Gary Kendall, Jr., pastor of Bridge Street Church of Christ in Chillicothe, Ohio, has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for the possession and distribution of images of children being sexually abused. According to the Columbus Dispatch, Kendall was intercepted by an undercover FBI agent in an Internet chat room where pedophiles swap child pornography.
625,000 Americans are actively trading in child sexual abuse images. That’s a lot of people, mostly men. Many of them – 59% according to a University of New Hampshire study – are or were married. When these child predators are caught, they often leave a trail of devastated family members, friends and communities behind.
Often good people wonder – can’t we get the sex offender therapy so they can return to their lives? Isn’t there something that can be done for them so they can come home? Therapy can be helpful, but probably not in the way these people might hope.
Clearly, in the vast majority of cases, treatment simply will not work to change anything. First of all, treatment cannot be used outside of prison, because it involves admitting crimes. Once a crime is admitted, a therapist must report it to the authorities. A sex offender can never truly be honest with his therapist in the world outside of prison, and cannot benefit from treatment. Therefore, treatment for sex offenders can only be conducted in prison.
Ye only a tiny fraction of sex offenders are ever caught. Once in jail, therapy is not mandatory, nor often welcomed by them , and certainly makes no promises to reduce long-term recidivism rates . Even a 2007 study of members of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers states that 63% of professionals reported “little hope for a cure,” and 88% of professionals fear “recidivism after treatment.” Relapse prevention, a “cornerstone” of treatment efforts for the past 20 years has not been proven effective. In fact, “one of the few authoritative studies of the method, conducted in California from 1985 to 2001, found that those who entered relapse prevention treatment were slightly more likely to offend again than those who got no therapy at all.”
The New York Times relates that other treatment schemes, like using anti-androgens to control sexual impulses, are quick attempts at fixes that do not address the underlying emotional problems and impulses that drive child molesters. “I’ve had numerous situations where they say they are working just fine,” says Dr. Jesus Padilla, a clinical psychologist at Atascadero State Hospital, “only to catch them having sex with each other or engaging in deviant sexual fantasies even though their testosterone level was down to zero.”
A Canadian Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness senior research official found that “those driven by deviant sexual interests, like pedophiles and exhibitionists” are the most likely to reoffend. Pedophiles are also incredibly manipulative, and are often successful in deceiving their therapists. According to Douglas Carlin, a convicted rapist who completed treatment and was released in 2006 in Florida, “Most of those guys, they are just faking it to make it. They’re just waiting to get released so they can go right back to what they were doing.”
Civil commitment of sex offenders after their prison terms have ended is expensive and programs receive little oversight. Sex is often rampant among offenders and sometimes even between offenders and staff. And civil commitment also costs four times more than extending prison sentences, according to an investigation by the New York Times:
“The treatment regimens are expensive and largely unproven, and there is no way to compel patients to participate. Many simply do not show up for their sessions on their lawyers’ advice – treatment often requires them to recount crimes, even those not known to law enforcement – and spend their time instead gardening, watching television or playing video games. The cost of the programs is virtually unchecked and growing, with states spending nearly $450 million on them this year. The annual price of housing a committed sex offender averages more than $100,000 compared with about $26,000 a year for keeping someone in prison.”
Victim advocates suggest that it would be more effective and less expensive to give sex offenders longer sentences, prevent plea deals with prosecutors, and mandate treatment during incarceration. Leroy Hendricks, a convicted child molester in Kansas, remains locked up in a civil commitment program at the cost of $185,000 per year (8 times the cost of keeping him in prison) because he says, “I sure don’t want to hurt anybody again,” but says he could not ensure the safety of children in his presence. “The only way to guarantee that is to die.”
Sex offender treatment may never stop a predator from hurting a child again, but it can work. Here’s how. When a sex offense results in conviction, it is often the case that the offender does not serve the rest of his life in prison. However, if given treatment in prison, the sex offender can possibly realize the depth of the damage he has done to his loved ones, and especially his victims.
If he truly understands what he has done, and possesses humanity and courage, he may decide to admit to all of the sex offenses he has committed and the victims who are silently suffering because of his actions. In one instance related by one of our mental health advisors, a relatively young child molester decided to do just that.
Through therapy in prison, he realized that his victims needed help. He admitted his crimes against them, and was subsequently convicted to additional sex crimes that put him behind bars for the rest of his life.
Although therapy in prison may never be able to fix or to stop child molesters, it can play a role in keeping children and neighborhoods safe.
References
* “The overwhelming majority (of sex offenders) choose not to entire the (Atascadero treatment) program.” Littlefield, Dana. “Can sex predators be reformed? Rehab program has little participation, few success stories.” The San Diego Union-Tribune, May 22, 2006 p. A1.
* “After a 12-year follow-up period of sex offenders, no differences were observed in the rates of sexual (21.1% vs. 21.8%), violent (42.9% vs. 44.5%) or general (any) recidivism (56.6% vs. 60.4%) for treated and untreated groups, respectively.” Hanson R. Karl. “Evaluating Community Sex Offender Treatment Programs: A 12-Year Follow-Up of 724 Offenders.” Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, Apr 2004. (2) “We conclude that the (treatment) program did not influence propensities for sexual and violent recidivism.” Seager, James and Debra Jellicoe and Gurmeet K. Dhaliwal. “Refusers, Dropouts, and Completers: Measuring Sex Offender Treatment Efficacy.” International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Vol. 48, No. 5, 600-612 (2004).
* Engle, Michael J. and Josephy A. McFalls, Jir and Bernard J. Gallagher III. “Attitudes of Members of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers Towards Treatment, Release and Recidivism of Violent Sex Offenders: An Exploratory Study.” Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, Vol 44, Issue 4, 2007. pp. 17-24.
* Goodnough, Abby and Monica Davey. “For Sex Offenders, a Dispute Over Therapy’s Benefits.” The New York Times, Mar 6, 2007.
* ibid.
* ibid.
* ibid.
* Davey, Monica and Abby Goodnough. “Doubts Rise as States Hold Sex Offenders After Prison.” New York Times, Mar 4, 2007.
* Ibid.
* Ibid.
School janitor Paul B. Garland, 54, of Phoenix, Arizona, was captured after a weeks-long investigation by the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
Since studies show a high correlation between viewing child sexual assault images and being a child molester, we congratulate the Phoenix Police Department’s ICAC in making a significant move towards keeping Arizona children safe.
If you know anyone who could have been a victim of Garland, or have any other further information, please call 602-650-3170.
From July 28, 2008 to August 11, 2008, Robert William Godwin, 31, a navy sailor of Jacksonville, Florida, did his best to entice a young child – age 14 – to have sex with him. He travelled to meet the child, but instead of satisfying his pedophilic desires, he met up with Clay County Sheriff’s Office detectives working in conjunction with the Florida Attorney General’s Child Predator CyberCrime Unit and the FBI.
According to the California Chronicle, he received 10 years and 1 month in federal prison and will be under supervised release for his entire life following his sentence.
Robert Travis Scott, Capital Bureau Chief of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, writes the second in a series of articles on child sexual abuse images, investigations and perpetrators. To read the article entitled: “Child porn collectors feed a growing poison,” click here, to get to the entire packet of articles, videos, sidebars, and informational resource pages, click here.
Reporter Robert Travis Scott, Capital Bureau Chief of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, has put out a two-part series of articles detailing the work of Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces and their work to help rescue American children from sexual abuse.
Please take the time to read these articles today.
PART 1
* Child pornography fight gets new weapons – computer software that can ferret out offenders, rescue children
* One brave victim speaks out, and her father goes to prison
* Child porn traffickers being caught in their own world: computers
* Resources: Where to go for more information
* Keeping safe on the Internet – tips for parents
PART 2: COMING MONDAY
* Child porn collectors feed a growing poison
* Child porn offenders no longer falling through the cracks
Timothy Earl Bottomley, 24, Brett M. Fenimore, 21, Gregory Andrew Clerico, 22, of Aston, Pennsylvania, and Tyrell Celvin Alston, 26, of Yeadon, Pennyslvania have been arrested on child sexual abuse image possession charges. According to the Daily Times of Delaware County, Bottomley admitted to being a youth pastor of Zion Community Church on Kings Highway in Clarksboro, New Jersey. Fenimore told investigators he was a Neumann University sophomore, majoring in criminal justice. Clerico said he viewed children as young as 2 or 3 being sexually abused, and had an “obsession” for it.
Since there is a high correlation between viewing images and being a child molester, we commend the work of the Pennsylvania ICAc in taking these predators off the streets. Although it may already be too late for some victims (the Abel study shows that child molesters act out as adolescents), it may prevent dozens of future victimizations.
Thomas Westerlund, 51, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was a trusted member of the community who helped to organize the local Tulip Time festival for 33 years – until he was caught producing child sexual abuse images. Westerlund plans to plead guilty to federal charges of producing and possessing child sexual abuse images involving children he had lured into volunteering at the festival, and then given drugs and alcohol to.
According to mlive.com, federal sentencing guidelines will call for between 30 and 80 years behind bars, with a likely lifetime period of supervised release. The lowest possible sentence is 15 years.
Reproduced in its entirety with permission from the authors.
Source: University of New Hampshire
Newswise — Law enforcement officers who are exposed to child pornography as part of their investigative work report experiencing mental health problems that impact both their work and home lives, according to new research from the University of New Hampshire Crimes against Children Research Center.
“Many people may not be aware of how many law enforcement personnel are exposed to disturbing images of children being sexually victimized when they investigate child pornography crimes. This is a new kind of stress for police that needs to be addressed,” said Janis Wolak, senior researcher at the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center.
The research is presented in the bulletin “Work Exposure to Child Pornography in ICAC Task Forces and Affiliates.” The research was conducted by Wolak and Kimberly Mitchell, also a senior researcher at the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center.
“Some law enforcement executives may not realize how distressing it can be to view the evidence in these cases; it can include hundreds of pictures and videos. This bulletin is designed to raise awareness and understanding and provide some helpful suggestions from agencies that are confronting this problem,” Wolak said.
Researchers surveyed more than 500 Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force commanders and liaisons to ICAC affiliates. Participants represented local, county, state, and federal law enforcement from across the United States. All respondents had been exposed to child pornography during investigations of crimes involving child sexual exploitation.
The researchers found:
• About half of the survey participants were concerned about the psychological impacts of work exposure to child pornography.
• 35 percent of ICAC Task Force participants and 10 percent of those from affiliates had seen problems arising from work exposure to child pornography.
• Close to 40 percent of participants thought more mental health services were needed in their agencies.
• Few agencies gave information about possible related stresses to personnel who viewed child pornography.
• Some participants said their work was not supported and respected within their agencies.
• Lack of forensic capacity, obsolete equipment, and training were concerns for some agencies.
• Most participants found their work satisfying, but with some reservations.
A number of respondents reporting experiencing personal, family, and marital, and work-related problems as a result of their exposure to child pornography.
Personal, family, and marital problems included insomnia, stress, depression, and weight gain that seemed related to exposure to child pornography. Some had seen effects on family relationships, including relationships with children. One respondent reported being hyper-vigilant around children and always suspicious of adult males, while another reported a colleague, who was about to become a father, crying after viewing child pornography.
Others said seeing explicit, disturbing sexual images affected sexual and marital relationships.
Work‐related problems included anger, loss of objectivity, and drops in productivity. One respondent said, “In general, everyone seems to be shocked and disgusted at what they have to view. This usually turns into anger at the suspect.”
“We need to find out more about who is most at risk for negative affects and what agencies can do to alleviate distress for those doing this important work,” the researchers said.
The research was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, through the ICAC Training and Technical Assistance Program.
Created in 1998, the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center (CCRC) works to combat crimes against children by providing high-quality research and statistics to the public, policy makers, law enforcement personnel, and other child welfare practitioners. CCRC is concerned with research about the nature of crimes including child abduction, homicide, rape, assault, and physical and sexual abuse as well as their impact. Associated with the CCRC is an internationally recognized group of experts who have published numerous books and articles concerning the incidence and impact of violence against children. Visit the center online. (http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/index.html)
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state’s flagship public institution, enrolling more than 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.
Originally posted on November 1, 2009
by Heather Steele, President & CEO
The US Federal Government spent $60 million last year on sewage treatment of poop in Tijuana, Mexico.
At the same time, the government is only budgeting about $30 million to be divided up between 61 Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces for next year, and there’s concern they may not even authorize that amount. That $30 million would be just about enough to enable ICAC teams to capture about 1% of known child predators.
Let’s review that for a second. The ICAC teams KNOW where child molesters live. They have the technology to digitally track and hunt child molesters to their physical addresses right here in the US. They know where 625,000 child predators – many or most of whom may be raping and torturing local American children right now according to research published in the Journal of Family Violence – live.
Once about $5 million in training funds are removed from that $30 million, only about $400,000 per year is allocated to each team. How many predators do ICAC’s have the resources to arrest with $400,000 each? Just 1%.
But don’t take my word for it. The independent analysis comes via USA Today reporter Wendy Koch.
If you think that American children are worth more than Mexican poop, then it’s time to call Rep. Alan Mollohan at (202) 225-4172 and respectfully let him know that it’s time to increase spending to the ICAC teams.
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