Shortly after I met serial killer Rodney Alcala, he invited me over to see his photography. At the time he was living with his parents even though he was 35. Upon entering the home, he introduced me to his mother who was visibly angry with him for inviting me over. Looking back now I can guess this was because he had been convicted twice of violent crimes against young girls.
I do not blame the Alcala family for the behavior of Rodney or for not telling me to get away from him. I only bring up this story to highlight the fact that when offenders are released from prison they become a problem for their families.
A person getting out of prison has no place to go, no home, no money and no job. It is only natural they turn to their families. It would take a pretty cold-hearted or perhaps enlightened family to refuse to help.
Criminologists consider family resources to be a buffer against recidivism. Although I have not thoroughly researched this field, I haven’t seen proof that families really prevent re-offense vs. Re-arrest. One authoritative web site says this:
Family-focused programs in community corrections are based on the recognition that families provide an informal agent of control that are more powerful than formal agents of control (probation, parole, law enforcement) for offenders under supervision in the community.
Now if you read that and understood the above quote you are laughing with me. While families may have a positive influence on offenders who are not disordered, to say that families have any power to stop a sociopath/psychopath is ridiculous.
I would like to see violent offenders evaluated for the presence of psychopathy. The reason is that many people especially the offender’s family members take the attitude “They served their time, give them a chance to do better.” In many cases offending is more reflective of a situation than an individual’s personality per se. But if a person goes out looking for prey, finds an innocent victim, lures them and then assaults them, we can’t chalk that up to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
In the case of predation, assuming the person was not falsely accused/convicted, the crime has to reflect a personality disposition.
We should not be releasing psychopathic offenders (as defined by the PCL-R) to the care of untrained family members who haven’t the slightest idea what to do. In this case rather than the family serving as an “informal agent of control”, the family home serves as a secure base from which the offender can launch attacks upon the community.
For more on families as resources for offenders see the Center for Evidence Based Practice
Oh God, yes.
Shades of Chrissy’s dad. Chrissy is my former teenage mentee. The one who dropped out of high school, all the while telling me she was actually graduating.
Ironically, Chrissy and her brother were taken out of their parents’ home and put into foster care when their father, the psychopath who held another family hostage at gunpoint, went to jail. So he was pretty much out of the picture during that time, and her mom could have kept the kids together.
Then, when the P was released, they were all allowed to go back home.
Now what the hell . . . ?
Now the P has had a good nine years to tell his daughter she’s too stupid to go to college, steal her stuff, physically attack her, look the other way when the brother has a questionable and possibly incestuous relationship with her, and generally make the whole female half of the family his work-slaves. I guess Chrissy had to drop out to take a full-time job at the drugstore to “support her family” — the do-nothing dad and brother. Soon she will inherit her mother’s physical-labor job, when her mother is too disabled to do it anymore. And she will marry whom her family tells her to marry, have children, and those children will support her.
All because her father “came home.”
Oxy, yes I agree, the sp tendencies can be polished up in the affluent and we have white collar crime. In the less fortunate, they become blue collar criminals etc.
I am one who has been left with very little from a long marriage…I am not destitute (despite his promise to “kick me to the curb”) but am able to make it off child support.
I AM putting the pieces back together and determined to somehow educate others. One big obstacle, is his continuing public insistence that I am the one with the problems, labeling me as “crazy, difficult” etc.
Dear Flower, the “smear campaign” is part of what THEY DO! It is to discredit you and it hurts at first, but it is also NOT personal,that seems strange to say that because he is picking you to do it to, but the thing is, it is the fact that you are not his property any more, doesn’t matter who you were or are, he has to discredit the person who is not his slave/property any more.
Gem, Yes I saw the blog about that guy! Good enough for him! I had a doc appt today so had to take off this morning before I could have time to answer every post. Gosh there is so much going on, and so many old friends coming back to visit! Great to see everyone again!
I wish I was rich, Gem, I would go hire an attorney for that poor woman. All I can do is to pray for her but I will do that! There but for the Grace of God, Gem go we–you and I! (((hugs)))))
Dear Sister, it is disheartening isn’t it? You don’t need a crystal ball to read the future in these cases.
Pathetic…..
“Families of Sociopaths Need Help When Incarceration Is Over”. The sad fact is, the incarceration is never over. When the S is out on the outside, the family is captive to S and his wants, needs, antics, terrorism, manipulation, lying, rage, addictions…the list is endless.
The family of an S gets no help while S lives with them. They get out of jail when the S gets sent to jail, where S can continue his torture of them from afar. If they are smart, they take advantage of their S’s incarceration and don’t have anything to do with him. My S-ex’s family did this. When I first met him somebody told me “I never understood why when S was incarcerated, S’s family, to a man, turned their backs on him.” I hurt for S when I heard this. By the end of my relationship with S-ex I understood why they cut off contact with him. It was their first chance to actually regroup and maybe begin to heal for the first time in the 37 years S had been gracing the face of this earth.
S’s family, to their credit, kept him at bay after S was released. When he was sent to a homeless shelter the day he was released none of them volunteered to take him in even though they lived within a stone’s throw of NYC. They didn’t give him any money. Nothing.
Oh, they dealt with him when they had to — like holidays. But, as they soon relearned, things went missing when S came calling. Like for example, his father’s gold Rolex watch. So, S’s claims that he had “seen the light” and “had reformed” notwithstanding, they had seen te light and weren’t buying any of it.
I guess my bottom line regarding this article is that the families of Ss need help way before the S goes to prison. They need help starting the day their S’s personality disorder comes to light. Unfortunately, our society doesn’t offer that help, before, during or after an S’s incarceration. And unlike an S who knows when his sentence is up, the family of an S serves a life sentence without parole.
Not much I can do about it….more than I already am, protection wise……
Erin,
Read matt’s post adn wait until he goes to jail.
Then, slam him!
Matt, you are so right on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Silver
I guess I just need to remain vigilant and keep in mind…..99% of what we worry about never comes to fruition.
Tonight….I’m scared!
NICE…..
I am beginning to feel better……