NCJ Number
112493
Editor(s)
R J Freeman,
S N Verdun-Jones
Date Published
1988
Length
142 pages
Annotation
Following a brief overview of methods used to treat sexual aggression, legal and ethical issues in the treatment of sex offenders are examined.
Abstract
Legal and ethical issues raised by treatment in correctional contexts are examined, with focus on the ability of incarcerates to freely consent to treatment, particularly when treatment is part of a research study or court-ordered. A discussion is provided of the Canadian application of the American principle of the quid pro quo between the State's right to incarcerate offenders and its obligation to offer them treatment. It is suggested that while treatment often is the explicit or implicit justification for incarceration, there generally is no guarantee that treatment that might result in early restoration of liberty will be provided. Results of a study of the attitudes and behaviors of unincarcerated pedophiles are presented, and professional and ethical dilemmas facing clinicians in treating this population are discussed. The treatment and sentencing process in Canada are delineated, as are issues related to the right to refuse treatment by voluntarily and involuntarily committed mental patients. Approaches to competency and compulsory treatment issues in Canada are outlined. Chapter footnotes. See NCJ-112494 to NCJ-112498 for individual articles.