Unmasking the sexual offender

Abstract

"Sexual offenders are surrounded by mythology, fascination, and revulsion. As our abusers, loved ones, clients, and supervisees, sex offenders present difficult and complicated issues interpersonally, as well as in treatment and management. Most people do not understand why and how someone who sexually abuses does what he does, so we inaccurately apply information or explanations that do nothing more than facilitate the offenders' evasion of accountability and visibility. Denial, victim blaming, aggression, and blatant chronic deception are inherent in the interactions with sexual offenders. Sex offenders, almost without fail, are not able to accept responsibility nor do they hold themselves accountable for their own behavior. Unfortunately, our failure to truly understand their motives and techniques helps provide excuses and further camouflage to their deviance. This book is specifically geared towards unmasking the offender by providing clear, comprehensible information about the motivations, techniques, and dynamics of sexual offenders. It will not only explore the biases and myths that the reader may rely upon to understand deviance, but will also explain pathways to offending, the distorted thinking and relating that offenders engage in, and the ways offenders manipulate and exploit others. The first part will be guiding the reader to explore the presumptions and assumptions commonly adopted about sexual offenders. The reader will be encouraged to challenge them and shown how common understanding of others serve to support the success of the sexual offender. The second section will focus on exposing the sexual offender using straightforward language and tangible examples. The third section will include safety and management strategies for the everyday reader, as well as the reader who might be in law enforcement or offender supervision. For the legal professional, a chapter will offer strategies for trial in sexual assault and pitfalls to avoid. For the victims, a chapter will provide some closing points about the impact of the offender, issues like forgiveness or moving on, and addressing self-blame or conflicting feelings. In this book, professionals will learn how to better listen to, understand, confront, and intervene in the sexual offense dynamics of their clients to better provide the appropriate treatment interventions. This book is intended for anyone interested in learning about offenders. It will be written to be useful for both professionals and non-professionals, including students, paralegals, victim advocates, and others involved in the criminal justice system or mental health field"--