Transcript Slide 1

By: A. Mervyn Davies, M.A., LPC, CACIII, F.A.P.A.
Telephone: (970) 353-0422
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.davselventures.com
Copyright 2013; A. Mervyn Davies
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE/SEX
OFFENDER CROSSOVER & ITS
EFFECTS ON CHILDREN
CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT FOR
SEXUAL ASSAULT
Copyright 2013; A. Mervyn Davies
Ownership of women and children by male head
of household in Roman, British common law, and
early U.S. law
 Early rape laws designed to compensate owner of
the victim for “damaged goods”
 First child abuse laws came 50 years after cruelty
to animal laws were developed
 Parental rights take precedence over child rights
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CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT FOR
SEXUAL ASSAULT
(Basile, 2012, Bowker, 1983, Russell, 1990)
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Marital rape was found to be twice the rate of
stranger rape. (Russell, 1990)
Copyright 2013; A. Mervyn Davies
Family reunification primary goal of Child
Protection systems
 Denial of sex offenders’ crossover in policy and
law
 Marital rape legal in Colorado until 1989
 Marital Rape is the most common form of rape

INTIMATE PARTNER SEXUAL VIOLENCE
(IPSV)
(Brown, 1987, Campbell, 1989)
Copyright 2013; A. Mervyn Davies
In both sexual assault and domestic violence
 Survivors/victims often have difficulty identifying
the sexual violence as a crime
 IPSV is often overlooked by the criminal justice
system
 Research established that women who are being
raped as well as battered are in greater danger of
being killed than women who are battered but
not raped.
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In Wife Rape, Raquel Bergen (1996) reports that
70% of the women in her sample experienced
brutal “battering rapes” (i.e. where rape follows a
physically violent attack).
Copyright 2013; A. Mervyn Davies
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“When you are raped by a stranger you live with a
frightening memory. When you are raped by your
husband you have to live with your rapist.”
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In famous words of pioneer researchers in this field
David Finkelhor and Kersti Yllo (1985):
CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE WHO BATTER
Copyright 2013; A. Mervyn Davies
They belong to all cultures
 They belong to all socioeconomic levels
 Takes little responsibility for themselves
 Poor impulse control
 Feels violence is justified
 Family history of domestic violence
 Traditional expectations of women/men

CONTINUED…
High levels of job dissatisfaction

Irrational Assumptions
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Depression and self-pity are likely
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Use of Alcohol is highly correlated
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Low Stress Management Skills
Copyright 2013; A. Mervyn Davies
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CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE WHO ARE
VICTIMIZED BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
They belong to all cultures
 They belong to all socioeconomic levels
 Low stress management skills
 Overly responsible for the batter and others
 Usually isolated with little contact with family
and friends
 May have job skills, but no control over own
finances

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CONTINUED…
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Traditional views of their role in relationships
and marriage
 Believes their partner will change in spite of
evidence to the contrary
 Usually emotionally neglected as a child
 Often in denial
 Unable to or difficult to verbalize and recognize
needs
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NOT ALL OFFENDERS ARE THE SAME


Terrible decisions (not intending harm)
Not caring – thinking of themselves, low reoffense rates
Predators
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
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE OFFENDERS AND SEX
OFFENDERS
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Offenders select known victims; someone known
to them
 Power and control issues
 Cyclical nature of offending behavior
 Denial
 Co-occurrence of DV & SO
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CONTINUED…
Secrecy
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Manipulation
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High re-offense rate
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High rate of co-occuring child abuse
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Grooming
(April 2003, DV/SO Crossover Committee)
Copyright 2013; A. Mervyn Davies
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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE OFFENDERS AND SEX
OFFENDERS
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Cultural, Societal response
 Legal system response, containment
 Religious perspective
 Disclosure of offenses
 No cure vs. rehabilitation
 Level of containment after re-offense
 Criteria for discharge from treatment
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CONTINUED…
Level of monitoring
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Lethality risk
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Restriction regarding contact with children
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Consequence
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More fatalities in DV
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Tolerance for denial in treatment
(April 2003, DV/SO Crossover Committee)
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CROSS-OVER BEHAVIORS
 Having
 Crossing
in age ranges
 Crossing
in gender
 Crossing
in types of offending
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interest in more than one type of
sexual behavior
THINKING ABOUT CROSS-OVER BETWEEN
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE (DV) & SEX
OFFENDERS (S.O.)
(Davies & Simons, 2009)
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68% of convicted sex offenders have committed
DV
 89% of convicted DV offenders have engaged in
non-consensual sex with partners
 77% of convicted S.O. offenders have engaged in
non-consensual sex with partners
 73% of convicted DV offenders have had sex with
partners while asleep or unconscious.
 69% of convicted S.O. offenders have had sex
with partners while asleep or unconscious.
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MENTAL ILLNESS AND RECIDIVISM
Neither a Paraphilic diagnosis or a personality
disorder significantly increased recidivism;
however,
with both recidivism significantly increased.
Offenders with personality disorders are less
likely to complete treatment. Offenders who do
not complete treatment are more likely to
recidivate.
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(Abracen, et al, 2012)
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RISK OF BEING SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AS
AN ADULT
1 = 9%
2 = 10%
3 = 19%
4 = 20%
5 = 35%
(Anda, 2005)
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Adverse childhood experienced (ACE)
N = 17,500
 Woman ACE’s
ACE’S CONTINUED…
Five or more ACE’s = 15 times more likely of
being at risk for Domestic Violence
(Anda, 2005)
Copyright 2013; A. Mervyn Davies
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CHILD WITNESSES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
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Children in DV homes are physically abused or
neglected at a rate of 1500% higher than the
national average (Ford, 1991).
The more severe the abuse of the mother, the
worse the child abuse (Bowker, Arbitell & McFerron, 1988)
Copyright 2013; A. Mervyn Davies
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The number one predictor of child abuse is
woman abuse (Stark and Flitcraft, 1988).
CHILD WITNESSES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
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At least half of all men who batter also batter
their children (Pagelow, 1989).
Approximately 7.5 million children witness DV
each year (Jaffe, Wolfe, and Wilson, 1990).
A child’s exposure to the father abusing the
mother is the strongest risk factor for
transmitting violent behavior from one
generation to the next. (Psychological Association,
Violence & the Family Report, 1996).
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CHILD WITNESSES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Male children who witness the abuse of mothers
by fathers are more likely to become men who
batter in adulthood than those male children
from homes free of violence (Rosenbaum & O’Leary,
1981).
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Interviews with children in DV homes indicated
that as many as 87% not only knew about the
violence against their mother, but could also
accurately describe violence incidents (Jaffe, et al,
1990).
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IMPACT OF DV ON CHILDREN
Behavioral, social and emotional problems
Exhibit aggressive behavior
 Higher antisocial behavior
 Greater depression
 More anxiety

(Brown and Bizostek, 2003)
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LONG TERM EFFECTS ON CHILDREN WITH
CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE
(McDonaled, Jourilies (SP), et al, 2006)
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Impaired academic performance
 Reduced levels of motor and social skills
 Behavioral problems in adolescence
 Juvenile delinquency
 Alcohol or substance abuse
 Changes in brain physiology and function
 Emotional difficulties in adulthood including
depression, anxiety disorders and PTSD.
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CHILD CUSTODY/ABUSE FACTS
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Abusers gain custody approximately 70% of the time
(National Center for State Courts)
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Girls are 5 to 6 times more likely to be sexually abused by a
battering father than by a non-battering father
(YWCA.org)
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Children of batters are 6.5 to 19 times more likely to be
victims of incest than children of non-battering parents
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American Psychological Association in 1996 – abusers seek
sole custody more often then non-violent parents
PHOTOGRAPHER AS WITNESS: A PORTRAIT
OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The website is:

http://lightbox.time.com/2013/02/27/photographer-aswitness-a-portrait-of-domestic-violence/?iid=lb-galviewagn#end
Copyright 2013; A. Mervyn Davies
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AGE OF ONSET OF DEVIANT AROUSAL
Abel et al, 1983 & 2000
Age 11
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Emerick & Dutton, 1993
Age 13 (hands on)
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English et al, 2000
Age 11-13
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Ahlmeyer et al, 1999 & 2000 Age 11
(Heil, 2005)
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INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE
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From 1994 to 2010 the rate of intimate partner
violence in the U.S. declined by 64%
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1990-2004 rates of reported sexual abuse of
children declined by 49% and teenage sexual
assaults by 67%
(Finkelhor & Jones, 2006)
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From 1995-2010 the estimated annual rate of
female rape or sexual assault victimization
declined 58%
(U.S. Department of Justice, 2013)
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(U.S. Department of Justice, 2012)
GOALS OF TREATMENT
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Client Goal: Sex offender treatment should
induce attitudinal and behavioral change that
promote a healthy lifestyle within the client.
Treatment failure has profound implications on
society.
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Societal Goal: The overall goal of treatment is
prevent re-offense (future victimization).
DIFFERENCES IN TREATING SEX OFFENDERS
AND OTHER CLIENTS
Mandated treatment
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Clear treatment goals are set
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Contracts between clients, the program and the
supervising agency
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Communicating values

Setting limits

Limiting confidentiality
Copyright 2013; A. Mervyn Davies
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DIFFERENCES IN TREATING SEX OFFENDERS
AND OTHER CLIENTS – CONT…
Withholding trust

Resisting the appeal to narcissism
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Working with other professionals

Respecting without colluding
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Treatment includes ongoing assessment, sexual
interest/arousal testing and polygraph
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FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE TREATMENT
SUCCESS
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Challenging in sex offender treatment as clients exhibit: shame, low
self-esteem poor coping, and intimacy deficits
 Therapeutic relationship can represent a secure base from which
clients can explore themselves, their behaviors, and their
environment.

(Beech & Fordham, 1997; Homes, 1997; Levenson & Macgowan, 2004; Marshall, 1996,Serran, Fernandez,
Marshall & Mann, 2003)
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Style of the therapist (supportive vs. confrontational)
Client’s perception of the therapist related to positive
treatment outcome
Treatment engagement has been shown to be predictive of
treatment progress
Therapeutic Alliance: Basis for treatment change
IMPLICATIONS

Negative therapist characteristics influences premature
termination of treatment.
 Positive therapist characteristics positively influence behavior
change (i.e., treatment internalization).
 Clients demonstrated improved skills and reduction in
cognitive distortions regarding offending.

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Instilling hope to clients provides a strong motivation for
behavior change.
(Simons, Tyler, and Lins, 2009)
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The role of a therapist is critical to treatment success as
indicated by maintained treatment participation and
within-treatment behavioral change.
RECIDIVISM
Many Variables

Description of re-offenses

Time periods

Population
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