Mindfulness Meditation: A New Approach to Working with Sexual Offenders

Negative affect and emotions such as anger and anxiety, are risk factors related to sexual offending (Howells, Day, & Wright, 2004; Serran & Marshall, 2006). Consequently, most sexual offender treatment programs teach offenders how to cope with situations that produce negative emotionality (Pithers et al., 1989; Marshall, Marshall, Serran, 2006). A review of mindfulness meditation, a positive therapeutic approach, has demonstrated utility in improving emotional management skills (Baer, 2003), however meditation has yet to be considered as a treatment for sexual offenders. The present study is a pilot attempt at exploring the feasibility of using meditation in working with sexual offenders. Results show that participants were receptive to meditation, thought it may be beneficial, and were able to concentrate and relax during an experiential session. The potential benefits of mindfulness for improving emotional management in sexual offenders will be discussed and directions for future research will be explored.MAS