Response on Article:
Response on Article: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Social Phobia, and Loneliness in Incarcerated Internet Child Pornography Offenders
The article, “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Social Phobia, and Loneliness in Incarcerated Internet Child Pornography Offenders,” is based on the study conducted by Marshall, O’Brien, Marshall, Booth, and Davis (2012). It's aim was to determine any differences in terms of anxiety between child pornography internet offenders (CPOs) and non-internet-related sexual offenders with child victims (CCMs) through measurement. The stance of their study was that there were two types of child molesters based on their rudimentary traits. Proving the factuality of this hypothesis, they were proposing that there must be separate approaches in treating these two cases during the rehabilitation process.
In their study, the subjects were gauged down to incarcerated male sex offenders of random age both in CPOs and CCMs classifications. The subjects were determined in likeness and differences between the two given classifications of offenders in the concerns of social anxiety, loneliness, and obsessive-compulsive tendencies. At the end of the study they have discerned that the result is confirming their hypothesis having contradicting outcomes from the two types of offenders.
The Result
The result has revealed that child pornography offenders scores higher in the given tests in determining factors of the concern. The findings was that CPOs were more exposed in dealing with negative emotions since they are tend to be socially isolated, prone to have mood disorders particularly depression, they were also found to be deprived with intimacy and high tendency with anxiety. The subjects under CPOs were also detected with commonalities of having difficulties in keeping and maintaining adult relationships. Being compared with CCMs, CPOs showed significantly higher statistics on Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory. On Social Phobia Inventory, there were no significant changes between CPOs and CCMs however CPOs scored slightly higher than the average level. These information provides us new insight into the traits of subjects diagnosed under CPOs being compared with CCMs. They may have close resemblance with the type of crimes they are identified with but they are very much different regarding characteristics.
My insight about this is that sex offenders should be treated and approached accordingly based on the respective designs of treatment needed for them. As the study revealed the statistical and qualitative differences of CPOs and CCMs with one another, each case calls for specific approach that corresponds to the results of the studies. Having CPOs have the higher tendencies for social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, the treatment for CPOs were suggested to be more extensive. Some sectors are even proposing for child pornography offenders to have much severe punishment among other kind of sex offenders. The Michigan Review (2013) published that, “state court cases suggest that a sentence imposing surgical castration would likely violate the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment” (Carlson, 2013).
The suggested genital castration punishment is for the child pornography offenders. This was considered due to the grave offenses that CPOs have committed not to mention the alarming rise of the statistics of the crime. For me, the genital castration punishment is paralleling the cruelty of the act that child pornography offenders are doing and I believe cruel punishment won't be the solution for the cruel act. Rehabilitating and imprisoning them is enough, what must be done is to apply the extensive treatment for these offenders so that if cured, they can be given a chance to live a proper way of life.
REFERENCES
Carlson, Kristin. (2013). “Strong Medicine: Toward Effective Sentencing Of Child Pornography Offenders.” Michigan Law Review. Articles. Web. Retrieved 28 Sept. 2013 from http://www.michiganlawreview.org/articles/strong-medicine-toward-effective-sentencing-of- child-pornography-offenders
Marshall, L.E., O’Brien, M.D., Marshall, W.L., Booth, B., & Davis, A. (2012). Obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, and loneliness in incarcerated internet child pornography offenders. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 19, 41-52. DOI: 10.1080/10720162.2012.665291
