Abstract
The term evidence-based is increasingly found in treatment manuals and program titles designed for individuals convicted of a sexual offense. However, whether the presented evidence truly qualifies as “evidence-based” is questionable. I will share my experience as the clinical director for a private outpatient agency where we designed a program based on the existing peer-reviewed literature on individuals convicted of Child Sexual Exploitation Material (CSEM) offenses. I will describe the steps that we followed in developing a workgroup to explore and apply the knowledge from research to our clinical practice. We adapted the term evidence-informed to acknowledge that the program relied on existing literature in combination with the experiences and expertise of our clinical team. A fictitious case that reflects an amalgamation of facts is presented to demonstrate the assessment and treatment processes. Implications for organizational consensus to conduct program evaluation and research are discussed.
Highlights
Access to and regular use of the Internet have increased rapidly in recent years, with 5.11 billion unique mobile users in the world that grow daily[1]
I will share my experience as the clinical director for a private outpatient agency where we designed a program based on the existing peerreviewed literature on individuals convicted of Child Sexual Exploitation Material (CSEM) offenses
The Internet has facilitated the proliferation of a new form of sex crime – the production, distribution, and consumption of child sexual exploitation materials (CSEM)
Summary
Access to and regular use of the Internet have increased rapidly in recent years, with 5.11 billion unique mobile users in the world that grow daily[1]. Internet crimes against children are not limited to sexual abuse images, and other forms of abuse include online grooming of minors and sex tourism These forms of abuse have been around for a long time, the rapid growth of the Internet has afforded unprecedented opportunity to produce, use, share, and sell these images. Differences between individuals convicted of Internet (online) vs typical contact (offline) sexual offenses have been found in terms of demographic and developmental characteristics, as well as offending behaviors. Those convicted of Internet sexual offenses have been found to be overwhelmingly young, Caucasian males[19,20,21,22]. In comparison to those convicted of contact sex offending, individuals convicted of Internet offenses have been found less likely to have endured childhood sexual abuse[23,24], have lower rates of substance abuse[20,22], and fewer convictions for prior offenses[20,24,26]
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