Treatment provider awareness of the possible impact of the Internet on the treatment of sex offenders: an alert to a problem.

This study evaluated treatment providers' perceptions of the impact of the Internet on the treatment of sex offenders. This study surveyed all of the agencies in South Carolina that provide treatment services for sex offenders. Analysis indicated that (a) most treatment providers were unaware of the...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Vol. 10; no. 3; pp. 117 - 126
Autores principales: Buttell FP, Carney MM
Formato: research Journal Article
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd 2001
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:This study evaluated treatment providers' perceptions of the impact of the Internet on the treatment of sex offenders. This study surveyed all of the agencies in South Carolina that provide treatment services for sex offenders. Analysis indicated that (a) most treatment providers were unaware of the potential negative impact of the Internet on their treatment efforts with clients, (b) most treatment providers had no policy restricting their clients' Internet use, (c) the overwhelming majority of treatment providers felt that they were poorly equipped to deal with this issue, and (d) almost all of the treatment providers felt that probation and parole would be of little assistance in helping them monitor their clients' use of the Internet. Implications of the findings for improving treatment services for sex offenders were explored and discussed.