Tuesday 29 October 2013

Not Quite, But, Getting There - We Prefer The Terms 'Facilitation' Or 'Desistance', Or, Put Simply, 'Coping'

28 October 2013 00:00

‘Rehab, not jail’ for abusers [sic] who groom children online

"SEX offenders [sic] caught “grooming” youngsters online and downloading images of child abuse should avoid jail in favour of early intervention programmes in some cases, MSPs have been told.

More Scottish Government cash should be allocated to fund rehabilitation schemes for these offenders, in order to prevent future offending, according to national child sexual abuse organisation Stop It Now.

But the prospect of offenders avoiding prison for such crimes was branded “blatantly wrong” by opposition parties at Holyrood [well, they would]. The Scottish Government has insisted that the justice system is “tougher than ever” on offenders.

Online grooming, where youngsters are lured into forming a relationship with an adult over the internet, is a growing problem. Earlier this month, 21-year-old SC was jailed for grooming a 14-year-old Scottish schoolgirl, then abducting her and having sex with her.

Children’s charities have also called for a clearer approach to sentencing of people caught downloading images of child abuse, after high-profile murder cases in recent years [what has that got to do with anything?].

Scotland is unique in targeting people under investigation for downloading images of child abuse with early intervention and group learning programmes soon after arrest but before conviction, according to Stop It Now.

They respond well during this “period of crisis”, which has the biggest impact on cutting future reoffending, according to the organisation’s national manager in Scotland, Martin Henry."

http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/rehab-not-jail-for-abusers-who-groom-children-online-1-3160658

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(Embedded Tweet - click date).

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Desistance

"In the field of criminology, desistance is generally defined as the cessation of offending or other antisocial behavior. However, researchers have not reached a consensus on the definition of desistance. Various authors have pointed out the shortcomings of a dichotomous definition of desistance, and some have suggested instead that a process view of desistance may provide a more accurate picture of the concept. Although desistance has become an increasingly popular research topic in recent years, it has been argued that the state of knowledge on this topic is still relatively limited. More specifically, it has been suggested that very little is known about the causal processes underlying desistance."

http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195396607/obo-9780195396607-0056.xml

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