Fervent liberals see themselves as perpetually rational, kind, forgiving, and empathic.  They believe that exceptionally astute and effective mental health practitioners can help even persistent dangerous criminal offenders to be redeemed and changed for the good.  They read about some moving, occasionally striking stories of therapeutic success with criminals by therapists.  They see themselves as champions of empathy and rational progressive ideology that triumphs over cold, cruel, rigid conservative "law and order" Republicans...unless they become the victims of crime themselves.

Then they begin to have intimations of conservative ideas and values.  They slowly realize, as I did even as a young psychiatrist in the 1960s, that persons with out-of-control behavior — antisocial, psychotic, or borderline psychotic acting-out behavior — find relief and comfort when firm, persistent, and effective control of their behavior is insisted upon.  Such limits on behavior afford the beginning of possible therapeutic change that requires enormous psychological work.

Little is more rewarding than this kind of hard work bringing about behavioral and positive personality changes for criminals in the psychotherapeutic process.  Also of great importance is appropriate hospitalization or incarceration to support hopefully temporary limits on misbehavior, along with effective job training and eventual honest work in the community.

I once worked with Tyler, a lawyer, and his wife Jill, a talented singer, in my couples' therapy group.  About three months into the treatment process, Jill tearfully revealed to our group that Tyler was physically severely abusive to her and their two daughters.  Jill showed us bruises.  I told Tyler I was going to report him to the authorities.  Tyler threatened me with a lawsuit.  I told him I would welcome the opportunity to have a judge or jury hear about his behavior.  I reported Tyler.  The authorities ordered him to return to couples' therapy and add individual anger management therapy to the program.  Surprisingly, Tyler chose to work with me in individual therapy as well as the group.  Therapy was hard work for both of us and the group, but it was very successful and rewarding for all concerned.  Firm limits and boundary-setting are therapeutic.

Image: Pxfuel.