The warmth of the sun takes me away from the gruesome walls of prison. Back again to life! Filled with a new vigour, I am propelled to act, and fast. Yes, I did it again giving way to my impulses which act like shadows plodding along within me. Yet, when I look back I stop and ponder. Was it really me, who raped the young girl?

Yes, this deep, surging thought residing inside me gives me no peace until I finally do it. My sexual pleasure is only derived from this act which is beyond me, as the impulses are like sweet showers of pleasure tormenting me, cancelling all the troubles from my mind. Can they really stop me from my dreams?

I may stop for a while but then I am back to my dreams and people out there still have to find ways to stop me from acting.

This is not fiction but the appalling reality experienced by Joseph, a sex offender.

Could one imagine? While we long for the rays of the sun to relieve ourselves from our burdens, sex offenders feel the instinct to attack children, women and other vulnerable people. Sentenced to prison for raping a young woman, Joseph is back in the community struggling with his inner desires. Will he do it again? The chances are that he would, and then he will start a vicious circle of relapsing, his victims always paying the price. And we are all aware of the long-term effects of rape and sexual abuse.

Sentencing sex offenders to prison may serve its purpose for a while but sooner or later they will be back in the community, who like Joseph present to us a dilemma which each and one of us have to face one day.

Sex offenders are a mixture of individuals who have committed violent sexual assaults on strangers and inappropriate sexual contact with family members and children. Moreover, we find that the majority of them are men, although a small percentage of crimes are committed by females. These type of offenders also differ in terms of their level of impulsiveness, their persistence and the level of risk they pose to the community.

Among them we get the paedophiles and child molesters - who come from all walks of life. Some may be married, single, professional, old and young. There are those who prefer boys and those who prefer girls.

Psychiatry indicates to us that paedophiles have abnormal sexual desires and impulses towards children which they cannot restrain. Often, they attempt to seduce children by showing attention, affection and by plying them with simple gifts, which children might find appealing. Children coming from vulnerable backgrounds might be more at risk, as most often this is mistaken for love and care. Another factor is that children are sexually ignorant and often they fall prey to their tactics.

Another client group are the rapists, although there may be cases where paedophiles do rape children. Along the child molesters, rapists can be viewed as the prototypical expressions of immature behaviour where they attack or seduce the object of their desire.

Rapists rarely assume responsibility for their actions, and deny any involvement. They want us to believe that they were right and that all men would behave in the same way if confronted with the same situation. It is always the victim who instigated them and they present numerous excuses to justify their actions.

The incidence of rape can also affect men where they may be assaulted by other men and in rare cases even by women. There were instances where rapes were pre-planned and offenders spent time fantasising and premeditating the action, and in some cases the victims were even stalked. Stalking occurs when an individual follows a pattern of behaviour that leaves someone else feeling nervous, harassed or in danger. In other cases the rape just happened.

Rapists are classified in various categories - the power assertive rapist, the power reassurance rapist, the anger retaliation rapist, the anger excitation rapist. The power assertive rapist rapes to declare his masculine power, to dominate and impose his virility over women.

These types of offenders claim that they have weapons but they only do this to ensure that the victim is petrified so that she succumbs to him. This type is the most common. The power reassurance rapist rapes women to compensate for his sexual inadequacy and he strives to control women and puts them in situations where they cannot repel him.

Above all, the most dangerous would be the anger retaliation rapist, where most often the victim is killed. This type of offender rapes out of revenge and hatred for women and he aims to humiliate them and discredit them.

The anger excitation rapist is the sadist who derives excitement by creating pain and torture on his victim and is thrilled by the suffering he inflicts on his victim.

The last category is the opportunity rapist who takes every opportunity to rape. This is often combined with other crime such as robbery and so forth.

Due to the fact that sex offenders were kept hidden for many years, treatment is still developing. Treatment aims to assist the offender in improving his or her behaviour. Many modes were applied which included psychosurgery, castration, drug therapy, counselling therapies and psychotherapy.

The latter differs as it is more confrontational, structured and victim centred, focusing on the specific offence and on the deviant behaviour. This helps them to control their behaviour by being honest with themselves and take responsibility, understanding the effects on their victims. Sex offenders need to learn how to handle their anger and solve their problems without reverting to force which enables them to re integrate in the community.

Despite these efforts, some sex offenders will inevitably commit new sexual offences.

And I ask: do we have the absolute reassurance that sex offenders will not relapse? Well. Some offenders will respond to treatment but there are others who will not take the advantage and most often strike again.

Yet, sex offenders are most likely to repeat the same crimes and the level of recidivism is measured on subsequent arrests, and incarceration.

With this increasing rate of recidivism I am compelled to question whether these offenders should be forced to undergo treatment for an extensive period, probably on a permanent basis.

This would entail a lot of detailed studies and amendments in the law, but it can be adopted. Creating awareness is essential in the assessment of sexual offenders. This should include not only mental health and legal professionals but cultural historians and sociologists too. This would help society devise better preventive and therapeutic approaches to control their behaviour which is unacceptable and not to be condoned. Controlling these offenders not only protects the victims and the community but also helps offenders in regaining their self respect.

Ms Zammit is a probation officer and the author of Stupru - a book of fiction which deals with the subject of rape and sex offenders.

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