NCJ Number
209139
Journal
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 17 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2005 Pages: 31-38
Date Published
January 2005
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article describes a memory recovery technique for use with sex offenders who claim no memory of their offense.
Abstract
While some sex offenders deny or minimize their guilt, there exists another class of sex offenders who deny any memory of the offense, even when they agree they must have committed the offense. This failure to recall the offense interferes with appropriate offender disclosure and treatment. In order to facilitate the appropriate recall in their clients, the authors developed a memory recovery strategy based on experimental memory research. The memory recovery technique involves, first underscoring for the client the importance of recalling details of the offense and, second presenting contextual cues that occurred on the day of the offense. This is based on research that has shown that the majority of people believe that psychological techniques can enhance memory and evidence that the use of contextual cues and the use of imagery techniques are most effective at allowing recall of previously forgotten material. While no formal data are offered for the effectiveness of this technique, the authors did apply this technique in 22 cases; 16 of the clients displayed satisfactory recall of the offense after 2 weeks of the memory technique, while 4 needed an additional 1 to 2 weeks for adequate recall. The authors thus encourage other clinicians to try the memory recovery technique with their clients. References