§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what specialist facilities exist; and what is the total amount invested by his Department for the rehabilitation of perpetrators of sexual abuse of children for each of the years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. John Patten[holding answer 11 July 1989]: Perpetrators of sexual abuse against children, who receive a prison sentence, are normally identified early in the prison reception process as requiring psychiatric assessment. Where the diagnosis suggests that the offender's behaviour was the result of an underlying mental illness, specific treatment is provided for that illness. If the behaviour was secondary to an aspect of personality disorder, the inmate might be offered psychotherapy. group therapy, behaviour therapy or a combination of these. But the effectiveness of such treatment depends critically on the motivation of the offenders and on their willingness to participate. Those judged to be mentailly disordered receive treatment in special and other types of hospitals. Those under the supervision of the probation service will have available to them a variety of probation and multi-agency facilities. Some probation services have developed or are developing specialist skills in the supervision of sex offenders. The objective of probation service work with offenders, including sex offenders, is to reduce their offending behaviour by making them face up to the consequences of that behaviour, and by helping them to tackle the problems underlying it. No separate figures are kept of resources devoted by prison service establishments or by area probation services to work with those found guilty of sexual offences against children.