- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- 9.1 General issues
- 9.2 Clinical syndromes
- 9.3 Situations affecting child mental health
- 9.4 The child as witness
- 9.5 Treatment methods for children and adolescents
- Section 10 Intellectual Disability (Mental Retardation)
- Section 11 Forensic Psychiatry
- 11.1 General principles of law relating to people with mental disorder
- 11.2 Psychosocial causes of offending
- 11.3 Associations between psychiatric disorder and offending
- 11.4 Mental disorders among offenders in correctional settings
- 11.5 Homicide offenders including mass murder and infanticide
- 11.6 Fraud, deception, and thieves
- 11.7 Juvenile delinquency and serious antisocial behaviour
- 11.8 Child molesters and other sex offenders
- 11.9 Arson (fire-raising)
- 11.10 Stalking
- 11.11 Querulous behaviour: vexatious litigation, abnormally persistent complaining and petitioning
- 11.12 Domestic violence
- 11.13 The impact of criminal victimization
- 11.14 Assessing and managing the risks of violence towards others
- 11.15 The expert witness in the Criminal Court: assessment, reports, and testimony
- 11.16 Managing offenders with psychiatric disorders in general psychiatric services
- 11.17 Management of offenders with mental disorder in specialist forensic mental health services
Child molesters and other sex offenders
- Chapter:
- Child molesters and other sex offenders
- Author(s):
Stephen Hucker
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0261
In most Western societies sexual offenders are more reviled than almost any other type of offender. On both sides of the Atlantic this is reflected in the sanctions that specifically address this group such as Sexually Violent Predator laws in the United States, Dangerous and Long-Term Offender legislation in Canada, and Sex Offender Orders in the UK. Related approaches include the introduction of sex offender registries and the widespread requirement that children at risk from sexual predators be reported by professionals and others. Although prone to find reasons to delegate the assessment and management of sex offenders to specialized forensic services, the general psychiatrist will find it impossible to avoid them entirely. It is important, therefore, for the general psychiatrist to have some understanding of this area in order to make appropriate decisions and recommendations. This chapter looks at definitions of sexual offending, types of sexual offender, assessment of sex offenders, assessment of risk, treatment issues, and ethical issues.
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- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- 9.1 General issues
- 9.2 Clinical syndromes
- 9.3 Situations affecting child mental health
- 9.4 The child as witness
- 9.5 Treatment methods for children and adolescents
- Section 10 Intellectual Disability (Mental Retardation)
- Section 11 Forensic Psychiatry
- 11.1 General principles of law relating to people with mental disorder
- 11.2 Psychosocial causes of offending
- 11.3 Associations between psychiatric disorder and offending
- 11.4 Mental disorders among offenders in correctional settings
- 11.5 Homicide offenders including mass murder and infanticide
- 11.6 Fraud, deception, and thieves
- 11.7 Juvenile delinquency and serious antisocial behaviour
- 11.8 Child molesters and other sex offenders
- 11.9 Arson (fire-raising)
- 11.10 Stalking
- 11.11 Querulous behaviour: vexatious litigation, abnormally persistent complaining and petitioning
- 11.12 Domestic violence
- 11.13 The impact of criminal victimization
- 11.14 Assessing and managing the risks of violence towards others
- 11.15 The expert witness in the Criminal Court: assessment, reports, and testimony
- 11.16 Managing offenders with psychiatric disorders in general psychiatric services
- 11.17 Management of offenders with mental disorder in specialist forensic mental health services