An Analysis of Bert Case Study
An Analysis of Bert Case Study
INTRODUCTION
Child sexual abuse is the most horrendous crime committed against children. It is beyond comprehension how can a human being commit such an atrocity to another human being, especially children. In today’s society, we see many types of deviant acts
being committed against children, women, men and even animals, and what can society
do about it? What can be done to prevent it? In order for us to begin to understand the reasons behind this deviant behaviour, we need to look into specific aspects of each case, study the behaviour of the perpetrator and the circumstances that contributed to his or hers behaviour. Consequently, this paper will explore Bert’s Case Study, and will aim at identifying Bert’s problem behaviour, understand and explain his offending behaviour towards children and find a suitable rehabilitation program for Bert, so as to prevent him from ever re-offending. Lastly, this paper will evaluate how successful is the treatment program offered to Bert and if it is the most appropriate one to aid in preparing him from future re-offending.
IDENTIFICATION OF BERT’S PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR Bert a 49-year-old man is identified as a child sex offender and is serving a 7 year sentence for sexually assaulting children. Bert was a scout master and was arrested after numerous complaints claiming he had sexually assaulted boys scouts aged between 10 and 14 years of age during his scout activities. It is known that these offenses occurred over a number of years.
Many would describe Bert as a paedophile, however, there is more than one definition of paedophilia but for the purpose of this paper Bert will be considered a paedophile, or – a male adult who chooses children as the object of his sexual preferences.
Bert claims that his sexual offenses towards these boys began after his wife’s car accident when she became a paraplegic, which led to Bert’s “blocking off access to an adult sexual
INTRODUCTION
Child sexual abuse is the most horrendous crime committed against children. It is beyond comprehension how can a human being commit such an atrocity to another human being, especially children. In today’s society, we see many types of deviant acts
being committed against children, women, men and even animals, and what can society
do about it? What can be done to prevent it? In order for us to begin to understand the reasons behind this deviant behaviour, we need to look into specific aspects of each case, study the behaviour of the perpetrator and the circumstances that contributed to his or hers behaviour. Consequently, this paper will explore Bert’s Case Study, and will aim at identifying Bert’s problem behaviour, understand and explain his offending behaviour towards children and find a suitable rehabilitation program for Bert, so as to prevent him from ever re-offending. Lastly, this paper will evaluate how successful is the treatment program offered to Bert and if it is the most appropriate one to aid in preparing him from future re-offending.
IDENTIFICATION OF BERT’S PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR Bert a 49-year-old man is identified as a child sex offender and is serving a 7 year sentence for sexually assaulting children. Bert was a scout master and was arrested after numerous complaints claiming he had sexually assaulted boys scouts aged between 10 and 14 years of age during his scout activities. It is known that these offenses occurred over a number of years.
Many would describe Bert as a paedophile, however, there is more than one definition of paedophilia but for the purpose of this paper Bert will be considered a paedophile, or – a male adult who chooses children as the object of his sexual preferences.
Bert claims that his sexual offenses towards these boys began after his wife’s car accident when she became a paraplegic, which led to Bert’s “blocking off access to an adult sexual
References: Abel, G. G. And Osborn, C. (1995). Paedophiliac. In L. Diamant and R. D. McAnulty (eds.). The Psychology of Sexual Orientation, Behaviour and Identity: A Handbook (pp. 270-282). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy, The Exercise of Control. New York: Freeman. Blackburn, R. (1993). The Psychology of Criminal Conduct: Theory, Research and Practice. Toronto: John Wiley and Sons. Bohm, D. and Haley, A. (1997). Be and Become, (The Theory of One and All). Harper Collins Publishers, NY. Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and Loss: Vol.1. Attachment. New York: Basic Books Burger, J Chisholm, J. (2001). Economic Analysis of Crime Prevention: An Australian Perspective. In D. P. Farrington, L. W. Sherman and B. C. Welsh (eds.), Costs and Benefits of Preventing Crime, (pp.203-224). Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Cohen, L. E. And Felson, M. (1979). Social change and crime rate trends: a routine activity approach. American Sociological Review, Vol. 44, pp. 588-608. Hanson, R. K. (2002). Recidivism and age: follow-up data from 4,673 sexual offenders. Jornal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 17, pp.1046-62. Henggeler, S. W., Schoenwald, S. K., Borduin, C. M., Rowland, M. D. and Cunningham, P. B. (1998). Multisystemic Treatment of Antisocial Behaviour in Children and Adolescents (pp.21-57) New York: Guilford Press. Hollin, C. R. (1989). Psychology and Crime: An Introduction to Criminological Psychology. London: Routledge. Miller, N. E. And Dollard, J. (1941). Social Learning and Imitation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Moster, A., Wnuk, D. W. And Jeglic, E. L. (2008). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Interventions with Sex Offenders. Journal of Correctional Health Care, Vol. 14 (2); retrieved 16th August 2011 from http:jcx.sagepub.com at Griffith University. Smallbone, S. W. And Wortley, R. K. (2004). Onset, persistence and versatility of offending among adult males convicted of sexual offenses against children. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, Vol. 16, pp.285-298. Ward, T. (1999). Competency and Deficit Models in the Understanding and Treatment of Sexual Offenders. The Journal of Sex Research, Vol. 36 (3), pp.298-305. Waters, B. And Kelk, N. (1991). Does being an incest victim influence the capacity to parent? In Incest and the Community: Australian Perspectives, ed. P. Hetherington, University of WA, Perth.