Dr. Gerald R. Hover
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1 From Research to Reality Dr. Gerald R. Hover
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Dr. Gerald R. Hover. From Research to Reality. What’s working and What’s not working?. Today I will wish to know what you think is working and/or not working in your country in terms of laws, procedures, and public policies regarding sex offenders. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Dr. Gerald R. Hover
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From Research to
Reality
Dr. Gerald R. Hover
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What’s workingand
What’s not working?
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Today I will wish to know what you think is working and/or not working in your country in terms of laws, procedures, and public policies regarding sex
offenders.
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I will also be asking what you believe are the next steps for you
and your nation to take.
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I will now summarize the U.S.
state of affairs.
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Discordant information
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It is getting better and it is getting worse.
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Signs of Improvement:
Harris and Hansen (2004), N=4,724
“After 15 years 76% of sex offenders are not
charged with another sex offence.”
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Why? Economic prosperity More detectives and social
workers Longer sentences Better community supervision,
i.e., more offender specific Psychotropic medications More willing offenders
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AndSex Offender treatment worksHansen, Gordon, Harris, Murphy,
Quinsey, and Seto, 2002
17% of the untreated offenders reoffended10% of those sex offenders in sex offender
treatment reoffendedEffect Size = .40
Meaning the treated offenders were 40% better
Good results, but not great
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But let us compare other Effect Sizes:
Chemotherapy for breast cancer is 8% Anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin) are at 14% By pass surgery for artery blockage is 15% Nicotine Patches are at 18% Clozapine (schizophrenia medication) is at 20% Viagra is at 38%
From: Marshall & McGuire 2003,Meyer, Finn, Gyde,
Kay,Dies, Gismdn, Kubiszyn, & Reed, 2001
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Is sexual abuse becoming worse?
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Bureau of Justice Statistics
National Crime Victims Survey, 2005
Substantiated a decline of 51% in sexual abuse reports
between 1991 & 2005
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And in May, 2011 Tabachnick & Klein
published a report for ATSA:
“A Reasonable Approach: Reshaping Sex Offender Policy to Prevent Child
Sexual Abuse”
15Adapted from
Tabachnick & Klein, 2011
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The vast majority of sexual assault goes
unreported.
Why?
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Hypothesis: Our laws are not driven
by science.
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The vast majority of sex offender laws:
Lengthen incarceration Add electronic monitoring Require community notification Restrict where offenders can live
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Other Variables:
Charges are pled down to lesser crimes
Some folks distrust our law enforcement officers & our criminal justice system & believe not all are treated fairly.
Some victims are fearful and/or ashamed at not having been able to stop
someone they love from offending them.
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The uninteded consequences:
Victims do not report crimes to the police Perpetrators are unable to return to the home they own
New housing is both distant from services & remote from support
Ancillary services are decreased or hard to access
Offenders are less connected to support people
Larger numbers of homeless sex offenders
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What Works? Stability
a. Housingb. Employmentc. Pro-social associates
Matching our response to risk & not treating all offenders alike
Specialized treatment for sex offenders
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Your three questions are:
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(1)
What is happening in your nation that is
working?
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(2)
What is occurring that is not working?
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(3)
What are your next steps?
