How can an understanding of neurpsychology help in the assessment and treatment of individuals who have committed sexual offences?

Anthony Beech

As Mokros (2022) observes, "There is an accumulating basis of knowledge showing that risk factors for sexual offending such as sexual deviance, antisociality, psychopathy, and problems of self-regulation are associated with peculiarities in brain structure or functioning." But where do these risk factors originate? This presentation, incorporating ideas from the rapidly advancing field of neuroscience, aims to explore this question by drawing on what we know about the histories of individuals who commit crime. It is argued that a better understanding of the causes and mechanisms of criminality (especially sexual offending) can inform and enhance both risk assessment current treatment approaches.

Anthony Beech, D.Phil, FBPsS was the Head of the Centre for Applied Psychology at the University of Birmingham, UK, running and developing doctoral programmes in forensic, and forensic-clinical, psychology. He has an extensive research background in criminological psychology (evaluating treatments, developing risk measures and so forth, for those who have committed sexual offences) and forensic neuroscience. He has authored over 270+ articles/book chapters and 13 books in these areas. He has been the recipient of the Senior Award from the British Psychological Society for a significant lifetime contribution to Forensic Psychology, and is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He is a past Associate Editor of Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment. He currently holds honorary professorial positions at UCLan Cyprus, the University of Kent, and Birmingham City University UK.