Date of Conferral
2020
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Brandy Benson
Abstract
Intellectually disabled sex offenders (IDSOs) is a unique group of individuals who experience efforts that simultaneously attempt to integrate them into the community due to their intellectual disability (ID) diagnosis and are shunned due to their label as a sex offender. The present study contributed to the current literature by exploring the public attitudes towards IDSOs regarding dangerousness, criminal responsibility, and treatment efficacy. Using the lens of attribution theory, qualitative methods were used to explore these ideas through phenomenological design. Eight participants were interviewed, and data analyzed through coding and themes. Five themes were identified to include (a) dangerousness; (b) criminal responsibility, (c) treatment options, (d) proximity, and (e) motivation. The findings highlighted the complexity of public attitudes towards IDSOs and how opinion differs when the ID diagnosis is removed. Results may be used law enforcement and communities for positive social change regarding public policy, treatment providers, and care givers.
Recommended Citation
Westphal, Allison Elizabeth, "Attitudes Towards Intellectually Disabled Sex Offenders Regarding Treatment Efficacy, Responsibility, and Dangerousness" (2020). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 9677.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/9677
