Robin Wilson (psychologist)

Robin J. Wilson

Robin J. Wilson in 2012
Nationality Canadian
Education B.Sc. (1988), M.Ed. (1991), PhD (1996)
Alma mater University of Toronto
Occupation Psychologist
Website http://www.robinjwilson.com/about.shtml

Robin J. Wilson is a Canadian psychologist, specializing in work on sex offenders.

Biography

Wilson received his B.Sc. from Victoria College of the University of Toronto (1988) and his M.Ed. and Ph.D. in educational psychology from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (1991, 1996).[1] He served as chief psychologist for the Community of the Ontario Region, at the Keele Centre in Toronto[2] and has worked with sex offenders for over 25 years.[3]

Work

Wilson is one of the pioneers of Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA),[4] He is president of the Florida Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers and is on the board of directors of the national Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers. He is an assistant clinical professor [adjunct], Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario) and a professor of forensic practice at the Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning (Toronto, Ontario).[1] He is editor of the ATSA Forum and the SAJRT Blogspot, the official blog of Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment.[5] He serves on the editorial boards of the Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, the Journal of Sexual Aggression, and Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment.

Wilson was one of the developers and remains associated with the Circles of Support and Accountability,[4] a method of treating sex offenders that has been associated with a 70% drop in rates of reoffending,[6] and is now being adopted in jurisdictions throughout the world.[7]

Views

Wilson is a vocal critic of American sex offender registry policies. He opined that sex offender registries are more public relations tools than crime-fighting tools and that resources would be better spent on prevention and treatment.[8] Moreover, he said that by public policies becoming increasingly punitive, families may become less likely to report cases of sexual abuse occurring within families.[9] During discussions of changes to Canadian models of sex offender treatment, Wilson told the National Post that Canada had been the envy of the world in its methods for 15–20 years and that the U.S. should consider using the Canadian models instead of Canada attempting to use U.S. models.[6]

In 2003, Wilson told CBC News that approximately 15% of sex offenders repeat their crimes,[2] rather than having very high rates of recidivism. He similarly challenges the exaggerated fear of strangers as the most likely perpetrators of sex offences. "The stats are really, really clear ... If you are going to be offended by anyone, it will be by someone you know, most likely in your own home."[8]

During the fall-out of the Jerry Sandusky case, Wilson noted that there can be subtle clues that a person is a pedophile, such as having little interest in sex with their wives,[3] such as Sandusky's wife reported.

References

  1. 1 2 Robin J. Wilson website
  2. 1 2 "Sex offender to be kept under wraps, says psychologist". CBC News. 10 July 2003.
  3. 1 2 Bennett, Jessica (4 December 2011). "The Wives of Sex Offenders: Was Dottie Sandusky Complicit?". Newsweek.
  4. 1 2 Peters, Olga (1 June 2011). "Returning to the community, safely". TheCommonsOnline.
  5. ↑ SAJRT Blogspot
  6. 1 2 Blackwell, Tom (3 November 2011). "Sex abuse researchers tout rehab, not prison". National Post.
  7. ↑ Wilson, Robin J. (19 April 2007). "Circles of Support and Accountability: Reducing the threat from sex offenders in the community. How to reduce the risk sex offenders present to the community on release from prison?". Community Care.
  8. 1 2 Friscolanti, Michael (14 February 2008). "Canada's sex offender registry a national embarrassment". Macleans.
  9. ↑ Lauby, Adrienne (12 July 2011). San Francisco Public Radio Station KPFA http://www.pushinglimits.i941.net/audio/2011.07.12robinwilson.sex.offender.treatment.wav. Missing or empty |title= (help)

Selected works

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