Working with Sex Offenders in Prisons and through Release to the Community: A Handbook

by Alec Spencer

Overview

Working with Sex Offenders in Prisons and through Release to the Community is the first study of its kind to look at a wide range of issues and problems relating to the management of sexual offenders in prisons and their reintegration into the community. Spencer's analysis of the delivery of prison-based offence-specific programmes, both within the broader context of criminal justice systems and the community provides valuable insight into the relationship between prisons and other agencies dealing with sex offenders. Spencer makes a strong case for implementing treatment for sexual offenders within prisons, as well as the need for support and supervision in the community once released. His multi-agency approach is an innovative and cohesive strategy for effective interventions, and highlights major issues which need to be addressed so that programmes stand a chance of succeeding in a penal setting.

The issues involved in the setting up of programmes, the creation of the right environment, and the support and training of staff, are universally applicable; as are discussions of risk assessment, the links between victims and offenders, sex offenders in special hospitals, women as sex abusers, the use of pornography and sexual offender notification. This book is essential reading, not only for specialists in the field, but also for students and professionals working in related areas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781853027673
Publisher:	Kingsley, Jessica Publishers
Publication date:	06/01/1999
Series:	Forensic Focus , #15
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Alec Spencer is currently Governor of HM Prison Edinburgh and he is on the SPS Accreditation Panel. He is also a member of NOTA (UK) and ATSA (USA). He lectures at Edinburgh University, where he is a Research Asssociate of the Centre for Law and Society, and runs workshops and training events for those working with sex offenders in prisons.

Table of Contents

Foreword. Dedication. Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Sexual Offenders and Their Victims. 3. Creating an Integrated Approach within a Prison Service. 4. Other Issues for Prisons. 5. The Programme. 6. Complementary and Supporting Programmes. 7. Monitoring and Evaluation. 8. Staff Training and Support. 9. Information about Offending Behaviour. 10. Bridging the Gap - I. Throughcare, the Multi-agency Approach. 11. Bridging the Gap - II. From Prison to Home and the Community. 12. Other Mult-agency Issues. 13. The Prisoner's Tale. 14. Postscript 15. A Model for Multi-agency Case Work. Annexe One: Case Studies from the STOP Programme. References. Index.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Aimee St. Pierre, MD (Rush University Medical Center)
Description: With this book the author addresses the importance of establishing effective treatment programs for incarcerated sexual offenders. He also specifically discusses the need for mandatory post-release treatment for offenders as they return to the community.
Purpose: The author's stated intention is to provide an overview and rationale for a comprehensive intervention program for sexual offenders, based on an established program which he has been instrumental in developing. The program is integrated into the community, and is staffed by both mental health professionals and correctional personnel. This topic is timely and meritorious, and the author's stated objectives are met.
Audience: The audience, according to the author, includes correctional agencies and mental health practitioners who work with this population. The book would also be of interest to general forensic psychiatrists and psychologists. The author, an administrator of a prison in Edinburgh, has experience in the incarceration and treatment of sexual offenders.
Features: The nature of sexual offenses is addressed, with emphasis on the impact of these crimes on their victims. While the author emphasizes that sexual behavior disorders cannot be cured, he makes an impassioned plea for the protection of future victims, and argues that appropriate intervention, which he feels must begin in prisons, will decrease sexual victimization. Accepting that curative treatment does not exist, the author describes a comprehensive treatment program in detail, including the establishment of continuity of care in the community. An appendix provides clinical case vignettes. However, pharmacological treatment approaches to sexual offenders are not addressed.
Assessment: The author presents an interesting and potentially useful approach to the treatment of sexual offenders in this book. The emphasis that this program places on continuing care after release from prison is a valuable contribution to the ongoing public discussion of strategies to reduce recidivism in this and other inmate populations.

Doody's Review Service

This is an important book…[it] correctly sticks to the actual structure of the sex offender programme in Edinburgh. It tackles some tricky issues, but, mercifully, in an indirect manner…I would commend it wholeheartedly as a serious work in an area that is poorly covered

Therapeutic Communities

This book is essential reading for those working in prisons where sexual offenders are being treated or where there are plans to implement treatment programmes. It is an invaluable source of information not only for a variety of staff ranging for senior prison staff to programme facilitators and on line officers, but also for students and professionals working in related areas. It aims to look at a wide range of of issues and problems relating to the management of sexual offenders in prisons and their reintegration into the community.
A variety of important discussions are considered in this book, including definitions of sexual offending, motivations to offend sexually, women as sex abusers, mentally disordered offenders, the use of pornography,notification of information on sex offenders and the link between victims and offenders.
It is refreshing to read a book that delivers more than it promises. It is also unusual to find a text that focuses on the necessary operational and human resource requirements and considerations for quality treatment delivery. The author is to be commended for addressing many of these difficult issues. Spencer has gathered rich observations, interesting experiences and makes recommendations that are a smooth blend of pragmatism and principle. The author is considerate toward the reader, summarising the key points throughout each chapter. Useful case studies from the intervention programme are included in an appendix and the author provides an original flavour by including a prisoner account of treatment. The text is well structured and easily readable. The author has succeeded in presenting a careful, forthright analysis, couched in facts rather that verbal flatulence that represents a welcome shift away from criminological sex offender myopia. This is not just a useful supplement to existing texts but also an invaluable addition to the ongoing debate surrounding the treatment of sexual offenders.

The British Journal of Forensic Practice

Spencer's analysis of the delivery of prison-based offence-specific programmes, both within the broader context of criminal justice systems and the community provides insight into the relationship between prisons and other agencies dealing with sex offenders.

New Life