Changing course: From a victim/offender duality to a public health perspective

Tabachnick, Joan; McCartan, Kieran; Panaro, Ryan

Abstract

Research suggests that only a more comprehensive multilevel approach to sexual violence prevention will integrate existing efforts to incarcerate offenders and provide services to victims into broader strategies to educate communities and change the very circumstances that allow sexual abuse to be perpetrated. With the growing interest in focusing prevention efforts on preventing the perpetration of sexual abuse, the chapter examines what is known about the prevalence of perpetration as well as the risk factors for perpetration for individuals as well as families and communities. An increasing number of prevention initiatives, nationally as well as internationally, are using this research. The chapter discusses both evidence-based and promising practices to reflect these programs and policies. The discussion closes by questioning whether a change is needed in the way the public understands and categorizes sexual violence, moving from a reactive victim/offender paradigm toward a more proactive and comprehensive public health prevention paradigm, in particular, how a public health prevention approach to sexual violence can be used to educate, protect, and change society to decrease the levels of sexual violence.

• Online Publication Date: Mar 1, 2016
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Oct 7, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 7, 2016
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 323-342
• Book Title: Treatment of Sex Offenders: Strengths and Weaknesses in Assessment and Intervention
• Chapter Number: 14
• ISBN: 9783319258669
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25868-3_14
• Keywords: sex offenders, victim, law, public health
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/923747
• Publisher URL: http://www.springer.com/gb/book/9783319258669
• Contract Date: Oct 7, 2016