Shouldn't we try to prevent sexual abuse before it happens, instead of after?

Question

I'm doing a report on sex offenders for law and government(class), and i notice whenever the word sex offender is mentioned, the flame fest begins. Seems current laws are aimed at offenders after they have been caught, and then punished over and over again for something they 'might' commit, which seems unconstitutional. I'm starting to think that it would be better if society backed up a minute and looked at stopping offenders BEFORE they offend. If the lynchmob wasn't so heavy, we could actually have commercials and ads like we do for depresion and stuff, listing the signs of a potential offender and where to go for help...much like we do for drug addicts, ADD, alcoholism and other illnesses. Seems like if we treated it more like an illness, more would be willing to have it treated as an illness. Hence, preventing abuse and saving lots of tax dollars currently spend on 'feel good' laws that many claim dont work. Doesn't this seem more feasible than waiting until the abuse happens?

Answer 1

Yes. I was sexually abused once, and if I hadnt have been so scared and others who noticed the signs that he had a tendency to be aggressive, and took action to help me escape from that situation, it probably would have never happened to me.

Answer 2

Right, too bad we can't lock people up for things they're going to do in the future. We can't punish people for things they haven't done yet, force them into treatment, or otherwise infringe on their freedom. And advertising campaigns aimed at recognizing the signs of a potential sex offender in others would result in unnecessary and misplaced stigmatization, hostility, and even violent crimes against those displaying the signs listed, even if they were never actually going to become a sex offender.

Some people with inappropriate sexual impulses, particularly those who are attracted to children, do recognize that there is something wrong, and choose to seek help to control those impulses rather than acting on them. Most don't. And those that do were not going to become sex offenders anyway, as they recognized that what they were thinking about doing was wrong and that they shouldn't do it. People who actually act on those inappropriate impulses justify it to themselves, and convince themselves it's ok. They don't believe they have a problem, and no amount of TV commercials are going to change that.

Also, there are no sure ways to identify a future offender. Many sex offenders were abused themselves in the past, and all have one way or another ended up with a very distorted view of sexual issues. These aren't people who are likely to ask for help if only a TV commercial told them that they could. Actually, I worry that such a commercial that essentially tells unstable people that they're something wrong with them could even push people over the edge and trigger them to start offending.

Finally, the commercials you see about depression, ADHD, and other specific conditions are payed for by a company that makes a medication to treat that condition, and are advertising that medication. They also tend to present information in a way that is intended to convince people they have the condition even if they do not. Anti-smoking ads are the result of a court settlement against the tobacco companies regarding unethical advertising campaigns. Anti-drug ads are payed for by various organizations, but most have a specific agenda.

Answer 3

The problem is that until someone commits an offence they are not an offender.
It's always going to be the case that people are held to account for what they have done rather than what they might be thinking of doing.

Kind of difficult to read minds.

And remember also that these folk probably don't think there is anything wrong with themselves.
So they have no reason to seek treatment in the way you suggest.
As far as they are concerned it's just their sexual preference in exactly the same way that other adults have a sexual preference.

It's the rest of us that think they have something wrong with them..they think it's okay so are not looking to have it "fixed".

Answer 4

That's an interesting thought... I think most people should appreciate that you see a problem and are brainstorming solutions. Prevention in any case would be ideal.

But, if someone was to see the ad and go somewhere for help, wouldn't that just end up being like them turning themselves is? I would prefer that anyone with these desires be locked away, because it is psychological and uncurable. Is it wrong for me to think that? I mean, other things are psychological and uncurable, but isn't the desire to violate someone worse??? If I was working in the clinic that welcomed people who were having those desires, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that I let them back on the street...

Maybe it is possible for a campaign like this to work. I think that educating society with the facts and equipping people with better skills can never hurt! Even if it reduced the statistics a small margin, I think that would be a start! So, I appreciate your idea. It really got me thinking.

Answer 5

Even an alcoholic doesn't go for treatment until after they have been in the bottle for a while.

I guess I'm not sure how you would find a sex offender before they do the crime. If you're thinking about profiling people, and sending them to sex offender school before they have proven to be a sex offender, you're going to have quite a defamation of character law suits going on.

Punishing them over and over again for a crime they have already committed is equally problematic as punishing them for a crime they have not yet committed.

Besides that, studies show that this "disease" is not treatable...It is almost unheard of for a sex offender (in particular, pedophiles), to change their ways. When they go to jail, they are in regular counseling, and it almost never helps. That's what fuels them being punished over and over again, because we can't trust that they are rehabilitated just because they were caught.

Answer 6

people who commit sexual crimes DO have underlying mental health issues, anger, and the like... we can't predict who is going to commit a sexual offense.

typically, many people are walking around on this earth suffering from mental illnesses, knowing "something is wrong" but taking no action to seek help.

i agree that it would be great if people would somehow recognize their problems before they turn to actions which they will live to regret.

television shows such as MSNBC's "To Catch a Preditor" should give potential molesters the hint that they need some sort of help, and that sexual abuse is a crime and abnormal.

your idea is feasible, but if you look around THE WORD IS OUT about the sexual predation, the fact that it is an abnormal urge and associated with some sort of mental illness issue.

take care.

Answer 7

you have a point, although i dont believe many people who see thoes ads for depression or alcoholism etc do something about it, i think there should be more info on if you were abused ,where you can turn to get help i think if that was pushed in a way that people felt safe in turning their offender in they may be more willing to come foward and the offender could possibly be stopped but it couldnt be prevented. the difference is alcoholism and depression arent illegal where sexual abuse is. i would really like to hear how your report comes out, you are deffinatly on to something. good luck!

Answer 8

I'm a facilitator for a program that helps to train adults in how to recognize pedophiles (a particular group of sexual offenders who target children) and prevent sexual abuse from occuring, so prevention programs do exist. This program is nationwide and is supported by many experts in the field. The program itself is not aimed at rehabilitating the offenders, but in reducing and restricting their opportunities to offend.

One problem with what you suggest is that there are no truly effective treatments for sexual offenders beyong chemical castration for male perpetrators of childhood sexual abuse (About 65% of pedophiles are male) and there is also very little effective treatment for other sexual predators (rapists) who by and large have antisocial personality disorders and act out their rage sexually, not because of a sexual disorder or mental health issue.

Another issue lies in the fact that the behavior is criminal and for the most part voluntary (while pedophilic attraction is not necessarily a choice, the decision to act on it despite the legal and moral consequences is voluntary). Sexual abuse rarely occurs as a result of an inability to distinguish between right and wrong (the legal definition of insanity) and the choice to violate the rights of others is essentially an act born of free will, not mental illness (though certainly some exceptions may occur). Prosecution remains the most effective method of curbing the behavior and as I'm sure your research has shown you, recidivism is exceptionally high, thus the "persecution" of sexual offenders is really an attempt to insure public safety while still honoring the rights of offenders who have served time.

A similar argument was made in favor of treating perpetrators of domestic violence, leading to the view that their behavior is a consequence of mental illness (which most times it is not). Unfortunately, this distorted belief has led to "treatment" versus application of the most effective intervention-accountability and consequences. A simple argument that illustrates this point is that domestic violence perpetrators do not have "anger issues" or need "anger management" as they rarely ever "lose it" with bosses, strangers, friends, etc. and that their violence is confined to their intimate partners who they feel entitled to intimidate. Social tolerance for domestic abuse and the view that they need treatment has unfortunately kept us from treating it as it truly is-a criminal act. Please consider how this same view of sexual abuse perpetrators could have a similar effect. Consider also that these acts are calculated and carefully orchestrated so as to avoid detection and prosecution, showing good evidence that the offender is neither disorganized or impulsive in their behavior. Offenders abuse others for the same reasons that other people commit criminal acts-because they want to and they think they can get away with it. Please don't discourage efforts to teach them that they can't get away with it or excuse behavior because we presume an illness exists simply because their behavior is so abhorrent that we can't imagine any other explanation for it.

Answer 9

i agree with you hole heartedly but you have too look at the stats when they do get caught and punished they dont get the counseling they need or want in most cases thier just sorry they got caught so they need to be monitored for the rest of their life's

Answer 10

your right