Iowa Eighth Judicial District

DEPARTMENT OF

CORRECTIONAL SERVICES

Serving Southeast Iowa

One in three girls and one in six boys are sexually assaulted before the age of 18

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Updates:

Sex Offender Treatment Program

Sexual assault is an overwhelming problem in today's society. One in three girls and one in six boys are sexually assaulted before the age of 18. On the average, one in 10 men will be sexually assaulted during adulthood. Somewhere in America, a woman is raped every 90 seconds.

It is imperative that every effort be made to prevent this crime as well as protect and aid victims and survivors of sexual assault. To accomplish this, the Iowa Eighth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services coordinates treatment activities for perpetrators of sexual assault, which includes monitoring offenders’ behaviors in communities. It is the combination of treatment and intensive supervision that provides the best opportunity to prevent or minimize the recurrence of sexual assaults.

The treatment of sex offenders in this district began in 1991 when an individual placed on probation for a sexual offense was ordered to undergo treatment. Because no program existed locally, the offender was required to drive to Des Moines for weekly counseling sessions.

Today, there are 11 active sex offender treatment groups with a total of 94 group members within the 14-county area of the district. There are two additional groups that provide services to partners and spouses of offenders.

Offenders under supervision are referred to the sex offender program if they are currently under supervision for a sexual offense, have a criminal sexual offense history, or are convicted of a nonsexual offense but information about the crime indicates a sexual offense also occurred.

The program is designed to help sex offenders, through therapeutic and educational treatment opportunities, gain control over destructive behavior patterns while being ever vigilant to protect the community by establishing internal and external controls.

Cognitive-behavioral treatment delivered in the group format is universally recognized as the treatment modality of choice for sex offenders. The department uses the group format and a curriculum that includes sections on victim awareness and how sexual assault impacts the lives of survivors, cognitive restructuring, managing deviant sexual arousal, relapse prevention, sexuality, relationship skills, and maintenance.

Offenders placed in this treatment program are also held to a contract that restricts and monitors their behavior. Supervision can include electronic monitoring as well as software programs that monitor internet access.

Honesty is the foremost tool required in the treatment of sex offenders. Offenders for the most part are not proud of their crimes and therefore not always honest about the extent of their deviant behavior. To assist offenders in providing truthful disclosure of their offenses and behaviors while under supervision, polygraph testing is utilized.

The use of polygraph testing of sex offenders has emerged in the last several years as one of the best methods to keep the offenders in check so that they don’t revert to old cycles, or patterns. Sex offender polygraph testing is a highly specialized practice that demands the examiner to follow standards developed by the American Polygraph Association.

Even with programs and supervision strategies in place, it is important to underscore that the treatment outcome for sexual offenders is not considered to be a cure of a mental disorder, but the development of control of a destructive behavioral pattern.

If interested in more information about the program, please call Sue Boggs, treatment manager in Ottumwa at 641-682-8383 Ext. 13 or Sally Rodeffer, treatment manager in Burlington at 319-753-5478 Ext. 110. For related information, go to Sex Offenders FAQ, or follow the links in the left column.