Impact of negative media representations: Sex offenders perspectives

1
Impact of negative media representations Sex
offenders perspectives

• Natacha Carragher, University of Ulster
• Siobhan Keating and Libby Ashurst, Muckamore
  Abbey Hospital

2
Background

• Increasing social and political concerns with
  those perceived to pose a danger to the public
  (McAlinden, 2007).
• Sex offenders are a particularly vilified group.
• The media has contributed to this climate of
  moral panic and populist punitiveness.

3
Media depiction of sexual crimes

• Sexual violence has become a staple of media
  discourse.
• Review of newspapers in 1998 (Soothill et al.,
  1998).
• International stage unmasking paedophile rings
  the institutional physical and sexual abuse of
  children
• - churches Fr. Brendan Smyth Affair in Ireland.
• - care homes Haut de la Garenne, Jersey.
• - clubs and schools.

4
Media depiction of sexual crimes

• However, contrary to media consumers
  concerns....
• the number of recorded sex offences is
  comparatively small in relation to other crimes
  (West, 2000) and disproportionate to the volume
  of press attention (Greer, 2003).
• sex offenders rarely kill their victims (Sample,
  2006).

5
Media depiction of sexual crimes

• Reporting is selective and sensationalist
  (Soothill Walby, 1991).
• Threat of stranger danger assaults is
  exaggerated and focus from real dangers is
  misplaced
• - 80 of perpetrators sexually assault children
  known to them (Grubin, 1998).

6
Media depiction of sexual crimes

• Sexual crimes are more newsworthy (Greer, 2003)
• - Heartbreaking stories of child abduction and
  murder propelled into national consciousness, yet
  are statistically rare (Browne Lynch, 1995).
• Based on shock factor rather than an
  educational agenda
• distorted public perception (OConnell, 1999
  206).

7
Media depiction of sexual crimes

• Medias influence on the public (Greer, 2003).
• Image of sex offender as
• - amoral, manipulative, predatory, compulsive
  recidivists, unnameable to treatment (Hudson
  2005)
• - social misfits, strangers, or dirty old men
  (Fuselier et al., 2002).
• Emotive language/labels - dehumanises and
  socially ostracises them.

8
Media depiction of sexual crimes

• ..emotive rhetoric and pharisaic moralising..
  (West, 2000 400) encourages a popular and crude
  stereotype.
• Contributes to the misconception that sex
  offenders are a homogeneous group
• its the paedophile bandwagon.they dont see
  the differencesits all one group
• (former co-ordinator of N.Ireland C.A.R.E.
  unit)

9
Media depiction of sexual crimes

• These stereotypical images and indiscriminate use
  of labels generate and sustain negative, vengeful
  public attitudes.
• - News of the World name and shame campaign.
• - Subsequent vigilante activity in Portsmouth.

10
Legislative framework - USA

• Sexual offending is prominent in criminal justice
  agendas
• - tinged with a pessimism surrounding
  rehabilitative philosophies.
• United States has a history of increasingly
  punitive legislation
• three strikes and youre out law.
• civil commitment, mandatory registration and
  community notification.

11
Legislative framework - UK

• Developments mirrored in UK legislation
• - 1990s extended sentences, increased
  monitoring and surveillance of sex offenders in
  the community.
• - New Labours tough position on law and order
  has perpetuated the continuation of a populist
  punitive approach.
• punitive political rhetoric fuels public fear
  which consequently produces a greater demand for
  more action and a more punitive society
  (McAlinden, 2007 27).

12
Legislative framework

• Community notification has received widespread
  support in the United States (Levenson Cotter,
  2005).
• Calls for Sarahs law
• But, pressure to allow the public access to the
  sex offender registry and calls for community
  notification has been so far resisted.

13
Sex offenders perspectives

• Paucity of research
• What research has been conducted has explored.
• - sex offender registries community
  notification
• (Tewksbury Lees, 2007 Zevitz Farkas,
  2000)
• - identities as sex offenders (Hudson, 2005
  Meloy 2006)
• - motives for engaging in a sexual offence
  (Hartley, 2001)
• - early and adult interpersonal relationships
  (McCormack
• et al., 2002 Ward et al., 1997)
• - treatment experiences (Drapeau et al., 2004)
• - criminal justice system experiences (Meloy,
  2006).

14
Context of present work Media coverage of
Muckamore Abbey Hospital

• January 2007 delayed discharge of children and
  adults due to a lack of facilities in the
  community.
• Patients Trapped By Cash Shortfall
• (BBCNews, 17/1/07)
• Action Plan For 'Crisis' Hospital
• (BBCNews, 18/1/07)
• Alliance Critical Of Patient Care
• (BBCNews, 19/1/07)
• Hospital Plan 'Is Disappointing'
• (BBCNews, 31/1/07 )

15
Media coverage of Muckamore Abbey Hospital

• February 2007 some patients were involved in
  cases of sexual abuse between 1960 and 1962.
• Meeting Over Patient Abuse Claims
• (BBCNews, 16/2/07)
• Ex-Patients Quizzed On Claims Of Sex Abuse
• (Belfast Telegraph, 15/2/08)

16
Media coverage of Muckamore Abbey Hospital

• February 2007 close proximity of the hospitals
  forensic unit to the childrens ward.
• Concern Over Offender's Unit Site
• (BBCNews, 6/2/07)
• Sex Fiends Treated Just Yards From Kids
• (Belfast Telegraph, 6/2/07)
• Sex Offenders Being Housed With Children At
  Muckamore
• (Newsletter, 6/2/07)

17
Media coverage of Muckamore Abbey Hospital

• March 2007 ward closures and the re-housing of
  vulnerable patients, with patients who may pose a
  risk to their safety, due to staff shortages.
• Hospital Patients 'Put At Risk
• (BBCNews, 14/3/07)

18
Objectives

• Clinical response and risk management exercise
  to
• - ascertain patients responses to the media
  
• attention.
• - manage any traumatic reactions, possible
• apprehension about moving to the community,
  or
• de-escalate a possible situation.
• Idiographic, qualitative approach interviews.

19
(No Transcript)
20
Methodology Sample

• 11 participants.
• Aged 18-74 years.
• Detained and voluntary patients.
• Length of stay in hospital 6 months-21 years.
• Therapeutic work
• - 4 patients on ASOTP, 2 on ASOTP modules and
  one-to-one group work
• Offence related history
• - e.g., indecent exposure/assault, unlawful
  imprisonment, and murder.

21
Methodology Procedure

• Approved by hospital senior management.
• Conducted in the 10 days following the media
  coverage of forensic ward.
• Group invitation to participate.
• Informed consent statements.
• Participation was voluntary.

22
Methodology Procedure

• One-to-one, semi-structured interviews
• - patients thoughts and feelings about media
• - resultant consequences
• - possible impact on their future and goals
• - their self-perception
• - perceived importance of offence-related work
• - resultant impact on their motivation to
• - the most important message they would like to
  convey to the media and public.

23
Methodology Procedure

• Flexible nature of the discussions.
• Patients told they would receive an abridged
  report of the findings.
• Interview times 15-45 minutes.
• Possible conflict between the clinician-investigat
  or dual role.
• - Assistant psychologists to facilitate an open
  and candid discussion.

24
Methodology Analytic plan

• Audio-taped discussions transcribed verbatim.
• Common concepts and categories identified via
  thematic content analysis.
• Transcripts analysed separately (i.e.,
  negotiated approach, Garrison et al., 2006).
• Supplementary observational data gathered via a
  review of the ward communication book.

25
Findings

• Emergent themes
• - Labelling.
• - Practical issues.
• - Pressure and fear.
• - Self-efficacy.
• - Importance of offence-related work.
• - Need for management action

26
Labelling

• Theyre classing everybody in Sixmile as the
  sameas a child abuser
•  
• .theyre the outside community not seeing
  theres a person behind the offence

27
Pressure / Fear

• ..puts pressure on us when were out in the
  communitywere entitled to our privacy as well
• If they knew there were people getting out on
  home visits for the weekend, do you think the
  media would leave them alone? I dont think so.
• Im just worried
• .. Put cameras on outside the house watching
  where he goes who he meets up with that (puts)
  sex offenders under a lot of stress.

28
Practical Issues

• The media has actually got it all wrong. The
  residents do not meet up with kids the only time
  that you would see a kid is if youre going to
  work or if youre going to the tuck shopsome of
  them know you for years and years, if they say
  hello are you going to be pig ignorant? is that
  what the media wants?

29
Feelings about Self

• The media attention might affect me getting
  out, living outside. I want to put my past behind
  me, live a new life. I dont want this hanging
  over my head for years and years to come. I want
  to have a new life
• Suicide.really bad since the medias come out 
• My mood is very low.Im not happy

30
Importance of Offence related work

• Im not doing this course for the
  ConsultantIm doing it for mebecause I know I
  done wrong outside so that I will not offend
  again
•  
• It has made me face up to what Ive done and Im
  doing something about it
•  
• making sure my thoughts, my feelings, actions,
  and my emotions are all under controlknowing
  what the triggers areknow what the reasons were
  and recognise them

31
Need for management action

• It has made me face up to what Ive done and Im
  doing something about. Im on treatment for it
  and I wish that the media would come and see
  (the) people that theyve painted black.
• I hope that the management does act the
  interviews are not thrown in a cornerI hope
  its not lost and forgot about

32
Negative Behaviour

• Post hoc from ward records
• Period 1 month pre/ post media exposure
• 5 clusters
• - Withdrawal
• - Argumentative
• - Verbal aggression
• - Self-injurious behaviour
• - Inappropriate sexual behaviour

33
Incidence of Negative Behaviour

• Table 1 Incidence of Negative Behaviour in
  Period
• prior to and post Media Exposure

34
Conclusions

• Emotional Impact
• Impact on Motivation for Treatment
• Post-hoc observations on differences- Active
  treatment - Non-active treatment
• Post hoc review of negative behaviours

35
Implications

• Educational
• - Public
• - Media
• Advocacy
• Service development
• Community Notification

36
Limitations

• Methodological
• - Gender of researchers
• - Tape recordings
• Restricted sample

37
Further Research Questions

• Community Learning Disability sample
• Prison mainstream sample
• Con-current use of more structured risk
  monitoring tool e.g. DRAMS ( Lindsay Murphy,
  2004)

38
Contact for References

• Siobhan Keating, C. Psychol.
• Consultant Forensic Psychologist,
• Muckamore Abbey Hospital, Antrim, BT41 4SH.
• Siobhan.keating_at_belfasttrust.hscni.net
• Natacha Carragher
• University of Ulster
• Carragher-N_at_ulster.ac.uk