Citation

Sample LL, Cooley BN, ten Bensel T. Int. J. Offender Ther. Comp. Criminol. 2018; 62(13): 4257-4277.

Affiliation

University of Arkansas at Little Rock, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0306624X18758895

PMID

29478390

Abstract

The term sex offender carries expectations that include a continuous level of sexual criminal risk and untreatable mental health conditions that govern sex offending behaviors. These role expectations by the public can socially isolate individuals who have been convicted of a crime and the people who love them. This is likely to contribute to negative self-images that can result in loneliness, isolation, and depression, and, subsequently, contribute to discontinuing support for sex offender's loved ones and reoffending. This article highlights the creation and maintenance of a peer-to-peer social support group for registered sex offenders and their family members that helps combat the effects of "sex offender" labels. This group differs from formal organized circles of support model and traditional self-help groups such as Alcohol (AA) or Narcotic (NA) Anonymous. We review this group's creation, processes and procedures, and outcomes, including changes in cognition, mood, and affect over time for members in the group.

Language: en

Keywords

circles of support; cognitive and affective states; sexual offending; support groups; treatment