Pathways to Desistance Among Men Convicted of Sexual Offenses: Linking Post Hoc Accounts of Offending Behavior and Outcomes

• NCJ Number: 252281
• Journal: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 60 Issue: 15 Dated: 2016 Pages: 1738-1755
• Author(s): Kimberly R. Kras; Brandy L. Blasko
• Date Published: 2016
• Length: 18 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2008-DD-BX-0002
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description
• Award: The Efficacy of Sex Offender Residency Restrictions in Michigan and Missouri

Annotation

Relying on in-depth interview data, this study examined accounts of the sexually related crimes that brought 28 men to prison.

Abstract

Within many sexual offender-specific treatment programs, clients and their therapists devote considerable time to understanding "cycles" or "pathways" to sexual offending, and clients often need to fit their stories into existing offending paradigms. Although this post hoc processing of offending behaviors may assist a client in understanding his individual pathway toward crime, little is known about how the client situates this information within his life moving forward. Analyses of the current study suggest varied perspectives among the men regarding pathways to and from their sexual offenses; some aligning with existing models, but others merging around different theoretical frameworks. Implications are discussed for treatment models and the desistance process for men convicted of sexual offenses. (Publisher abstract modified)