Curriculum Overview
This curriculum on sex offender treatment contains the following components for trainers who wish to plan and conduct live events on this topic.
Overview Materials
The overview materials include a section called Issues and Cautions for Users and a User’s Guide. The Issues and Cautions section provides information about adapting the curriculum to meet the specific needs of the audiences with which it is used, suggestions about the qualifications of trainers, and guidance about providing the substantive material contained in the curriculum with multi–disciplinary faculty teams. The User’s Guide explains the curriculum’s icons and notations, and reviews the information that is provided in the curriculum about how much time trainers should spend on specific topics and activities. It also includes tips on facilitating exercises and small group work and a brief overview of important training terms.
Long and Short Versions of the Curriculum
This curriculum includes a long and a short version. Within them, users will find:
- Outlines that provide the major topics covered and the time allocated
to each;
- Lecture content and teaching notes with suggestions for using the
curriculum’s slides, learning activities, and discussion questions;
- Presentation slides that highlight the main points made during the
lecture and that can be printed and distributed as participant materials;
and
- Participant materials intended to be copied and distributed to participants
for use during and after the training. There are several types of these
materials:
- Learning Activities—The long version includes multiple
learning activities. The teaching notes reiterate the goals
of these activities and provide specific suggestions for
their use. These activities serve several purposes: first,
they reinforce the information that is presented during the
training; second, they allow participants to share their
experiences and perspectives, and—thereby—to
learn from one another; and finally, they create variety
in the training experience, which can keep audience members
interested and engaged.
- Reference Materials and Other Handouts—These documents are intended to serve as illustrations and examples of the topics and issues covered during the training, and as sources of additional information for individuals who are interested in learning more about a particular topic or issue. One example of the materials provided is a glossary of terms and concepts that are related to sex offender–specific treatment.
- Learning Activities—The long version includes multiple
learning activities. The teaching notes reiterate the goals
of these activities and provide specific suggestions for
their use. These activities serve several purposes: first,
they reinforce the information that is presented during the
training; second, they allow participants to share their
experiences and perspectives, and—thereby—to
learn from one another; and finally, they create variety
in the training experience, which can keep audience members
interested and engaged.
Evaluation Forms
Also included in this curriculum are evaluation forms that users may find helpful in assessing participants’ reactions to their training experiences. The forms can be duplicated and distributed to training participants for completion at the end of trainings. Users are encouraged to share the results of the training evaluations with CSOM. This will assist the project in refining and improving future editions of this and other training curricula.
Two Versions of the Curriculum
This curriculum is presented in two versions:
- The long version (8 hours) is designed for line staff and their supervisors
who have significant direct responsibility for the community supervision
of sex offenders, and for other members of supervision teams (victim
advocates, polygraph examiners, law enforcement officers, and others)
who would benefit from a more comprehensive understanding of specialized
treatment interventions. This version includes significantly more detail
than does the short version on the specifics of and rationale for sex
offender treatment, and how treatment providers and probation/parole
officers work together. It also includes a number of learning activities
that promote audience participation and interaction.
- The short version (1½ hours) has been designed for probation and parole agency policymakers, supervisors, and line staff, judges, prosecutors, victim advocates, and others who are not directly involved in sex offender management. It might also be used as the framework for a presentation at a conference with a diverse audience that has an interest in issues related to sex offender management and treatment. The purpose of this version is to provide a brief introduction to what constitutes sex offender treatment, an overview of how it differs from traditional mental health treatment, and a summary of what is known about its effectiveness.
The following table highlights the differences in length of the curriculum’s two versions.
| Curriculum Version | Short 1 ½ hours | Long 8 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1: The Basics of Sex Offender–Specific Treatment | 30 minutes | 2 hours |
| Section 2: Sex Offender–Specific Treatment Outcome Research | 15 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Section 3: Elements of Sex Offender–Specific Treatment | 25 minutes | 4½ hours |
| Section 4: A National Perspective on the Current State of Practice | 10 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Section 5: What to Look for in a Treatment Provider | 10 minutes | 30 minutes |
Curriculum Content
The following is a preview of the content in the curriculum’s five sections:
Section 1—The Basics of Sex Offender–Specific
Treatment
This section articulates the goals and learning objectives of the training
curriculum as a whole, outlines the content of the curriculum, identifies
the core elements of sex offender–specific treatment, highlights the
ways in which it differs from traditional mental health treatment, and provides
a rationale for a specialized approach to the treatment of sex offenders
in the community.
Section 2—Sex Offender–Specific Treatment Outcome
Research
This section summarizes the evidence emerging from empirical research on
sex offender treatment, outlining what is known about its effectiveness,
what works for different types of sex offenders, and the implications of
this research for treatment providers and others who share responsibility
for sex offender management.
Section 3—Elements of Sex Offender–Specific Treatment
This section details the elements of sex offender treatment, including responding
to denial, addressing cognitive distortions, and increasing victimization
awareness. This section also introduces the major domains of treatment,
addresses the use of medication, and outlines ethical standards of practice.
Section 4—A National Perspective on the Current State
of Practice
This section summarizes the results of a national survey on sex offense–specific
treatment practices that was conducted with the support of the Safer Society
Foundation.
Section 5—What to Look for in a Treatment Provider
One of the most challenging issues facing the criminal justice system—the
courts, probation and parole agencies, prosecutors, etc.—is how to
know which treatment providers will make effective partners in the management
of sex offenders in the community. This brief section outlines the factors
that should be considered in selecting sex offender–specific treatment
providers to work with criminal justice system actors in the management of
this population.