Understanding and Evaluating the Role of Elders and Traditional Healing in Sex Offender Treatment For Aboriginal Offenders

Source: (1998) Aboriginal Peoples Collection. Aboriginal Corrections Unit. Ottawa: Solicitor General Canada.

According to the authors of this report, there has been increased attention in recent years within Correctional Service Canada (CSC) on how best to deliver programming for Aboriginal men convicted of sexual offenses. In response, many programs have been developed to provide a traditional Aboriginal approach to healing with a contemporary cognitive-behavioral approach to sex offender treatment. The authors acknowledge that the involvement of elders and the inclusion of traditional healing is a positive move. Yet, they assert, there is a need to understand better the role played by these service providers and traditional healing. This study then was undertaken to enhance understanding of the role and relevance of traditional healing, the perception of traditional healing programs by offenders, and the impact of traditional healing on risk management issues. After a section on the research methodology, the report covers the following results from the research: elders’ attitudes; the role of the elder; the working relationship between elders and therapists; traditional approaches to treatment of sex offenders; strengths and challenges of traditional healing in sex offender programs; and recommendations for future program development.