Experts back radical plan for sex offenders

THERAPISTS have backed a controversial plan to cut prison time for sex offenders who take part in treatment programmes - despite admitting offenders will only enrol for selfish reasons.

Senior psychologist Olive Travers, who set up the pioneering Cosc programme for offenders in the community in the Health Service Executive North West Region, said most of the men who took part initially did so to try to get themselves out of trouble rather than out of a sense of wrongdoing. But ultimately they saw the error of their ways.

“It’s usually very self-serving when they come in the door. They rarely come in and say I have a genuine understanding that I did wrong. But what’s important is getting them in through the door.”