Getting the offender to payGetting the offender to pay

Donald FindlaterDonald Findlater

Director of Research and DevelopmentDirector of Research and Development

The Lucy Faithfull FoundationThe Lucy Faithfull Foundation

OutlineOutline

Overview of Lucy Faithfull Foundation (LFF) and Stop It Now! UK & Ireland

Information on our experience of working with Internet offenders and their families

Services developed for Internet offenders and their families by Stop It Now! and LFF

LFF Public Protection ServicesLFF Public Protection Services-High Risk Male Sex Offenders – case consultancy etc*

-Female Sex Offenders – assessment, co-work, support*

-SOPO applications

-“Putting the Public in Public Protection”

-Circles of Support and Accountability*

-Stop it Now! UK & Ireland – campaign/helpline*

-Internet offenders and Families – Inform and Inform+ also

www.croga.org

-Monitoring software for home computers plus related services

-* Provided by funding from Ministry of Justice

The Stop It Now! HelplineThe Stop It Now! Helpline

The Stop it Now! Helpline began operation in June 2002

We have had a total of 16,240 calls to the helpline (up until December 2009) and 7,866 new callers

Stop It Now!Stop It Now!` Targets: –

Adult abusers and potential abusers: to encourage them to recognise their behaviour as abusive and seek help to change.

Family and friends: to encourage them to recognise the signs of abusive behaviour in those close to them and to seek advice about what action to take.

Parents of young people with sexually worrying behaviour : to encourage them to recognise signs of abusive behaviour in their children and seek advice about what to do.

Internet related calls toInternet related calls to Stop it Now! Stop it Now!

Internet Related Calls Internet Related Calls Adults concerned about their own behaviour

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

2005* 2006 2007 2008 2009

Nu

mbe

r of

new

cal

lers

Concernedthat theirInternet usemay be out ofcontrol

Offended onthe Internet

Concernedabout theirowninappropriatethoughts aboutchildren

Offendedoffline

Common problems for internet Common problems for internet offenders and their familiesoffenders and their families

Bail timings (a few months to 2 years) – uncertainty and instability arising from this

Offender being asked to leave the family home

Offender losing job - financial implications

Losing the family home

Custody – partner left to manage family and disclose to others?

Media interest (impact on family, especially children)

Disclosure to children and extended family

Acknowledging and dealing with ongoing risk

Services for Internet OffendersServices for Internet Offenders

What is SECURUS?What is SECURUS?PC monitoring product that allows schools to

Identify:– Bullying or threatening behaviour– Visits to inappropriate internet sites– Cyber-slacking– Predator grooming– Signs of depression or suicide

Control PC use– Applications– Times– Users– groups

Web logs Block individual sites AUP display/acceptance

How does it work?How does it work?

Plug in and play appliance Monitors PCs for set key words/phrases (not key

logging) Saves a screen capture every time a violation occurs

How does it work?How does it work?

Monitors PCs for key words and phrases relating to:

– Bullying– Racism– Pornography– Predator Grooming– Drugs– Weapons– Hacking/Downloads– Gambling– Inappropriate Language/SMS– [Bespoke Words & Phrases]

Offender Monitoring using SecurusOffender Monitoring using Securus Pilots completed with Surrey and Hampshire

Police Surrey Police monitoring 30 RSOs, including

15 on SOPOs Cumbria & Hertfordshire Police purchased

hardware/software LFF monitoring 23 RSOs for Hampshire &

Sussex Police plus 4 for Probation/YOT LFF monitoring 33 individuals following arrest,

benefits – individual, partner/family, police and promotes accountability

Monthly charge £16 - £35

Experience & DevelopmentsExperience & Developments

Surrey Pilot – 3 “concerns” of 12 Hants Pilot – 2 re-offences of 15 Surrey/LFF anecdotal evidence Pilot with West Mercia Police and RIPA??

Hostels pilots Prisons/YOIs Libraries

INFORM +INFORM +

INFORM +INFORM +

“Education Programme” For those admitting accessing indecent images

of children on-line – must be arrested or convicted (police aware)

Pre-programme interview

10 X weekly sessions (2.5 hours each)

Up to 9 participants

Individuals pay to attend - £700/£150

Aims of Inform + Aims of Inform +

To provide information to aid understanding of internet offending and accessing indecent images of children

To encourage participants to explore their personal involvement with internet offending, in a supportive group setting

To consider practical and realistic methods of self-management/control

Inform+ programme contentInform+ programme contentSession 1 – Introduction/outline/contracting

Models of offending behaviour

Session 2 – Offending models cont’d

Session 3 – Fantasy in offending

Session 4/5 – Addiction/compulsion/habits &collecting behaviours

Session 6/7 –Relationships and social skills

Disclosure ……..

Inform+ contentInform+ content

Session 8 – Victim empathy

– What is it, when do we feel it and what stops us feeling it?

– How do I see children in the images– Victim empathy materials

– Homework

Inform + contentInform + content

Session 9 –Relapse prevention and lifestyle change

– What is Relapse prevention?– Risky behaviours/strategies for coping– Purpose and needs of internet use– Facing anxiety

– Homework

Inform + contentInform + content

Session 10 – Relapse prevention and lifestyle change– Meeting needs– The person you would like to be– Future contact– Feedback– Evaluation

Common themes arising from Common themes arising from INFORM + participantsINFORM + participants

Dominant theme: “If only I’d known the consequences…”

Regret – family impact, career, stigma

Self-control – experience of viewing as ‘addictive’

Fears – disclosures, reprisals, the future

Anger – self, the authorities, the Internet itself, ISPs, sense of disproportionality

Self-esteem – stigma, labels

Responding to the families of Internet offendersResponding to the families of Internet offenders

Frequently asked questions include:

• What kind of thing has my partner been looking at? • Was he ‘lured’ in?• Is he a paedophile?• Does my husband / partner represent a danger to our own

children?• Will police / children’s services take my children away from me? • Who needs to know? • How do I tell my children? • What is my legal position if I suspected/knew he offended and I

did not tell the police? • Is this my fault? How did I not know? • Why did he look at these images? • What is going to happen to him and our family? • Is it ok if I still love them?• Why am I being punished for something I did not do? • What should I do?!

Aims of INFORMAims of INFORMTo provide factual information about child pornography and the Internet

To provide the means by which participants can better understand the process of Internet offending

To examine risk associated with this behaviour

To look at practical strategies for establishing and maintaining a culture of safer Internet use in future

To provide a safe place for participants to discuss the impact on themselves and their families and make plans for their futures

INFORM group contentINFORM group contentSession 1 – Introductions; facts & myths; the

legal process; FAQs

Session 2 – The Internet and models to understand offending behaviour

Session 3 – Introduction to issues of risk; issues & concerns arising for group members following models of offending input; the continuum of denial; disclosure to others

INFORM group contentINFORM group contentSession 4 – Family impact issues; risk

management; moving forward; tools for safer Internet use in the future

After 2 week break:

Session 5 – Review of issues discussed on the programme; discussion of any outstanding issues; reflections on the course; endings and identification of future support

Themes arising within INFORM Themes arising within INFORM

Dominant theme: Why did he do it?

What to do about the relationship? View of relationship viability tends to fluctuate markedly during the life of the programme and beyond

Practicalities – impact issues for partner’s job; impact of Social Services involvement for children & wider family, financial, travel, etc…

Disclosure – Fears of reprisals, ‘guilty by association’, impact upon social contacts

Inform and Inform + story so Inform and Inform + story so far….far….

Started 2004, 324 Inform + participants 97 Inform participantsSurrey, Bristol, Birmingham….Sheffield…..Scotland January 2011, via Stop!

Scotland

Thanks for your attention

Leaflets!

Donald Findlater

Tel: 01372 847160 E-mail: dfindlater@lucyfaithfull.org.uk