Developmentally disabled sex offenders can present special challenges related to treatment and risk. In larger communities, existing services that focus on offense- specific treatment and risk management can manage many of these offenders. However, the programming available through the service system for developmentally disabled persons is sometimes insufficient to deal with high-risk sex offenders. The report of a Colorado task force that studied the issue resulted in the development of Offender Services, Inc. (OSI), a program that accepts only developmentally disabled sex offenders who are mentally competent to be prosecuted for a criminal offense. Offense-specific programming at OSI is intensive and includes group therapy specific to sex offenders, anger control group therapy, and individual therapy. Treatment also focuses on learning about the myths of masculinity, as well as socialization and living skills. Three problems encountered during the program's development included a delay in obtaining liability insurance, financial problems, and controversy in the local media. Despite these problems, the program has operated for a year and is benefiting both the community and the offender. Footnotes and 5 references
Downloads
Similar Publications
- Physical and mental health upon reentry: The importance of social contact in prison for wellbeing during reintegration
- Symptoms Consistent With Shift Work Disorder Are Common Across Groups of First Responders
- Linking Childhood Trauma Exposure to Adolescent Justice Involvement: The Concept of Posttraumatic Risk-Seeking