NCJ Number
210754
Journal
Criminal Justice Studies: A Critical Journal of Crime, Law and Society Volume: 18 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2005 Pages: 197-210
Date Published
June 2005
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study compared the self-perception of sexual offenders of children to the self-perception of specialized sex offender probation officers in two counties in Texas.
Abstract
The supervision of sex offenders is a difficult task due to their high rate of recidivism and because they are a poorly understood group of offenders. Some research has suggested that the personality characteristics of sex offenders and the probation officers that supervise them may play a role in the successful completion of the probation sentence. In order to explore how the interaction between sex offenders and those that supervise them impacts the success of probation, the current study compared the self-concept of sex offenders of children to the self-concepts of their probation officers, as well as their perceptions of how they were viewed by one another. Participants were 101 felony sex offenders and 45 specialized sex offender probation officers who completed similar questionnaires probing demographics and habits, perceptions of the criminal justice system, perceptions of sex, and perceptions of self and others peoples’ perceptions of the participant. Results of statistical analyses indicated significant differences between sex offenders of children and the probation officers that supervise them in terms of habits, thoughts, and ideologies. The findings may provide probation officers a better understanding of sex offenders. Tables, references