Desistance from Sex Offending

Alternatives to Throwing Away the Keys

D. Richard Laws, Tony Ward

• Publisher: The Guilford Press
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781606239360
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Forensic Psychology
• Index: Psychology

This book offers a fresh perspective on treating a population that is often demonized by policymakers, the public, and even clinicians. The authors argue that most sex offenders are "people like us, " with the potential to lead meaningful, law-abiding lives—if given a chance and appropriate support. They describe an empirically and theoretically grounded rehabilitation approach, the Good Lives Model, which can be integrated with the assessment and intervention approaches that clinicians already use. Drawing on the latest knowledge about factors promoting desistance from crime, the book discusses how encouraging naturally occurring desistance processes, and directly addressing barriers to community reintegration, can make treatment more effective and long lasting.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• About the Authors
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Contents
• I. General Issues
• II. The Criminological Perspective
• III. The Forensic Psychological Perspective
• IV. Reentry and Reintegration
• V. Recruitment
• VI. Desistance-Focused Intervention
• VII. Where to from Here?
• References
• Index
• About Guilford Publications
• From the Publisher