There were an estimated 700,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S. at year-end 2009, according to state sex offender registries. But Maia Christopher of the Association for Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) is quick to point out that not all sex offenders are the same. Maia feels that it is vital to make this distinction and to debunk common myths regarding sex offenders—important first steps toward improving treatment of sexual offenders and reducing recidivism.
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Myth #1: “They’re all sex predators.”
“When we use terms like ‘sexual predator,’ it alludes to that fact that they’re stalking or skulking about. This is a stereotype,” says Maia, who has 18 years of experience in treatment of offenders and is the executive director of ATSA. The terms “sexual offender” and “sexual predator” are not interchangeable. “Offender” refers to someone convicted of a sexual offense, whereas “predator” refers to repeat sexual offenders, who often use physical violence or prey on children. Although the term “predator” is widely used—even hyped in television programs like To Catch a Predator—it in reality encompasses the vast minority of sex offenders at large. And these semantics reflect a mountain of factors that differentiate offenders from predators—which should be reflected in their treatment, as well.
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Myth #2: “Most sex offenders attack strangers.”
It’s important to remember, according to Maia, that the majority of sexual offenders offend against people they know. This can be a scary fact, but it counters the notion that most sex offenders are waiting in dark alleys to attack strangers, which is simply not the case. This does happen, but it is not the norm. Most sex offenders know their victims—family members, friends, or co-workers. And knowing this fact should help with assessing risk factors and treatment options, and determining an individual’s risk to re-offend against those he or she knows.
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Myth #3: “All sex offenders will offend again.”
“A common misperception is that the re-offense rate for sexual offenders is 100 percent,” says Maia. According to a Hanson and Harris 2004 study, adult males that are sexually offending outside of marriage have the highest recidivism rate, with 35 percent re-offending within 15 years. In contrast, incest offenders have the lowest recidivism rates, at 13 percent after 15 years. (Statistics reflect only adult offenders, not children or juveniles.) The biggest takeaway here is that there is hope for rehabilitation of sex offenders. They are not all doomed to re-offend. “By shifting our thinking to reflect this, we open doors to new possibilities of treatment that we may have once thought ineffective,” says Maia.
The Reality of Effective Treatment Options
With all the myths circulating about sex offenders, it’s hard to gauge how these affect treatment and reentry efforts aimed at these individuals. By educating ourselves on the truth about sex offenders, we can accurately assess each individual, resulting in individualized treatment plans that may be more effective than blanket methods.
“It is crucial that people have an understanding that there are different ways that people offend,” says Maia. These include pedophilic offenders, non-pedophilic offenders, and rapists. Each has different acute risk factors, arousal criteria, and personality traits. By working together with different service providers (treatment, corrections, reentry), one can collaboratively learn about these factors, instead of assessing all sex offenders under the same general criteria. The latter approach is “not personalized and has proven less effective than really getting to know each offender,” says Maia.
“Treatment does two things,” adds Maia. ‘It capitalizes an offender’s ability to understand what contributed to his offending, and allows him to build learning skills to fight against these factors. And secondly, it helps offenders have a chance to build a meaningful life for themselves, living in community.”
ATSA is an international, multi-disciplinary organization dedicated to preventing sexual abuse. Located in Beaverton, Oregon, ATSA uses research, education, and shared learning to promote evidence-based practice, public policy, and community strategies that lead to the effective assessment, treatment, and managements of individuals who have sexually abused or are at risk to abuse.