Have you ever interviewed Matt Howard of the Butler Bulldogs? Furthermore, do you find interviews with people that have Matt Howard type mustaches to be shorter than people that don't look like rapists?
Can you elaborate on this, please? When you say "politics," does that include law enforcement officers? I'm no shrink, but I do think that Freud would have a lot to say about cops.
Can you elaborate on this, please? When you say "politics," does that include law enforcement officers? I'm no shrink, but I do think that Freud would have a lot to say about cops. You and I have already been through this through PM. And I won't say that no cops have antisocial tendencies and they're all great people because it would be a false generalization.
Thank you again for doing this, I'm finding it interesting. I've got a few questions. How do keep from going across the table for a throat? Is your anger something that you have to worry about when you talk to these humans? I know (theoretically) that your job needs doing, but aren't some of these humans so fucking broken that nothing will help them? Just your opinion for that last one.
How often do you encounter "normal" people? Or even charming (Hannibal is popping into my head)? As in who seem like your average person without major issues...except for that pesky criminal record. Like someone you'd grab a beer with. Do you find this more or less unnerving than the people whose psychosis is readily apparent?
How do keep from going across the table for a throat? Is your anger something that you have to worry about when you talk to these humans? I know (theoretically) that your job needs doing, but aren't some of these humans so fucking broken that nothing will help them? Just your opinion for that last one. Sheer willpower. If you put a plate of freshly baked cookies in front of me, I can't stay away for longer than a few minutes. If you have a man telling me "I don't have to answer any of this shit because my lawyer says it's prejudicial" for some reason, I can keep a straight face and keep my temper in check. However, my boss has been known to go after some of the guys, one of which was so stunned he kind of dropped his tough guy attitude and opened up a little. I believe she said "Are you always this rude to people? Because you know, Pink and I are not impressed." Yes. There are some psychopathic folks that are beyond help. It's tough to see but even tougher to fathom that they're out in public. But if they're so far gone that they're beyond saving, they need a close eye on them. That's where we come in. Someone that is broken, lost, whatever, will score high on both assessment tools and his parole officer will be informed by us that he's someone that must be kept in a very structured environment with a lot of supervision. How often do you encounter "normal" people? Or even charming (Hannibal is popping into my head)? As in who seem like your average person without major issues...except for that pesky criminal record. Like someone you'd grab a beer with. Do you find this more or less unnerving than the people whose psychosis is readily apparent? Oh, it is absolutely unnerving to come across the glib men with no empathy and full of superficial charm. Due to a PO's request in the drug unit we interviewed a level I offender last week. His crime wasn't too bad per se (slept with a 16 year old girl when he was 20) but his file was at least two inches thick. He came across as personable and even amusing during the interview, answering every question, cracking jokes. Something in my mind kept thinking that this guy just wasn't right. I finally had a chance to sit down and look through every single page in his file and it was just a morass of domestic violence convictions, prison letters to his ex-fiancee that were both pornographic and angrily manipulative (one letter went into how he was dying to fuck her in graphic terms...and then he ended it with telling her he doesn't have to prove a motherfucking thing to her if she started ranting about the "other females" that came to see him in prison) and most disturbingly, psychological records that pointed right toward a very clear diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. I remember feeling chilled at the realization that any woman could fall for that charming sweet persona and not know how quickly she was enveloped into quicksand. Sadly, I come across a few of these guys every month.
Holy shit! How busy are you, how many interviews a day? How long do the interviews run? What kind of training do you need to do this job? I know that I couldn't do your job. Thanks again.
Holy shit! How busy are you, how many interviews a day? How long do the interviews run? What kind of training do you need to do this job? I know that I couldn't do your job. Thanks again. We have two spaces open five days a week. Some days we'll be booked both times, other days we'll have nothing to do except play catch-up. The interviews can be as short as an hour and as long as three hours. On Friday we had a 2PM appointment and I had to practically sprint a mile to get to the ferry by 5:30. Let's just say the person we interviewed was..."special." To be a PO in this state, all that's required is a BA. I have a BA in criminal justice and some graduate credits in offender profiling. As much as I enjoy my work (if you can call it "enjoyment") I don't think I want to do this forever. I've looked into victim advocacy as a career but I don't have the right degree nor the needed training. It's been suggested to me that I look into that as a possible career since it has a tendency to go hand in hand with what I do now.
Uhmmm.... really? What, exactly, does this mean? If 15 days is bad, what does 20+ years of this behaviour mean? (Hypothetically speaking, of course) Also, have you ever had a problem with one of your "clients" becoming fixated on you, and causing you problems out of your professional time together? Are there precautions that are taken for this kind of thing? For some reason, a bad Hollywood plot springs to mind when I hear of people with this kind of job.
Uhmmm.... really? What, exactly, does this mean? If 15 days is bad, what does 20+ years of this behaviour mean? (Hypothetically speaking, of course) Also, have you ever had a problem with one of your "clients" becoming fixated on you, and causing you problems out of your professional time together? Are there precautions that are taken for this kind of thing? For some reason, a bad Hollywood plot springs to mind when I hear of people with this kind of job. It means you're sexually preoccupied, my dear. Ahem, I mean, in hypothetical terms, of course. But, since you're not out raping women and children (I hope), you're just a horny bastard. It's a bad sign if someone that uses sexual activity for a deviant purpose to be sexually preoccupied like that because it means they're far along on their offense cycle. Once frequent masturbation and fantasies set in, it's only a matter of time before the fantasy wanes and the offender wants the real thing. I have not personally had a problem, but there was someone that my boss was warned to be in the room when I interviewed him since he likes to grossly and shamelessly ogle women. There was also a guy that kept wanting to "pimp out" his past PO. He was violated for harassing his PO, sent to jail for 6 months and now is required to report to a different field office where his current PO is a male. Last I heard, his fixation has moved on to some hapless female he met on the street.
From what I can gather, the age of consent in your country is 18? As far as I'm aware, here in the UK it is 16 which means an 18 year old can have sexual relations with his/her 16 year old partner. In the US that would be illegal and so I presume you would have to deal with such people? Do you think an 18 year old having sex with a 16 year old is morally wrong? If not, how do you justify your taking part in criminalising what could very well be a healthy teenage relationship?
From what I can gather, the age of consent in your country is 18? As far as I'm aware, here in the UK it is 16 which means an 18 year old can have sexual relations with his/her 16 year old partner. In the US that would be illegal and so I presume you would have to deal with such people? Do you think an 18 year old having sex with a 16 year old is morally wrong? If not, how do you justify your taking part in criminalising what could very well be a healthy teenage relationship? Eighteen is when they're considered an adult. An 18 year old and a 16 year old in my state wouldn't get into any trouble because they're not three years apart. If he was 19, that would be a different story. I don't really understand it, I just know three years if he/she's underage is the limit. Yes, I have dealt with people that have slept with 16 year olds when they were 19 or 20. Whoa there, partner. I have no part in writing consent laws. So, I play no part in how the law is made or enforced. It doesn't matter whether or not I think it's morally wrong, just like it doesn't matter if the PO's in the drug unit think it's ridiculous that marijuana is still criminalized. It's illegal and that's that. That being said while I step off my little soapbox, I don't have much of a problem with an 18 or 19 year old kid sleeping with a 16 year old. For some reason, I start to have a problem if their ages are more than three years apart. Probably because I want to know what the hell a junior in college is doing with a junior in high school.
Ok, you just called out most of the people on this board, including some females. By your definition, many young people are on the road to becoming sex offenders. I understand that many of the people that you see have a problem controlling their sexual urges, otherwise they wouldn't have been caught doing things with minors or raping people. How do you draw the line between someon who masturbates a lot and someone who is a potential sexual predator (assuming that they haven't done anything to violate the law)? Since you are baring your soul, how often do you and Mr. Pink have sex? I'm just asking so the rest of us get some kind of idea what a "normal" amount of sexual activity is.
Ok, you just called out most of the people on this board, including some females. By your definition, many young people are on the road to becoming sex offenders. I understand that many of the people that you see have a problem controlling their sexual urges, otherwise they wouldn't have been caught doing things with minors or raping people. How do you draw the line between someon who masturbates a lot and someone who is a potential sexual predator (assuming that they haven't done anything to violate the law)? Sigh. You didn't read the previous sentence, which said if someone uses sexual activity as a deviant tool it's a very bad sign if they're becoming sexually preoccupied. Someone on here jacks it frequently and creates a fantasy of getting a hot girl into bed can go out and do this if they're so inclined, am I right? If someone has no control over their sexual demons and is actively fantasizing about kidnapping a woman to sexually torture is going to eventually tire of this type of self gratification and go out and do it. These are men with no impulse control and nothing empathy-wise holding them back once they've reached a point that a fantasy isn't enough. I draw the line by saying "hey, masturbate a lot and don't rape women/molest children? You're a horny bastard" vs "hey, masturbate a lot and enjoy raping women and molesting children? You're a predator." I don't think I can break it down any simpler. Um...why is that relevant, how often my husband and I go at it? What I consider "normal" the next person could consider "too often" or "not often enough." As far as I know, there is no "tool" to predict possible future bad behavior. I mean, christ, how on earth am I supposed to gauge how much someone masturbates and their capacity for sociopathic sexual behavior if they haven't broken the law? Nobody can do this.
How much of a role does pornography have in the lives of your offenders? Since carrying fantasy over into reality seems to be a problem, what issues arise with these criminals and porno? Is there an amount (or type) that draws up red flags? Again, we'd all fail that. Can they be restricted from looking at it?
How much of a role does pornography have in the lives of your offenders? Since carrying fantasy over into reality seems to be a problem, what issues arise with these criminals and porno? Is there an amount (or type) that draws up red flags? Again, we'd all fail that. Can they be restricted from looking at it? It can vary between each offender. Some men can form an image in their own head and enhance it with their own thoughts with no help from pornography. Others use porn as a tool to formulate what they like or to sexualize children or objectify women. The main issue with these men is eventually, their minds blur the difference between what's on screen and what's real; that women and children are simply objects to be used for sexual desire. In our unit, any pornography viewing is a red flag, simply due to the lack of impulse control and inability to grasp what's portrayed in a movie verses how the real world works. They are all banned from viewing any kind of pornography. However, this can be tricky because we have an offender that has a fetish for women's underwear. His porn is a Victoria's Secret catalog. His PO actually had to put that he could not possess or view any lingerie mags. If he gets one in the mail, he must immediately throw it out, disclose what happened to his PO and come clean in a polygraph. I have no problem with porn, hell, I watch it and enjoy it. But I like to put it in the same category as guns and religion: perfectly fine until it falls into the wrong hands.
Disclaimer: I'm not arguing for or against this, just asking for your opinion. What do you think of the studies linking the increased availability of pornography to a decrease in sexual crimes? For example, the one in this article: http://trueslant.com/ryansager/2010/03/12/is-porn-good-for-us/
What do you think of the studies linking the increased availability of pornography to a decrease in sexual crimes? That was a very interesting article. Of course, in all of my crime classes it has never been pointed out to me that the reason rape stats declined is because of the advent of accessable pornography. But I find that correlation to be very interesting. I did a little Google research and came up with an article from the Washington Post from 2006. I don't think this is the place to be getting my crime stats but it had opinions that kind of go with what I've been told about rape: it's a crime that's severely underreported. The WA Post article comes to the conclusion that perhaps the rapes haven't decreased but it seems like they have because fewer women are reporting them. Fact is, nobody knows if porn will be the match that starts an eventual explosion with an offender. But I am pretty sure the DOC errs on the side of caution because of the unknown risk. So, everybody gets the no-no on watching naked ladies (or men, if that's their thing). Here's the article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/18/AR2006061800610.html