Unmasking the Sexual Offender

Description

This book unmasks the sexual offender by providing clear, comprehensible information about the motivations, techniques, and dynamics of sexual offenders and their behavior. It not only explores the biases and myths that the reader may rely upon to understand deviance but also explains pathways to offending, the distorted thinking and relating that offenders engage in, and the ways offenders manipulate and exploit others. Sexual offenders are surrounded by mythology, fascination, and revulsion. People who commit sexual offenses present difficult and complicated issues interpersonally, as well as in treatment and management; denial, victim-blaming, aggression, and blatant chronic deception are inherent in interactions with them. Unfortunately, the failure to truly understand their motives and techniques helps provide excuses for and further camouflage of their deviance. The first part of the text explores the presumptions commonly adopted about sexual offenders and shows how misinformation supports the inappropriate behavior of the sexual offender. The second section focuses on exposing the sexual offender using straightforward language and tangible examples. A final, third section includes safety and management strategies for dealing with sex offenders for those both inside and outside the realms of law enforcement and offender supervision. This book is intended for anyone interested in learning about sexual offenders. It is useful for both professionals and non-professionals, including students, paralegals, victim advocates, and others involved in the criminal justice system or mental health field. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Acknowledgments Introduction SECTION I: The Offender’s Best Weapon: Society as the Audience to the Offense 1. The Co-Defendants: The Role of the Audience to a Sexual Offense The Role of the Audience in the Facilitation of Sexual Violence Societal Building Blocks for Construction of a Good Offense Summary 2. Weaponized Humanity: Why We Offer Denial and Disbelief to Offenders Biases – Constructs of Complacency The Need to Be “Good” Our Narcissism Misapplied Social Rules and Understanding of Deception Confused by “Counterintuitive” Behavior Need for Ideal Victims Summary 3. Myth-Information: Our Misinformed Beliefs about Sexual Offenders Not Always Monsters – The Insidious Normalcy of the Sex Offender The Mythos of False Allegations “Boys Will Be Boys” and Myth of the Unmanageable Arousal “The Devil Made Him Do It” – The Fable of “It Wasn’t Me” The Fiction of Low Self-Esteem, Immaturity, or Sexual Deprivation “He Is Crazy/Sick/Sex Addicted” – The Myth of Mental Illness and Sexual Offending “That’s Not His Type” – The Problem with Typologies “Hurt People Hurt People” – The Problem of the Victimized Victimizer Myth: Consent Is Too Complicated Summary 4. “I Know Him – He’s Not Like That”: The Struggle to Believe Public, Private, and Secret Selves “Stranger Danger” Myth – The Impact of a Relationship on Denial “He’s Good Down Deep!” – All or Nothing Thinking Summary 5. The Theater of Sexual Assault: The Act versus the Production Deviance: Criminogenic or Sexual Needs The Stages of Criminal Behavior – Modified Mistakes in Understanding Offenses and Offenders Summary SECTION II: Unmasking the Sex Offender 6. Defining Deviance: The Pathway to Offending Two Primary Pathways to Offending – Character and Sexual Deviance Power of Deviance Deviance and Distortions Summary 7. Character Deviance: “He’s Not Sick – He’s Bad” What Is a Personality Disorder? Survival of the Fittest: Antisociality as a Character Pathway Narcissism and Sexual Offending Summary 8. Sexual Deviance: The Sexual Pathway to Offending Paraphilias and Paraphilic Disorders Paraphilic Interest and Sexual Crimes Fantasy and Deviance Typologies of Offenders: Understanding Preference and Barriers Summary 9. Tools of the Trade: The Manipulations of the Offender Sexual Assault and the “V” Word – Vulnerability Nice Is a Four-Letter Word “Grooming” – Preparing the Victim Co-Opted: Preparing the Audience Deception Using Social Rules for Control Playing on Our “Isms” – Racism, Sexism, Ageism, Weightism, and More Feigning Harmlessness or Garnering Sympathy Using Fear, Intimidation, Helplessness, and Confusion against Others Confuse with Counterintuitive Behavior Summary SECTION III: Prevention, Intervention, and Managing Relationships with Offenders 10. How Can I Have a Relationship with an Offender? Pressure to Forgive or Deny Identifying Your Expectations and Your Needs Creating and Maintaining Boundaries Maintaining Vigilance Attend to the Non-Sexual Displays of Offense Dynamics Summary 11. Assessing Promises: What Does Real Change Look Like? What Doesn’t Matter What Matters When Assessing Change Summary 12. “But I Am Telling the Truth!”: Suggestions for Investigation, Supervision, and Treatment of Offenders The Overvalued Interview Challenge and Confrontation Accountability and Agency The Team Approach Dynamic Risk Factors Change Is Meaningful, But What Does It Mean? The Myth of the Supervised Visit Dynamics Define the Offender, Not the Victim Summary 13. Prevention Tips and Strategies Be Aware of Your Biases – Confront Your Subtle Blaming Educating Our Children Role Modeling: Violence Is Learned, So Is Respect Make Conflict Your Friend Being a Proactive Bystander Learning to Say Yes – Healthy Sexuality Accepting No Excuses for Abuse Summary 14. “No Victims, No Excuses”: Conclusion Appendix A – Important Concepts to Remember Appendix B – Important Concepts for Family Members/Spouse of the Offender Appendix C – Questions to Understand the Offender and His Deviance Index