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Originally Posted by soulpatch
yes we should. Becuase you were a victim at one time does not give you a get out of jail free card.
be interested to see the number of victims who then commit an act later......
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In general, the research has shown that about 1/3 of victims report no "adverse affects" from the abuse, 1/3 report mild to moderate affects of the abuse, and 1/3 of those report major life adjustment issues due to the abuse.
What research is finding out that a lot of the effects of abuse really has to the child's reporting of the the abuse.
In general, the number that goes on to become abusers is relatively small- and there really isn't a consensus as to what the real number is.
One interesting note is that only about 40% of offenders actually report being sexually abused as children. This could also be to an unwillingness to report being a victim. Or, it could be that the perpetrator has experienced extensive abuse, but not necessarily that of a sexual nature.
In addition, about 1/3 of all perpetrators are minors- under the age of 18. While this group has far fewer victims than an adult perpetrator, how do you propose to deal with this group? Do you go with a treatment approach (affective for juveniles), or do you just lump them in with the rest of them?
Child abuse and perpetrators are not a homogeneous group- there is no "one stop shopping" for the answers to this one.
And after working with both juvenile and adult sex offenders, many have fantasies about killing their victims but stop due to the potential murder charge. Knowing that children often do not reveal that they have been abused, most are willing to just let their victim go. In addition, many victims are abused several times by the same offender.
Truthfully, I believe that many juvenile sex offenders can be rehabilitated. I'm not as optimistic with adults, though. I do like the sexual predator statues which allows for a mental health commitment for sexually dangerous persons.