9

PREVENTION

One of the most exciting developments over the past decade is the increase in support for the idea of preventing sexual offending, in addition to responding when sexual offenses have taken place, in the form of treatment, supervision, or incapacitation. This call for prevention is in keeping with suggestions to view sexual exploitation and abuse as public health concerns, given their associations with mental and physical health problems and broad social impact. It is also in keeping with the recognition that many sectors and disciplines can contribute to prevention, in contrast to a narrower focus on the provision of treatment by clinical providers or supervision by criminal justice officials.

DUNKELFELD

Compared with what we now know about treatment of individuals who have sexually offended and who have been detected by the criminal justice system, much less is known about treatment for undetected offenders or for nonoffending persons with pedophilia. Since the first edition of this book, the most exciting changes have been in the emergence of the Dunkelfeld (“dark field” in German, referring to undetected sexual offending) prevention approach from Germany, a confidential outpatient service for self-identified pedophilic and hebephilic individuals who are concerned about their sexual attraction to children. Originally offered in Berlin, the Dunkelfeld program is now available in multiple cities across Germany (see Figure 9.1 ).