Friendship Groups therapy ... what are your thoughts?

[chillzero]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8611279.stm

I wonder if any effect from this kind of ... treatment ... actually stems from the fact that these people are being monitored ... and not that they are actually rehabilitated. I also wonder how they can be so convinced of the low re-offending numbers - surely these can only be for those discovered to have re-offended. I wonder how they can be so certain that others have just not been caught yet (and 8 years of data may not be long enough, nor 35 a sufficient study group).

What do you think?

 

[Uncayimmy]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8611279.stm

I wonder if any effect from this kind of ... treatment ... actually stems from the fact that these people are being monitored ... and not that they are actually rehabilitated. I also wonder how they can be so convinced of the low re-offending numbers - surely these can only be for those discovered to have re-offended. I wonder how they can be so certain that others have just not been caught yet (and 8 years of data may not be long enough, nor 35 a sufficient study group).

What do you think?

I can think of several reasons that it might work. I can't think of any reason why it would lead to a higher recidivism rate. It seems inexpensive. As for the stats, it all depends on the current recidivism rates to know if they have sufficient data for a reasonable confidence level.

 

[Andrew Wiggin]

This sounds like a really good idea to me.

When I discharge a drug addict back into society after they've completed treatment, I know that one of the biggest obstacles they face is that they don't have any friends. All the people they formerly listed as friends are actually just people they did drugs with, and its not at all easy to just go make a bunch of new friends. Even smokers face the same problem: try to quit smoking and you lose one of your social outlets, the people you go on smoke breaks with at work.

For alcoholics and drug abusers, there are instant social groups. I really feel that that's one of the reasons for the success of AA and NA. It's an instant social group of people who know what you've been through and aren't going to judge you for what you've done as long as you don't do it again, realize that your addiction is an illness, and will help pick you up when you fall.

For sex offenders, nothing of the sort exists, and the social stigma is even worse. Even if they had friends before, they probably don't now, and with more and more places having manditory 'tell your neighbors' type laws and online lookup they're going into a situation where not only do they have no social support but are actively prevented from getting any, and made targets for ostracism and violence. This is not a good climate for recovery and the obvious solution that presents itself is to run away from it, resist registration, and basically hide. Given that these are people who need continued monitoring and treatment, just like any other folks with mental illnesses that make them a danger to themselves or others, giving them an incentive to hide from you is not a good thing.

A

 

[MikeMangum]

This sounds like a really good idea to me...

Thank you for that post, it was excellent and made me think of things in a new way.