Indiana sex offenders get required treatment

MUNSTER, Ind. — A new state law that requires convicted sex offenders to attend group therapy and other treatment or risk losing their right to early prison releases is winning early adoption by its target audience.\nThe new law, which took effect July 1, affects some 3,500 adult males in the Indiana Department of Correction, 125 juvenile males, 45 adult females and two juvenile females, said William Elliott, director of mental health for the agency.\nOf the more than 600 adult men instructed to join treatment so far, only seven have refused, Elliott told The Times of Munster for a story Monday. Those seven will not be eligible to earn an early release and walk out of prison after serving just half of their sentence.\nThe sex offender treatment involves a combination of group therapy and classroom instruction, on topics including sexual deviance, relapse prevention, anger management and healthy sexuality, Elliott said. Inmates will be required to complete between 60 and 160 hours of treatment based on their level of risk.\nElliott said denial and/or fear of stigma could be at play among noncompliant inmates. There also are some inmates who just refuse to take part in anything while behind bars, he said.\nThe new law states convicted sex offenders can be deprived of credit time if they refuse to participate in the treatment. The DOC typically awards one day credit for each day served unless the inmate creates disciplinary problems.\nThe DOC is grouping all of its incarcerated sex offenders at a few prisons to make it easier for the agency to implement the new law, Elliott said.