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Originally Posted by Pie
Kit, I got no source. If you've taken Abnormal Psych (cool name) you're way ahead of me. I'm just quoting the prevailing wisdom, a la foot3.
So, what does the AP book say about pedophiles and their treatment?
-Pie
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That's okay, because I don't officially have a source on hand, either. (I sold the book back.) :p I shouldn't have, either, because the whole book was wonderfully interesting. Oh, the disorders and cased studies discussed in "infamous chapter 9" (sexual disorders, fetishes, etc) gave me a peek into a very, very different world.
I remember the rehab rate was actually pretty high, but I don't remember what the actualy percentage was. Well over 50%, I'm certain. Drugs in previous trials were ineffective, however, but certain cognitive-behavioral programs that involved something akin to "sexual reconditioning" were effective that resulted in no returns to disruptive thoughts or actions after years of followup. Dr. Fred Berlin wrote an interesting article that stated that pedophilia is very treatable and that the medical community should give the treatment options more attention and help make people aware.
Anyways, the argument... a graphic representation that hurts no one does just that: hurts no one. You can't get the thought police involved and into people's heads, only the physical actions of a person hold legal ground for action. Do we ban books about serial killers? Do we ban movies about terrorism? What of media that glorifies criminals? Should we make illegal anything that is a graphical representation of something illegal? Fantasies are just that and people need to seek help if they find their desires interfering with their lives and emotions. Forced treatment and arrest only come with threats and actions.
There are many violent, harmful, dangerous, and potentially illegal sexual desires that people have besides pedophilia. There is plenty of pornograpy, legally questionable and not, that caters to those fetishes. Locking everyone up that has a fantasy concerning forced sex, mutilation, violence, etc, etc, would push the system to the limits and solve nothing. Society needs to be concerned with those who show true warning signs, not the millions that write, create, distribute, or consume the questional materials and never physically act on their fantasies.