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full screenJohanna Lätth is a specialist forensic psychologist and the Norwegian Prison Service’s expert on sexual crime issues. Photo: Marcus Gustafsson/Karolinska Institutet/TT
The rape suspicions against the Nytorgsmannen have sparked debate about repeat offenders.
Convicted sex offenders, including high-risk individuals, reoffend less often than others, according to the Correctional Service.
– Treatment programs are a key, says specialist psychologist Johanna Lätth.
All inmates at the Correctional Service are risk-assessed to determine which ones should be focused on in order to reduce the risk of recidivism.
Johanna Lätth, specialist forensic psychologist and the Norwegian Prison and Probation Service’s expert in sexual crime issues, describes the agency’s treatment program as a key in the recidivism prevention work.
– It’s about working with structured behaviour-oriented psychological treatment of what we know are risk factors for relapse, she says.
The combination of risk factors – such as previous convictions, impulsivity, permissive attitudes towards sexual violence, lack of intimate and stable adult relationships, paraphilias or hypersexuality – looks different.
– The more factors, the greater the risk of relapse. We try to equip our clients to reduce that risk. Often there are specific high-risk situations for each individual where we work on how not to end up there and, if you do, how to get out of there without committing a crime.
Fewer relapses
The Nytorg man reportedly refused treatment during his time locked up. According to Lätth, however, the completion rate for sexual offender programs is comparatively high, around 85 percent.
But how likely is it that a serial rapist can be reintegrated into society? Johanna Lätth does not want to comment on individual cases, but points to recidivism statistics.
The correctional service’s follow-ups show that 32 percent of inmates are convicted of crimes within three years of release. The corresponding figure among sex offenders is nine percent, of which two percent are convicted of sex crimes.
– This is a group that comes back clearly less often, including high-risk individuals.
– At the same time, it goes without saying that different types of recidivism have different types of consequences. Although it is a low figure, it has a very high value to prevent every sexual crime given the serious consequences for the victim.
“Counterproductive”
Sex offenders rarely arouse the disgust of other people. Dealing with them, says Lätth, is a particularly challenging task for society.
– We must never accept this crime. But if you just distance yourself and exclude, I think it will be counterproductive. Instability in the living situation is a risk factor for relapse. So you also have to think about how to take care of these individuals – with the aim of preventing crime.
THE FACTS The court man
The Nytorg man was released on parole in March this year. The 37-year-old serial rapist had then served two-thirds of his five-year prison sentence for a long series of rapes and sexual assaults committed in his apartment at Nytorget in Stockholm. This despite repeated mismanagement and the fact that the Probation Service assessed the risk of recidivism as high.
He was arrested again on Tuesday and was detained on Friday on probable cause on suspicion of a new rape which is said to have been committed in his current home in Skåne.
The plaintiff is a young woman, according to the prosecutor who did not want to specify her age.
Read moreFACTNational helpline
Preventell is a national helpline for people who feel that they have lost control of their sexuality and feel worried about their thoughts and actions or that they will commit sexual crimes.
Conversations take place anonymously with people with extensive experience of similar issues who can provide support and advice and help those who want to continue with treatment.
Relatives or people who have questions about sexual problem behavior are also welcome to call.
Telephone hours are weekdays between 12 noon and 3 p.m. The line is open for messages 24 hours a day, all year round. Preventell calls the following weekday from a hidden number.
The helpline is run by the Anova reception at Karolinska University Hospital.
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