Forensic Management of Sexual Offenders / Edition 1

by Robert Alan Prentky, Ann Wolbert Burgess

Overview

Over the past several decades the seeming escalation of crimes involving sexually deviant, coercive, and aggressive behavior has become an increasingly serious problem, manifested in costs to both victims and society at large. The long-term psychological impact of sexual assault on adult and child victims has been documented numerous times. The costs incurred by society include a network of medical and psychological services provided to aid victim recovery, the investigation, trial, and incarceration of offenders-often in segregated units or special facilities-and the invisible but tangible blanket of fear that forces potential victims to schedule normal daily activities around issues of safety. Despite the gravity of the problem, there has been a paucity of empirical research directed at the etiology, course, remediation, and management of sexually deviant and coercive behavior. In treating these disorders and in making crucial decisions about how to manage these offenders, clinicians have been forced to rely on their personal experience. Such experience by its nature is unsystematic and lacks the validation that empirical research provides. The lack of sound empirical data addressing the problem is certainly noteworthy, though not surprising. The paucity of research in this area may well be attributable to historical scientific timidity about most aspects of sexual behavior. In 1922 Dr. Robert L.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306462788
Publisher:	Springer US
Publication date:	07/31/2000
Series:	Perspectives in Sexuality
Edition description:	2000
Pages:	331
Product dimensions:	7.01(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.03(d)

About the Author

Prentky, Robert Alan, PhD (Justice Resource Institute); Burgess, Ann Wolbert, DNSc (Univ of Pennsylvania)

Table of Contents

1. Incidence and Prevalence.- 2. Victim Impact.- 3. Diagnosis and Classification.- 4. Assessment.- 5. Prediction.- 6. Legal Responses to Sexual Violence.- 7. Forensic Evidence.- 8. Remediation.- 9. Special Topics.- Appendix. Risk Assessment Instruments.- References.

Editorial Reviews

‘...an important contribution to the field... The book is well written and full of gems that will be helpful to both students and experienced practitioners in forensic social work and foresic psychology or psychiatry as well as to personnel in the criminal justice system, from police sexual assault investigators to members of the judiciary.'
Psychiatric Services, 52:9 (September 2001)
‘For those seeking to understand the complexities involved in responding to sexual violence (especially by adults), Prentky and Burgess's thoughtful analyses and impressive command of the empirical literature provide a much needed resource. Their interdiscioplinary approach has the advantage not only of reaching a wide audience but, more importantly, of reinforcing the need to take seriously the contributions of different research fields and the importance of a more multisystemic response to violence. I can only hope that this text will serve as a model for future efforts.'
READINGS, 16:1 (March 2001)

From the Publisher

Reviewing the current state of knowledge about managing human sexual aggression, forensic psychologist Prentky (Justice Resource Institute, Bridgewater, Massachusetts) and forensic nurse Burgess (U. of Pennsylvania) discuss classification, assessment, prediction, and some of the major controversies raging through the field. They employ an empirical litmus text throughout in order to identify what is known, what are sound yet empirically based hunches, what is speculation, and what lies strictly in the realm of mythology. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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