Thousands of sexual offenders have gone through evaluation and assessment by professionals involved with mental health in a bid to determine if the offenders are fit to get released back into society. Among these, 2500 are sexually violent predators and have been committed ( ). Examples of states with statutes for detaining sexual offenders to protect the public include Texas, California and Virginia. Even though the assessment of sexual offenders help mental health professional to determine their mental health, establishing the relationship between mental abnormality and behavioural control is a challenge.
The commitment laws regarding sexual, violent predators follow four elements. Sexual offences history, the mental status of the offender, volitional impairment and whether the offender is likely to get involved in sexual violence acts again. These guidelines got issued by the supreme court of the United States in 1997 ( ). The offender requires to have mental abnormality to get subjected to the commitment laws. Although the states guide the professional assessing the mental health and behaviour of the sex offenders, the guidelines differ from state to state.
In the evaluation of the mental abnormality, the offenders get commonly diagnosed with either paraphilia or pedophilia. Breakthrough from forensic assessments has enabled the explanations of the relationship between certain variables and sexual recidivism. Specific orbitofrontal abnormalities have gotten linked to personality disorders, unusual sexual traits and also poor impulse controls ( ). The collected empirical evidence has played a crucial role in influencing public policy.
In conclusion, Even though the assessment of sexual offenders help mental health professional to determine their mental health, establishing the relationship between mental abnormality and behavioural control is a challenge. However, the results from the research conducted provides significant help to other researchers and policymakers in influencing better judgments in laws related to forensic settings.
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