An article posted in the Daily Mail on June 24 2016 caught my eye, why?, because it’s something that I have been saying for years and nobody has been listening to. So here is the link to the article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4635876/Scandal-100million-sex-crime-cure-hubs.html and some of the basic information that is in the article, “The scandal of the sex crime ‘cure’ hubs: How minister buried report into £100million prison programme to treat paedophiles and rapists that INCREASED reoffending rates”.
Sex Offender Treatment Programme is psychological group-therapy course
Believed to have cost taxpayers over £100 million since it was set up in 1991
Prisoners who take the rehabilitation courses are at least 25 per cent more likely to be convicted of further sex crimes than those who do not.
Paedophiles convicted of attacking children are especially likely to offend”
It should be noted that this is from a British newspaper, but the programs that are run in the United States are a mirror image of the program that was run in Britain, a program that has now been found to have such a devastating result on the people that participated in it, as well as the community. The article that follows is one that was posted on SOSEN in April of last year. I will include the links to a couple other articles about treatment providers and treatment that is forced by our government without any consideration to people’s constitutional rights upon people on the registry or any consideration if the programs are effective at reducing the re-offense rate Http://sosen.org/blog/2016/04/28/sex-offender-treatment-a-legal-extortion-business.html , as well as Http://sosen.org/blog/2015/05/02/prediction-of-dangerousness-length-of-treatment-and-psychological-damage.html, also this one on how treatment providers have used their suppose it expertise to cause damage to disfavored groups that they have chosen to devalue: Http://sosen.org/blog/2016/05/15/history-repeats-itself-the-shameful-tactics-of-pseudo-science-and-legislative-action.html It is quite obvious that these supposed experts are not that and that their programs are causing damage not only to the people taking them and their family members as well future victims, but also to the community at large.
One of the things that everyone seems to be missing is these same experts in sex offender treatment are also the same ones that are treating the victims. If their theories are so wrong on how to treat the offenders how much damage have they been doing to the victims? Especially when the crimes involve family members, perhaps it’s time to have some type of watchdog group that is not made up of therapists and psychiatrists and psychologists to oversee and look into if there is damage being done to the victims of these crimes by the therapists and treatment providers who are supposed to be helping these people. Or are the treatment providers just imposing their own viewpoints on to the victims to justify their mistreatment of the perpetrators of the crime.
I’ve been trying for years to get the point across that sex-offender treatment professionals, sex-offender ‘defense’ opinion doctors etc etc have a vested interest in severe sex offender laws etc etc because that is their income. I have never seen in NY any well known, respected or probation used sex-offender treatment professional make any attempt to dispute legislation. It is against their financial interest to do so.
While treatment programs might help some people. Overall they’re worthless in they do nothing to help those on the registry get off it, especially anyone labeled tier III due to their conviction. Tier III says you were either diagnosed or was convicted of a particular crime, but the crime in itself should NOT mean you’re going to reoffend, which is the case with most people wrongly labeled Tier III. Having sex with a 13 year old vs a 12 year old does NOT make one more dangerous, and is nothing more than a imaginary line one most cross to go from Tier II to Tier III. I also find it interesting everyone is fighting tooth and nail for the other Tiers to get off the registry, but do nothing to argue for Tier III’s who should be able to lower their status at some future point. Should a Tier III still be labeled as such if hes been out of prison and crime free for 10, 15, or 20 years? How is it justified hes still worthy of Tier III status other than his original crime 30 years or so ago? The registry and its tier system is comparable to inmates. Some inmates think they’re better than others and only look out for themselves in the bigger picture, and I see the same thing happening with registrants . Trickle down does NOT work in any situation so the fight should be for the registry and its registrants as a whole, and not cherry pick, especially since the government is doing all it can to raise many to Tier III status since its the Tier they feel they can lock you in for life.
It is truly just obviously idiotic that supposedly people need therapy if they commit a $EX crime but not for any other crime. The whole thing is nothing but plain theft. People stealing money because they can. I do expect they would force therapy onto anybody else if they were able.
This is common sense since the participants are in these groups talking about raping children which would subconsciously normalize this in offenders with proclivities to commit these types of crimes. This is interesting because this is exactly what I told my mandatory psychologist after two of the mandatory sessions that I attended. I straight told him I did not want to be involved in that crap and that I did not know if I could even sit in there and listen to that crap. I told him that those sessions are not going to help anyone and will increase the chances of people committing those types of crimes again. Told him that it was also like hooking drug users up with other drug users. He immediately agreed with me and ended my sessions right then and there. The parole officer and him had it out because the parole agent wanted me to attend these but the psych told him no and went above the agent to his superior and that was that. They had two different psychs come talk to me during the first month and all agreed that I had no proclivities that would require me to go to these meetings. I am telling you, it is like AA meetings. Nope, not for me. I have been drug free for over 18 years now after using since I was 11 years old. I went to one AA meeting and they just made me want to do dope. This was also a mandatory requirement in this halfway house and my PO had to tell them not to make me go. It is amazing what they will do sometimes when you are straight up with them. I told my PO I was off drugs for like 8 years at that point and that if I have to keep going to these meetings I was going to use again. I almost did just from the couple that I went. Met up with this one dude went out got drunk and almost used except for where I was at was at one of my best friends and he was not having none of it even though he was tweaking and had the shit right there. Thank my buddy every time I see him almost. They have absolutely no idea what they are doing, people who create those programs are hacks trying to get the gov contracts because they cannot make it in the real world. Bottom line. Look at Hanson, now that he has the recognition and respect he has gained from his BS gov shit he is now able to say how wrong he was and how much BS all that crap really is.
I cannot speak for everyone, but that’s my take.
Many of those that are “treatment providers”for these groups also hold positions of authority on the Sex Offender Treatment Boards in their states, these are the boards responsible for dictating treatment.
The philosophy of those boards clearly state that they are there for the support and recovery of the victims and not the offenders.
How in the hell can you be treating registrants that you are admitting to being biased against?
This is not treatment, it boarders on malpractice.
The issue with mandated treatment is that it treats the crime, not whatever underlying psychological issue contributed to the criminal behavior (if any psychological issue even existed). It’s the end result of the legislative and judicial system intruding into the medical system and using it as another form of monitoring and social control.
Unrelated rant about my court-ordered therapist in NY: Our groups usually had around 15 attendees in a given 45 min session. There was no way to individualize treatment or to have a consistent focus on any one group member’s issue.
Given that treatment is legislated for people convicted of sex offenses as supposedly a means of reducing recidivism, our therapist had a strong incentive to maximize change to behavior and little incentive to take the time to understand the nuances of a given client.
Led to some pretty harsh therapy. When I shared about how humiliating Halloween checks had been in VA, my therapist, instead of sympathizing, essentially threatened me by saying if I didn’t comply in NY, I could expect cops in body armor, wielding shotguns, to show up at my door (I’m a level 1 and no one ever checked my house on Halloween).
Another poor soul was a subway flasher. The therapist’s advice? Don’t use public transportation. That was it. When the guy challenged by noting it’s extremely difficult for a working-class stiff to get around the city without using the subway or bus system, our therapist basically said “nah, there are alternatives, and you’re too dangerous to be on public transit.”
I currently attend treatment, I’ve gone through two different providers, come rain or shine, holiday or not I’ve attended over 103 sessions at $35.00 a pop, I’ve passed all my polygraphs, static 99 is zero, LCMI very low, but when I ask my treatment provider if I can get a recommendation to be cleared they say no. Why because my plea doesn’t say the amount of time I need to go, but other probationers have 52 week programs mantdated by the court. I was told day one that this is treatment is NOT therapy it’s designed for the probationer to realize what he/she did was wrong and to finish the program by accepting/admitting what you did was wrong. I also she a therapist, and I go to a sex group class to better my chances of getting off probation sooner. I arranged a meeting with a minor who I 100% had no idea she was a minor until I was arrested. You know the whole entrapment thing. It’s hard for me being in a treatment class with probationers who’s crimes are a lot worse. But hearing the stories I understand and changed my perception of them, because honestly our classifications of Crimes can happen to anyone. I don’t agree that this program wants you to admit other crimes you may have done, because the provider is court mandated to report that crime, I’ve seen probationers disappear the next weekly session and everyone figured out why. Or the dreeded polygraph, you have to pay $300.00 plus dollars, it sucks, stressful because if you accidentally fail your PO will find a way to violate you. I’ve exceeded every expectation required of me while on 2 of 4 year probation but this triangle that’s supposed to reveal my progress doesn’t exist. I went to court 4 months in a role to ask the DDA and Judge for early release but had to keep coming back because the PO wouldn’t write a favorable report because it’s policy, or my provider didn’t write the report on time, and the DDA and Judge don’t want to say yes because they’re overall cautious because this is a sex crime, and they don’t take into consideration anything positive. I guess I’m venting now but I have 23 months of treatment, I hope it gets better.
People in ca treatment are not being evaluated for completion, Contrary to a 2018 casomb development of Guidelines for completion mirroring atsa standards.
I haven’t found anyone willing help motivate a change. Becuase…. all of us are on some sort of probations/supervised release.
How many sessions have you all been forced to attend weekly?
I bet I’ve got you all beat. Many, many years of weekly and many, many, many, many thousands of dollars and only 5 years of probation (mandatory treatment) to go!! Cp conviction ny. Nothing remarkable about it.
How much money is involved? Well, this is just the treatment for federal SO offenders.
A23: The total award amounts (by catchment area) are listed below:
Santa Barbara & Ventura Counties $329,316.00
San Fernando & Santa Clarita Valleys $337,236.00 & $346,500.00
AntelopeValley (including Lancaster/Palmdale) $314,916.00
Greater LA County (excluding Antelope, San
Fernando & Santa Clarita Valleys
$1,365,672.00 & $1,559,448.00
& $2,282,532.00
Orange County $884,688.00
Greater San Bernardino County (Excluding
Victorville, Apple, Lucerne & Yucca Valleys)
$342,912.00
South Riverside County $253,440.00
Victorville, and Apple, Lucerne and Yucca
Valleys
$395,040.00
Riverside/ Low Desert $358,242.00