On Psychic Change And The Incorrigibility Of Child Molesters

John Borneman is Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University and the author of "Cruel Attachments: The Ritual Rehab of Child Molesters in Germany." In 2008, I began a study of the rehabilitation of men accused or convicted of child molestation. In much of the West, such offenders are the domestic equivalent of the international terrorist, considered the most incorrigible and despised of the modern criminal types. In Germany, the site of my study, they are both given prison sentences and obligated to seek psychological treatment. German courts in fact most frequently make release from prison contingent on therapy. I was interested in the role of therapy in legal rehabilitation, and under what conditions the treatment of offenders (German therapists call them clients) might initiate a psychic change. Most prison therapy is cognitive-behavioral with pharmacological interventions, aimed at reducing risk by controlling impulses, eliminating "cognitive distortions," or avoiding specific behaviors such as drinking, drug-taking, or contact with children. Yet in decisions concerning release from prison or judicial supervision, judges are often dissatisfied with evidence that claims that an offender has merely adjusted his behavior to societal norms. To speak to the insecurity and fear produced by so-called pedophiles, they seek evidence of a deeper transformation, without being able to name exactly what sufficient evidence might be. Psychodynamic treatments offer such evidence...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news