With Reference to both Theory and Empirical Research, Critically Assess the Effectiveness
of Rehabilitative Programmes in the Context of Sex Offenders with a Mental Disability
Mental disorders can be described as a psychological sickness that may or may not lead
someone to be more likely to commit crime (Gavin, 2019). Mental disorders are referred to as
a variety of mental health conditions. These disorders can affect your behaviour, mood and
thinking (MedlinePlus, 2021). Mental disorders include depression, anxiety, schizophrenia,
addictive behaviours and eating disorders (MedlinePlus, 2021). Having poor mental health
can have a massive impact daily on someone’s life. It tends to affect their relationships, social
lives, finances, and employment due to the stress and challenge it brings (Melvin et al.,
2020). Suffering from these issues can exploit an individual to be vulnerable meaning that
they could get into worse issues such as substance misuse, poor physical health, or isolation
(Melvin et al., 2020). Whereas intellectual disabilities are portrayed as a general substantial
impairment of cognitive functioning including intelligence (Howitt, 2017). It’s often known
to be true that a lot of offenders within prison suffer from mental disorders as well as
intellectual disabilities, this can be due to past trauma or from things such as alcohol and
substance misuse (McMackin et al., 2002). Moreover, sex offenders are individuals that have
committed an act of sexual assault, sexual abuse, incest, or rape (Gavin, 2019). This essay
will assess the effectiveness of rehabilitative programmes in relation to male sex offenders in
prison that suffer with a mental disorder. The aims of this essay are to discover whether these
programmes work and if they’re contributing towards helping those that suffer with mental
disorders.
Moreover, suitable rehabilitative programmes for sex offenders include Horizon and Kaizen.
Horizon is an intervention that’s delivered to those that have a sexual conviction and are
considered to be at a medium, high or very high risk of reconviction (Wilkinson & Powis,
2019). Kaizen is an offender behaviour programme for males who have been convicted of a
, sexual or violent offence and have been assessed as high or very high risk (Bywater, 2017).
Within the prison populations, sex offenders are at risk of being beaten or even killed due to
their offences and people taking advantage of the control that they can have over them, hence
why they are usually placed in a jail that purely just for sex offenders or they are put in the
VP part of the jail known as vulnerable prisoners as they are then protected (Government
Digital Service, 2011). Once a sex offender has been released from jail it doesn’t get any
easier for them as they are subject to intensive parole guidelines, registration regulations,
housing restrictions, and employment issues. This essay will discuss the current rehabilitative
programmes available for sex offenders within prisons and how effective they truly are upon
their mental health disorders.
Sex offenders are considered to be the most heinous of criminals that there are. Within
previous years, the horror of sex offenders has made people in the community believe a
misconception in regards to sex offender treatments. The public automatically assume that all
offenders are a high risk, but some are low risk and wont in fact go onto offend again due to
the successful treatments and programmes available to them (Mccartan et al., 2018). In
addition, there seems to be the myth that sex offenders are untreatable even if they’re
provided with successful rehabilitative treatment programmes (Quinn et al., 2004). Even
though sex offenders aren’t seen as being welcome in the community, their treatment for
possible rehabilitation is critical, nevertheless. Many believe that there should be a balance
between making sure the community’s safe and rehabilitating sex offenders. All sex
offenders are very different; therefore, their risks will be different meaning the type of
treatment they will need is going to be different. There are studies that suggest that
rehabilitative programmes have low recidivism rates (Ministry of Justice, 2013). However,
not all offenders have access to these programmes, for example horizon and kaizen are only
available in certain jails. The majority of sex offenders will be released back into the
