'Quality of life' as perceived by sex offenders on early release in a halfway house: implications for treatment

A major function of the helping professions is to promote quality of life (QOL) for all people. Since this concept is commonly embodied in ethics codes within the various human services, it can be easy for professionals to assume that clients share the same perceptions of our function, However, when working with offenders, this assumption, along with the QOL concept, may have unique ramifications to the therapeutic process. The purpose of this study was to explore QOL perceptions of offenders and subsequent therapeutic implications. Participants were 23 sex offenders who were released from jail or prison to attend treatment at a community correctional center. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to assess offenders' QOL perceptions, and findings are discussed in relation to efforts to improve offender rehabilitation. KEYWORDS Offender rehabilitation, quality of life, psychotherapy, halfway house, therapeutic alliance, sex offenders