexually abused or coming forward more fluidly now due to feeling safer with the support of the laws in affect. The equivalent reason of the higher statistics is basically assumed to be due to these two reasons together. This is of course the logical assumption which brings a sense of correlation to the rising incident rate (Sian et al 2004-2005). In Britain the statistics show a smaller occurrence rate for this type of crime dating back to 2000-2001. Following along the Home Office Report approximately 5% of women have been faced with forced sexual encounters in their life span, based on a questionnaire that was given randomly to 7000 women in the country. The research concluded that about 0.4% of women had been raped within a year's period and 0.5% faced issues of sexual assault. Although the percentages might seem small this is not the average amount of women that reside in the country of Britain and the research was simply carried out to give a brief idea of what the actual occurrence rate was within a certain number of the population (British Crime Survey 2000-2001). In that regard it does bring concern because if 7000 women deal with this type of percentile it has to be asked what do the other thousands face on a daily basis in their own lives To bring a view of fairness into this it must also be recognized that some of the cases that are reported are false due to the women themselves suffering from psychological problems. There are instances when women are disillusioned to what constitutes rape or they simply manifest this idea in their own mind when sexual abuse has not even actually taken place. So therefore though statistical evidence can be good in trying to combat these types of crimes it can also be difficult because law enforcement has to go through the process of apprehending and arresting suspects who might not have committed a crime at all. Thereby it takes away essential time to arrest those who are the serious criminal offenders. Conclusion The research has discussed various theories that define why sexual crimes occur and of which can pinpoint the main defining characteristics of what depicts a possible sexual offender. However, the laws that have been passed, the treatments that are available now, and the ways in which law enforcement themselves handle these crimes has minimized these occurrences to a certain extent. Of course the laws have also made women and women with children feel safer in coming forward and pressing charges against possible sexual offenders as well which has raised the percentile to a certain degree. Nevertheless if guaranteed funding can be kept available to the legal system then proper treatment regimens can be facilitated for professionals to work with those involved with crimes of a sexual nature. The importance is within the intricacy of the field of psychology and law enforcement working together to try and combat this form of crime. The point is that prison is not the answer to all forms of crime and proper education, psychological treatment, and even possible medicinal intervention can make a difference in those that commit crimes of this nature. Perhaps one day the percentages on these crimes might decrease to a minimal amount if and only if facilitated treatment can continue and be correlated to fit the nature and characteristics of individual sex offenders because as was stated in this literature, one size does not fit all in this type of crime. Notes 1. Adler, A. "The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler," New York: Basic Books Publications (1956). 2. Barbaree, H. & Laws, D. & Marshall, W. "Handbook of Sexual Assault," New York: Plenum Press (1990). 3. Broucek, F. "Shame and the Self," New York: Guildford Publishing House (1991). 4. British Crime Survey. (2000-2001). "Home Office Rape Statistics," [online] Available from: http://www.angryharry.com/esTheHomeOfficeCaughtStirringUpHatred.htm 5. Feldman, R. "The Psychology of Crime," Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1993). 6. Goode, W. J. (1960) "A Theory of Role Strain," American Sociological Review, 25, 483-496. 7. Hall, G. (1995). "Sex Offender Recividism Revisited: A Metanalysis of Treatment Studies," Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 1046-1052. 8. Harrower, J. & McClleven, R. "Applying Psychology to Crime," London: Hodder Arnold Publication (1998). 9. Hollin, C. R. "Criminal Behavior," London: Falmer Press Publication (1992). 10. Hollin, C. R. "Psychology and Crime," London: Routledge Press Publication (1989). 11. Lafond, John. (2004). "Preventing Sexual Violence: How Society Should Cope with Sex Offenders," APA Publications. 12. Lynch, M. (2002) "Pedophiles and Cyber-Predators as Contaminating Forces," Law and Social Inquiry, 27, 529-577. 13. Markus, H. & Kitayama, S. (1991). "Culture and the Self: Implications for Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation." Psychological Review, 98, 224-253. 14. Mead, G. H. "Mind, Self, and Society", Chicago: Chicago University Press (1934). 15. Sian, Nicholas. & Povey, David. & Walker, Alison. & Kershaw, Chris. (2004-2005). [online] Available from: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0405.html 16. Talbot, Tom. (1997) "Sexual Offender Management," Probation and Parole Association. 17. Sobel, Jordan. "Taking Chances," Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1994). Read More