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Sexually Violent Predators: A Clinical Science Handbook pp 295–308Cite as

Behavior Analytic Approaches to Assessment and Intervention for Sex Offenders with Intellectual Disabilities

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Abstract

Our culture is challenged by the ethics and practicality of assessing and intervening with sex offenders in general, and these challenges are compounded when the offender has an intellectually disability (ID). Most commonly, offenders with ID are adjudicated incompetent to stand trial and, therefore, are not convicted of the crime (in a sense, then, offender may not even be the correct term, but it is used here to conform with common usage). The treatment of offenders with ID presents a unique challenge because on the one hand it is incumbent upon professionals to protect members of the community at large but on the other hand the individual with ID is afforded basic human rights, which may include freedom of movement within the community at large. In this chapter we focus primarily on individuals with ID who are presumed (or known) to have offended toward children. We will first cover historical and contemporary approaches to assessment and treatment. Next, we will describe specific ethical issues that arise in working with the ID population. Finally, we will present some proposed future directions for work in the area of sex offenders with ID.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Timothy R. Vollmer & P. Raymond Joslyn

  2. Westfield State University, Westfield, MA, USA

    Jorge R. Reyes

  3. Aurora University, Aurora, IL, USA

    Stephen F. Walker

Authors
  1. Timothy R. Vollmer
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  2. P. Raymond Joslyn
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  3. Jorge R. Reyes
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  4. Stephen F. Walker
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Timothy R. Vollmer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA

    William T. O’Donohue

  2. Special Psychological Services, LLC, Bloomfield, NJ, USA

    Daniel S. Bromberg

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Vollmer, T.R., Joslyn, P.R., Reyes, J.R., Walker, S.F. (2019). Behavior Analytic Approaches to Assessment and Intervention for Sex Offenders with Intellectual Disabilities. In: O’Donohue, W.T., Bromberg, D.S. (eds) Sexually Violent Predators: A Clinical Science Handbook. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04696-5_19

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