According to Melbourne forensic psychologist Wendy Northey, Australia will only reduce the level of s-xual offending in the community if we move away from counter-productive punitive approaches and mindless stereotyping of offenders.
Northey, in a paper being delivered today at the Charles Sturt University School of Policing Studies in Goulburn, argues that we as a society need to treat s-x offending in the same way as we do eating disorders or other forms of mental illness, that is, as a public health issue.
The media and politicians are contributing to s-x offending in Australia because of their abject failure to understand the nature of the offence itself. Simply labeling individuals as ‘monsters’ or ‘perverts’ — two of the favourite labels that newspapers such as the Herald Sun and the Daily Telegraph used to describe s-x offenders — is simply exacerbating the problem.
As Northey notes,
S-xual offending is a most complex form of criminal offending which requires a specialized, sophisticated clinical approach. We are not dealing with classes of people — but with individuals. Nowhere is this more true than in the area of s-xual offending, which cuts across socio-economic boundaries and demands individual analysis.
To better detect s-x offending, or the likelihood of it occurring, our society, says Northey, needs to “foster and promote a high degree of reciprocity where the offending client does not fear lack of confidentiality, labeling and stigmatizing, lack of expertise and professionalism, life long registers and exposure to vilification — many of which are clearly anti-therapeutic”.
Perhaps the media and politicians need to adopt a code of conduct when it comes to discussing s-x offenders. Just as in the areas of suicide and mental illness, there is in the main now greater sensitivity in reporting and discussion of such topics — politicians and the media no longer refer to people with mental illness as ‘mad’ for example — if we want to ensure an optimum climate for the detection and prevention of s-x offending then a similar approach must be adopted.
And what of s-x offender registers? As a lawyer who has acted for a number of people who have been placed on such a register, it is hard not to agree with Northey’s view that it is waste of time and even counterproductive. The money and resources spent on maintaining such registers — each state and territory has one — would be much better spent on therapeutic measures for those who are convicted of s-x offences. The impact of these registers on recidivism rates is precisely zero.
What will it take for politicians, the media and community agitators to realise that it is their primitive and fear ridden irrational actions which are partly to blame for s-x offending? Listening to people like Wendy Northey, who deal daily with the reality of s-x offences from both the victim and offender’s perspective would be a good start.
The victims of s-x offenders are being exposed to greater harm because of our refusal as a society to move away from punitive measures and fear driven policy, and the media and our political leaders must shoulder the majority of the blame for this tragic state of affairs.
A timely article Greg Barns-this madness on so-called “sex offendors” has gotten completely out of hand and none are more guilty than promoting the hysteria are politicians devoid of any policy on how to tackle the issue but who cravenly cater to tabloid headlines. Even worse-Australia risks going the same way as the USA where one teen-say 18 , who sleeps with his long-time girlfriend of 16 is albelled a “sex offendor” for life and all the hassles that go with it-restricted areas to live and employment. In many cases thes same teens have married and had families.
One of the most disgraceful polticians who has fanned this hysteria has been the NSW Attorney General John Hatzistergos who once said in his official capacity : “all sex offendors are grubs !”. Presumably he included a person arrested for relieving himself but charged with exposure and the previously mentioned teens who fall into this catergory. H’s entitled to his private opinion but as a barrister his statement was a sheer disgrae. But what coud be expected from a poltician who served the most legally illiterate policitcian in the country-Bob Carr who regularly slandered accused persons who had not yet appeared in court.
Fortunately police who deal with the rediculous “sex offendor’s register” are especially chosen for their sensitive handling of the subject and none on this register have ever voice a complaint-not so the NSW Corrective Service officers (and I’m sure other states are similar) but as the boss of NSW Corrective Services is a smug public servant who claims his role is to keep the heat of the minster it’s to be expected (whilst his jails are rife with drugs an sexual assaults).
Wendy Northey is correct in her analysis and the other fact never printed in the media is the re-offending rate for this crime-5% at the most and the least of al re-offending rates.