Deviant sexual interests but not antisocial behaviors are associated with deficits in executive functioning in individuals convicted of sexual offenses against children.

Objective: Impaired neuropsychological functioning is one possible factor contributing to sexual offending against children. Previous research showed that neuropsychological and especially executive functioning deficits could be related to the two most important risk factors for sexual (re-)offending, namely an antisocial lifestyle and deviant sexual interests. Method: By using a quasi-experimental research design, the present study compared the performance of a sample of men convicted of child sexual abuse (CSA) offenses (n = 70) with men convicted of sexual offenses against adults (n = 49), men convicted of nonsexual offenses (n = 54), and nonoffending men (n = 70) in a set of neuropsychological tests assessing different aspects of executive functioning. Results: All three offending groups had a higher prevalence of brain injury and performed worse compared to nonoffending men on almost all neuropsychological tests. Individuals convicted of CSA offenses showed no differences compared to the other two offending groups. Latent class analyses revealed that a small subset of CSA-offending participants showed most pronounced neuropsychological deficits. These persons also exhibited more intense pedosexual interests but not more indicators of antisociality. Conclusions: The results of the present study indicate that only a certain subset of CSA-offending individuals demonstrates considerable neuropsychological deficits, which seem to correlate with a particularly strong sexual interest in children. This subgroup could also be described as having a particularly high risk concerning sexual reoffending with a sexual abuse offense. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

High or very high recidivism risk? The possibilities of recidivism risk assessment under the Polish SVP law (the Act of 22 November 2013). / Wysokie czy bardzo wysokie ryzyko recydywy? Mozliwosci oceny kategorii ryzyka recydywy sprawców na potrzeby Ustawy z 22.11.2013.

The paper presents an analysis of possibilities of performing recidivism risk assessment under the Act of 22 November 2013 on the treatment of people with mental disorders posing a threat to life, health or sexual freedom of others. The Act allows, among others, the post-penitentiary isolation of persons posing a threat. The risk assessment at "very high" level is one of the key elements taken into account in adjudication of this procedure.The first part presents basic information on the recidivism risk assessment procedure: types of risk factors and different approaches to recidivism risk assessment. Then, three main limitations related to the assessment under the Act were discussed. These are: (1) the problem of the scope of the predicted events, (2) the problem of differentiation between the upper sub-categories of recidivism risk, (3) the problem of the lack of full Polish adaptations of recidivism risk assessment instruments. In consequence of these limitations, the risk assessment under the Act has lower precision. The problem of the lack of Polish adaptations can be solved with validation of the appropriate instruments. However, the other two challenges result directly from the provisions of the Act and cannot be faced with its current form. Therefore main conclusion of the paper focuses on the need to take into account the discussed limitations by experts, officials participating in the proceedings and the institutions issuing decisions. Risk assessment should be based on the measurement of all types of recidivism risk factors, including primarily static and then stable dynamic ones.

Encountering an Exhibitionist: The Female Victim's Perspective.

Although exhibitionism is thought to be one of the most common sexual offenses, relatively little is known about its victims. The present study aimed to explore the correlates of encountering an exhibitionist, the course of exhibitionist acts, and their impact on the victim. An online survey was completed by 1,075 women, 58.7% of whom had encountered an exhibitionist. Previous victimization had the strongest impact on the probability of encountering an exhibitionist; victims' habits had no impact. The most frequent type of place where the incidents occurred was green spaces. Most exhibitionists touched their genitals and a third of them talked to the victim. The perpetrators usually did not chase their victims, but those who did were more aggressive. The emotions most frequently reported by the victims as accompanying the incident were surprise, disgust and fear. Taking action to avoid further incidents was reported by 29.0% of the respondents. Few incidents were reported to the authorities (7.0%). The results suggest that the impact of encountering an exhibitionist is in some ways similar to other types of sexual victimization.

Child molesters' cognitive distortions. Conceptualizations of the term. / Znieksztalcenia poznawcze u sprawców wykorzystania seksualnego dziecka. Konceptualizacje pojecia.

The concept of cognitive distortion was created by A. T. Beck and it is one of the key-concepts of cognitive psychotherapy. In the 80s of the twentieth century, researchers began to use it in studies of sexual offending, but with reference to the social learning theory rather than to the theory of cognitive psychotherapy. Subsequent authors continued the use of this term in the determinants of child molestation and defined them as products emerging from specific implicit theory of the offender, the judgements resulting from his beliefs, values and actions, dysfunctional cognitive schemas, deviant cognitive practices undertaken in the interaction of internal and external components of perpetrator's cognitive system and his social practices. The primary theoretical background in the description of the concept of cognitive distortions of child molesters was the social cognition theory, but it was complemented with the assumptions of the theory of cognitive psychotherapy, extended theory of mind and discursive psychology perspective. Particular concepts describe the cognitive distortions relating them to different classes of cognitive phenomena: products, processes and structures, and the only thing they have in common is their incompatibility of their content to the social norms. Giving this concept a normative nature leads to internal contradictions within the conceptions that concern it. Moreover, using it to explain the various processes oversimplifies the picture of this phenomenon and leads to contradictions between theories. It is, therefore, necessary to consider replacing the term cognitive distortions with alternative and more precise concepts.

Polish project of a Sex Offenders Registry - a mental health professionals' perspective. / Polski projekt rejestru sprawców przestepstw na tle seksualnym - perspektywa specjalistów ds. zdrowia psychicznego.

The paper discusses the governmental draft of the Act on counteracting threats of sexual offences. It assumes the creation of the Registry of Sex Offenders in a version with a limited access and a version available to the public. The registry is supplemented with a publically available map of sexual crime threats, which includes the places of sexual offences and the places of residence of offenders. Criticising the proposed solutions, the authors point out the lack of integration with other interventions conducted in Poland against sex offenders, noncompliance with the recommendations of the most important expert circles in the field, as well as the research results showing the lack of effectiveness of the planned measures to reduce sexual offences. Anumber of negative consequences of making the sex offenders'data available to the public was also highlighted in the form of a clear deterioration of social rehabilitation prognoses, additional stigmatisation, as well as social exclusion of the offenders themselves and the victims of sexual violence. The summary emphasises the need to counteract the problem of sexual offences in a systematic way and the need to diversify the interventions undertaken against the offenders, depending on the level of risk of sexual recidivism.