NCJ Number
150896
Date Published
1993
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The development of sex offender treatment programs in the United Kingdom appears to be at a critical stage, particularly in the context of the Criminal Justice Act of 1991 which provides for the use of custodial sentences for violent or sex offenders and the early release of sex offenders to probation supervision.
Abstract
To research sex offender treatment programs, data were collected from telephone interviews with key personnel in every Probation Service in England and Wales, written replies from surveys of work with sex offenders, and notes made by probation officers in their work with sex offenders. It became clear that most probation work with sex offenders was a relatively recent phenomenon; only three of the 63 probation-run sex offender treatment programs identified during the research had been in existence for more than 5 years. Although probation officers who worked with sex offenders generally had a particular interest in this offender group, work with sex offenders was given status as part of an individual probation officer's job description in only 15 of 43 areas. Several Probation Services offered training for staff who worked with sex offenders, but most sex offender treatment programs were run with the help of external consultants. Only 13 Probation Services had formal policy statements regarding work with sex offenders. The cognitive-behavioral approach to sex offender treatment was offered by Probation Services largely through group work. Monitoring of sex offender treatment programs appeared to be rather intermittent and inadequate. 6 references