Treatment to prevent future victims
All people will agree that victims of sexual abuse need treatment, but the U. S. does not place a great emphasis on perpetrators of sexual abuse who themselves were sexually abused as a child. Punishment is the practice in this country rather than prevention.
Having a family member who was sexually abused throughout his childhood, I was unable to understand why a counselor would say it was crucial that his one-time victim needed to see him handcuffed and sent to prison so that the cycle of abuse would be broken for her, i. e., the victim would be less likely to abuse someone later in life.
What about my family member who was raped numerous times by his father over a period of years? His victim was touched on one occasion over the cloth inappropriately. I have always wondered how these two different scenarios could be equated. Why didn’t the courts care that my family member was never given the chance to break the cycle of abuse? There were no counselors available to help him. You did not talk about such things.
What I learned is that if your abuse was years ago, then it does not matter. You are on your own.
Some years before the incident occurred, I read that approximately 80% of children who are sexually abused will grow up to sexually abuse someone but not necessarily in the same way they were abused. 80%!???? Why is nothing being done to help these victims of sexual abuse that occurred decades ago? Isn’t the goal to prevent future victims? It might appear to some that our legislative bodies and courts receive more gratification from incarcerating people rather than preventing victimization.
In writing about the results of sexual abuse, Dr. Susan J. Lewis recently wrote in Psychology Today, “Some believe that one important factor in this deviant development is a history of sexual victimization during their own childhood…”
I had never thought of looking at the subject matter from this point of view before. I was never sexually abused, just stupid as to how I ended up on the registry. But I heard enough through 12 Step programs and court mandatory therapy to realize that I was an outlier. Thank you for your post. It’s a different way of looking at things.
My problem is depending on the judge, you could get probation or life in prison. I fell somewhere in between. When you go to prison, (At least where I went) there was no counseling or any help, just wake up, work, eat and go to bed. Rinse and repeat for years and years.
My experience as well. My sponsor from SA (12 step) wrote me and printed pages from the white book. That was largely how I survived mentally. Also had a few members from that group write me as well. I am forever grateful for them.
What I am wondering is why they are no proactive groups like MADD at least that I know of. I remember when MADD was established in 1980 and a hard a push on advertising. Is there any groups like this. Maybe call the group MASA, Mothers against sexual abuse. There needs to be preemptive measures to educate people starting early in life what the consequences are and how the rest of there life will be affected. Granted people still drink and drive I think a lot of people got the message and has reduced drinking and driving significantly. I know there is information available out the through Narsol and FAC amongst others but it’s not getting to the people need to see it like on social media, billboard, radio ads. At the time I was arrested I had downloaded un acceptable material along with new movies out and music using Napster and Limewire. If I had only know how how bad my life was going to turn I would have seriously re thought what I was doing.
I could not agree more. The is a psychologist in South Florida who has developed a program that he has been allowed to take into some schools, sharing this very information with students.
We have some members who are organizing to fight to have juveniles removed from the registry. There is talk of eventually asking legislators to have such programs introduced in all schools. One problem, though, is that approximately half of Florida school-aged children do not attend public schools.
Research shows that knowledge of consequences is the biggest deterrent against committing a crime.
Here’s my take if anyone cares. A federal judge ordered me to so called “treatment” and would keep me on supervised release for life until the therapist and probation dept convinced him to release me. But when you’re on supervision for life, you’re in treatment for life. There is no graduation or end despite doing the work assigned. I found 3 different private therapists who specialize in sexual crimes, all of whom told the probation office/court that I dont need treatment. My take? State or court mandated treatment is nothing more than a money making scheme designed to make people fail and get stats for reincarnation or probationary violations.
I experienced a lot of things before I was ‘legal’. Some were unwelcome and should not have happened. Some others were quite welcome and I wish I’d done more of them.
So I look askance at those who say things like “All people will agree that victims of sexual abuse need treatment” and leave it at that. I don’t see any way my life would’ve been enhanced at any point by handing me over to crank therapists who would’ve possessed the avowed and solitary aim of making me feel like a victim (i.e. a perpetual consumer of their “services”). On the contrary, I feel very fortunate that nothing, good or bad, was disclosed at the time, and I was able to grow up experiencing my authentic feelings, and not ones manufactured in a therapist’s office.
Thumbs up to this comment. The psych industrial complex has gotten way out of hand.
I appreciate the endorsement. I wasn’t sure FAC would even approve my comment.