Group Work With Sexual Offenders (An Alternative Approach)
| Published date | 01 September 1978 |
| Author | Christine Weaver,Charles Fox |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455057802500304 |
| Date | 01 September 1978 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
84
Group
Work
With
Sexual
Offenders
(An
Alternative
Approach)
CHARLES
FOX
&
CHRISTINE
WEAVER
IN
THE
March
issue
of
Probation
Journal,
an
article
by
Roger
Shaw
described
work
in
Southend
with
men
convicted
of
serious
sexual
offences.
He
described
the
response
of
the
public
to
offences
of
this
kind,
the
treat-
ment
such
men
receive
in
prison,
and
the
damaging
effects
on
them
and
their
relatives.
Although
less
serious.
sexual
offences
such
as
indecent
exposure
and
non-violent
child
molesting
are
not
so
likely
to
result
in
long
prison
sentences
or
to
cause
such
major
upheaval
in
offenders’
lives,
they
nevertheless
generate
a
gamut
of
mixed
emotions
from
anger
and
hostility
to
contempt
and
derision.
In
this
article
we
are
concerned
with
this
latter
group,
as
although
most
men
convicted
of
indecent
exposure
offend
only
once,
are
fined
and do
not
return
to
the
courts,
a
small
recidivist
group
have
long
posed
prob-
lems
of
disposal
to
magistrates
and
judges.
The
persistent
offender
may
be
placed
on
probation
with
a
condition
of
psychiatric
treatment
or
even
be
sent
to
prison,
but
experience
has
suggested
that
as
with
serious
sexual
offences,
neither
course
of
action
has
been
successful
in
reducing
offending.
One-to-one
counselling
with
either
a
probation
officer
or
psychiatrist
has
often
failed
to
create
the
climate
where
a
sex-offender
feels
confident
enough
to
discuss
his
behaviour,
and
indeed
many
proba-
tion
officers
themselves
feel
out
of
their
depth
with
this
kind
of
prob-
lem.
On
the
other
hand
a
prison
sentence
is
likely
to
increase
the
social
isolation
and
feelings
of
abnormality
that
many
of
these
men
already
experience
and
leave
them
even
more
vulnerable
on
their
release.
What
else
can
be
done
to
offer
persistent
&dquo;flashers&dquo;
and
child
molesters
an
alternative
which
will
provide
them
with
support
and
an
opportunity
to
look
at
themselves
with
a
view
to
help
and
change?
They
are
rarely
aggressive
or
violent
men,
although
they
may
have
committed
other
offences
like
stealing,
but
are
often
sl~y
and
timid,
some
with
below
average
I.Qs.
and
often
a
background
of
dominating
mother
and
perhaps
a
traumatic
death
of
a
close
relative.
Their
&dquo;normal&dquo;
sexual
experience
is
usually
limited,
although
some
have
achieved
quite
long
lasting
rela-
tionships
and
may
even
be
married.
They
usually
suffer
from
feelings
of
anxiety
and
inadequacy
in
their
contact
with
women,
and
of
shame
and
abnormality
because
of
their
behaviour.
Many
live
socially
isolated
lives
made
worse
by
the
publicity
surrounding
their
offences.
In
Bristol
we
are
running
a
group
(the
Berkeley
Group)
which
started
in
February
1977,
meets
fortnightly
and
has
nine
regular
members
at
the
moment.
It
is
open-ended
in
the
sense
that
it
will
continue
indefinitely
and
new
members
are
welcome
after
discussion
with
current
attenders.
We
have
regular
consultancy
sessions
with
a
local
psychiatrist
and
referrals
come
from
probation
officers
and
psychiatric
departments
of
local
hospitals.
Men
do
not
have
to
be
currently
under
supervision
although
most
of
them
are,
and
attendance
at
the
group
can
be
made
a
condition
of
a
probation
order.
There
were
a
number
of
di~culties
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