Sexual offending

Abstract

Sexual offending often brings about strong emotional reactions amongst the public as well as clinicians working in forensic settings. Many people ask ‘how could they do that?’ and attach labels such as ‘monster’ and ‘pervert’ when referring to those with a conviction for sexual offending. People can struggle to comprehend both how and why individuals may commit a sexual offence; this can be the case for those who commit the offences too as they struggle to make sense of their behaviour. There a number of assumptions about sexual offending not supported by the statistics and research. For example, the public are more likely to be at risk of being a victim of a violent or general offence (e.g. burglary) than they are of being a victim of a sexual offence, and rates of recidivism are lower than other serious offence types. The stigma and assumptions attached to sexual offending can also be a barrier to addressing offending and reintegrating back into the community for those with convictions for sexual offences. However, this is not to undermine the seriousness of sexual offending. The harm caused clearly warrants the need for evidence-based assessments and interventions. Forensic psychologists play an important role in conducting assessments and providing effective interventions to this client group. This chapter will outline the processes of assessment and intervention with men convicted of sexual offences (MCOSOs) and the importance of conducting these with a focus on the evidence base. It will tackle some of the myths associated with sexual offending behaviour and risks.