TY - JOUR
T1 - Sex offenders, sentencing laws and pharmaceutical treatment
T2 - A prescription for failure
AU - Howard Stone, T.
AU - Winslade, William J.
AU - Klugman, Craig M.
PY - 2000
Y1 - 2000
N2 - The phenomenon of adults who have sexual interests involving children as partners, or pedophiles, is considered among the most sociopathological of human conditions. Considerable literature is devoted to issues and problems associated with or related to pedophilia, including prevalence, etiology, treatment, and outcome studies. The sexual victimization of children, based upon data gathered from a number of sources, suggests an intractable problem that is national in scope. Recent manifestations of society's efforts to deal with the sexual victimization of children include the enactment of criminal sentencing laws that mandate the treatment of offenders with certain pharmaceutical agents, such as medroxy-progesterone acetate ('MPA'). Because sentencing laws as a rule vary widely from state to state, there is considerable variation as to who is subject to MPA treatment laws, and how such laws - including specific provisions, such as clinical criteria, if any, required for treatment; type and period of treatment plans; informed consent; etc - are implemented. Most important, these sentencing laws may have remarkably little relation to what is widely considered effective treatment for pedophilia disorders. We examine in detail the most recent sentencing laws pertaining to treatment of persons who have been convicted of sex offenses involving children as victims. Our critique may offer insight and suggestions as to how such sentencing laws can be more suitably tailored to the treatment needs of persons with pedophilia disorders. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.
AB - The phenomenon of adults who have sexual interests involving children as partners, or pedophiles, is considered among the most sociopathological of human conditions. Considerable literature is devoted to issues and problems associated with or related to pedophilia, including prevalence, etiology, treatment, and outcome studies. The sexual victimization of children, based upon data gathered from a number of sources, suggests an intractable problem that is national in scope. Recent manifestations of society's efforts to deal with the sexual victimization of children include the enactment of criminal sentencing laws that mandate the treatment of offenders with certain pharmaceutical agents, such as medroxy-progesterone acetate ('MPA'). Because sentencing laws as a rule vary widely from state to state, there is considerable variation as to who is subject to MPA treatment laws, and how such laws - including specific provisions, such as clinical criteria, if any, required for treatment; type and period of treatment plans; informed consent; etc - are implemented. Most important, these sentencing laws may have remarkably little relation to what is widely considered effective treatment for pedophilia disorders. We examine in detail the most recent sentencing laws pertaining to treatment of persons who have been convicted of sex offenses involving children as victims. Our critique may offer insight and suggestions as to how such sentencing laws can be more suitably tailored to the treatment needs of persons with pedophilia disorders. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.
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U2 - 10.1002/(SICI)1099-0798(200001/02)18:1<83::AID-BSL379>3.0.CO;2-W
DO - 10.1002/(SICI)1099-0798(200001/02)18:1<83::AID-BSL379>3.0.CO;2-W
M3 - Article
C2 - 10736579
AN - SCOPUS:12944281758
SN - 0735-3936
VL - 18
SP - 83
EP - 110
JO - Behavioral Sciences and the Law
JF - Behavioral Sciences and the Law
IS - 1
ER -