[ShaggyChic_1201]

It has taken 8 years of therapy on my part to get to this stage, but my ex-H has been sentenced to a minimum of 2 years in a special prison program for sex offenders. I'm thrilled that he can't realize his twisted dream of becoming a counselor for at-risk youth, since all youth are at risk around him. I'm happy he can no longer legally own his arsenal of firearms, but know nothing would stop him from getting them if he wanted. He has gotten away with so many horrible crimes before this that I am afraid he will just lie low and serve his time, all the while learning from his 'peers.'

But my real question is does this type of court-appointed therapy actually work? Does it teach / help people to be empathetic or not to re-offend? Is it more effective with certain types of crimes (active vs. passive offenses like flashing)?

Thanks for reading
The Shags

[Amyjay]

I know from experience that the counselors know when it hasn't worked... and they report it as such. So if a prisoner went through a court-mandated offenders program and tried to pull the wool over everyone's eyes, they would report it as failed therapy and suggest he not be released or goes through further supervision etc.
They have seen it all before, the worst of the worst. They know what tricks offenders try to pull.

[InnerPeace111]

I think these are excellent questions for your local police department. If they can’t answer these questions, they could probably give you the name and number of someone who could answer them. I would start with your local police department and see where it leads.

[Omers]

My T works with court ordered clients. I know my T will give 110% to try and get them to benefit from their time with him but ultimately it is still up to the client. I also know that T would be honest in any reports about the progress in therapy and the likelihood of reoffending.
Going back to my days of studying offenders I would guess ex-H is a fixated offender and the least likely to be able to change. That reasearch is pretty out dated now though so they might have better outcomes.

[RainbowSadness]

Statistically rehabilitation programs for criminals in general have never been that great but especially not for sex offenders. It's a sad thing to think about but some people can be born with flawed character. You can dish as many hours of therapy into someone as you want but if they themselves can not see their wrong doings in the right light then it's pointless. You have to have compassion and perspective to be able to see that what you did was immoral and should not be done again. We all make mistakes but the difference is non-criminal people learn from their mistakes rather then blame others and continue down the same path.

If someone has to be charged and ordered by a court to get help then that alone should say a lot about their 'willingness' to change. I don't like to categorize everyone now. Of course, there are some people who truly try to turn their life around. With this particular group, though, it's quite rare. There's a sex offender who lives down the road from me. He assaulted my sister, wasn't his first sex offense.

[sarahsweets]

My experience as a big fish in a small pond is that this type of therapy works at a minimum and it depends a lot on what kind of sex crimes the person has committed and whether the person has the mental capacity to know right from wrong and if they are willing to try and fix themselves.

Efficacy of Sex Offender Treatment Still Up in the Air | Psychology Today