Sex Offenders Treatment Programmes in Ireland

Introduction

In April 2009 a new policy for managing sex offenders in prison was announced entitled Sex Offender Management Policy – Reducing re-offending, enhancing public safety (pdf). It concerns therapeutic interventions with sex offenders while they are in prison.  The new policy is aimed at bringing about changes in offenders' lives that will reduce the risk of re-offending. Some of the new initiatives announced had already been introduced.

National Centre

Under the new policy Arbour Hill has been designated as the National Centre for imprisoned sex offenders and the prison’s population will be comprised primarily of sex offenders. A full range of therapeutic interventions will be available in the National Centre.

Satellite Centres

The Midlands prison and Wheatfield prison have been designated as Satellite Centres. Sex offenders will also be accommodated in these prisons, where a narrower range of therapeutic interventions will be available. Prisoners committed initially to other prisons will be transferred to the Satellite Centres unless exceptional circumstances prevail.

Therapeutic interventions

As part of the new policy the range and availability of therapeutic interventions is being increased.

Structured clinical assessments

Sex offenders are assessed soon after committal and this assessment will influence all subsequent therapeutic interventions. Re-assessment can take place during the sentence, where appropriate.

One-to-one therapeutic interventions

Individual therapeutic work serves a number of functions, including:

• Support for offenders in their early commitment to change
• Support for the integration and extension of progress made in group work
• Addressing the risks and needs of offenders who are unable to undertake group programmes

The role of one-to-one therapeutic intervention in Arbour Hill will diminish as greater emphasis is placed on group interventions.

Offence-related therapeutic group interventions

Three types of group intervention are being introduced and they replace the Sex Offender Programme introduced in 19994. The first group started in January 2009

• Exploratory groups focus on disclosure, the offender's life history, background to the offence and current plans. The objective is to engage the offender and prepare him for more focused work in a supportive, non-challenging manner. Usually, this preparatory work leads straight into the practice groups.
• Practice groups similarly focus on disclosure, the offender's life history, background to the offence and current plans but the offender is encouraged to engage with the programme in a more detailed manner. These groups also focus on future plans. 
• Maintenance groups focus on awareness and change/achievement to date, as well as the preparation of positive future life plans. The groups focus on psychological and situational factors which are likely to increase or reduce risk of future offending. They prepare offenders for life after release.

There is an average of 8 offenders in each group.

The exploratory and practice groups operate as open groups, with changing membership, flexible start and finish times and with emphasis on the group process. Participants remain in the group until they have achieved their intervention targets. New participants join the group when a space becomes available.

The maintenance group operates as a closed group.

This approach allows for interventions to take greater account of individual risk, needs and capacity than the Sex Offenders Programme it has replaced.

In-reach services

In-reach services uses the potential of community-based services to provide interventions within the prison environment. An example is the motivational enhancement groups operated by the Granada Institute in the Midlands and Wheatfield prisons.  The purpose of the motivational intervention is to help participants explore the potential benefits of therapeutic engagement.

Further information

Further information on the management of sex offenders in prison is available from the Irish Prison Service.

In January 2009 the Department of Justice and Law Reform published a discussion document on the Management of Sex Offenders (pdf). The document puts forward proposals for future developments in the management of convicted sex offenders both in prison and post release. The document also looks at issues such as the use of electronic monitoring, temporary release for sex offenders and compulsory treatment.