Dr. Gene Abel Abel Assessment for Sexual InterestDianna ScreenBehavioral Medicine Institue of Atlanta Total Scam Artist Quack and Liar Atlanta Georgia
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Dr. Gene Abel is a total quack who sells millions of dollars worth of equpment to governments to control sex offenders that doesn't work. His Abel Assesment and Dianna Scree at total jokes.
Gene Abel |
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Gene Abel is an American psychiatrist who works primarily with sexual predators. He is the creator of the Abel Assessment for Sexual Interests, a sex offender assessment tool[2] that has been considered unreliable by independent studies[4] and inadmissible in court in various jurisdictions.[5][6]
Contents
Career
Abel is the creator of the Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest (AASI). It is a multi-part assessment that is used to measure a person's sexual interest in people of different ages.[7] The assessment uses a person's self-reported sexual arousal based on images show to them during the assessment.[8] He is also the author of the Diana Screen, a test claimed to be able to tell if someone has molested a child.[9]
In 1988, Abel published Behavioral Treatment of Child Molesters[10] and in 2001 co-authored The Stop Child Molestation Book with Nora Harlow.[11]
Assessment controversies
Mental health professionals have used the AASI to civilly commit sex offenders, even though the Assessment is not admissible in many courts in the United States.[12] In 2002, the Assessment was found to be inadmissible in court cases in the State of Massachusetts, a ruling that was upheld by the Massachusetts Court of Appeals in 2005.[2] In a court decision on the admissibility of the test, it was referred to as "magic of young Harry Potter's mixing potions at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."[2] Abel states in his book that a therapist can use the Assessment as a tool to determine if a child is attracted to other children. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled in 2004 that the Assessment is a tool that is used only as treatment, and that it cannot detect whether a person has sexually abused children.[12] Independent studies of the Assessment have concluded it to be unreliable in adults and that there is not yet enough information to support its use with adolescents.[4]
The Diana Screen has also been a source of controversy for Abel due to it being a pass/fail assessment. The assessment is said to be able to determine if someone has molested a child. It was also reported that Abel has pushed the use of the Diana Screen as a business opportunity for individuals and agencies.[9]
Here's the truth about the Abel Assessment:
What does the Abel Assessment REALLY measure?
All of the above information about the abel Assessment is true, but what does it REALLY measure. During the first part of the test, it very simply measures your REACTION TIME for various pictures and how you rate each picture. You will be shown 160 slides of boys, girls, men and women dressed normally, dressed in underwear, dressed with bathing suits and in different situations. Some scenes will depict subjects tied up to reflect "bondage". Some scenes will show ladies dressing through a window. Some scenes will show a man touching people in public.
REACTION TIME - You will be shown these series of slides 2 times, the first time ONLY measures how long you view each slide. If you view a particular slide longer than the developers of this test believe that you have a desire to be attracted to this sexually deviant behavior. In other words, if you take longer to look at a picture of a lady dressing through a window, then you have an interest in voyerism. If you look longer at children in bathing suits, then you have sexual interests in children. If you take longer to view a picture of a women in bondage, then you probably have a sexual desire towards this behavior. This may not be true, but if you make the mistake of taking extra time, then you WILL be labelled as a child molester, a person who enjoys voyerism, or a person who enjoys bondage.
WHAT IS CONSIDERED A LONG REACTION TIME? - It is all based on your average time looking at all of the pictures. If you look at each the "normal" pictures for 2 seconds, and look at the more perverted pictures for 5 seconds, plan of being labelled "a pervert". I don't want to tell you what to do, but if you are a normal person, then your reaction time to the perverted pictures will be LESS than the normal pictures.
The second time through the slides, you will rate the slides on a scale of 1-7. If you believe the image is "thoroughly disgusting or revolting", then select "1". If the image is sexually exciting, then select "7". There are no "right or wrong answers", but you need to understand that this test is supposed to measure your opinion of having a sexual relation with these people, not just your opinion of these pictures. A picture of a child in a bathing suit may not be revolting to you, but having a sexual relation with this child is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
After you have viewed and rated the pictures, the next part is the questionnaire. This part is very straight forward, but you should understand that a "normal person" DOES have feelings such as impatience, feelings of anger and has viewed some pornography. If you answer the questions and state that ... you do not get angry ... you do not become impatient ... or you have never viewed pornography, then the developers of this test will consider that you are NOT truthful. ... Not Good!
FINAL THOUGHTS - I do not want to tell you what what the right answers are to the various questions, nor is this page devoted to "deceiving the Abel Assessment". Rather it is to educate you on what the Abel Assessment REALLY tests. Also understand that this test will not determine whether you have committed a crime or not, but rather it will determine whether you have tendencies towards abnormal sexual desires.
References
6 Updates & Rebuttals
Anonymous
St. Louis, MO,Missouri,
USA
Full McGinnis Statement 02-14-2010 Tribune Article
#7Consumer Comment
Tue, August 11, 2015
The previous link did not work. Here is the complete Tribune article date February 14, 2010 by Ofelia Casillas.
Officials concerned about protecting youngsters from predators in child welfare system
Four times recently adult women have been investigated on allegations of sexually abusing some of the state's most vulnerable teen boys— those living in child welfare facilities where they were seeking treatment for abuse, neglect or behavioral problems.
A 29-year-old teacher faces charges of having sex with a 15-year-old in Chicago. A 40-year-old instructor was convicted of having sex with a 16-year-old in a Mundelein institution. A 26-year-old Lake Villa therapist is scheduled to go on trial
And now, River Forest police are investigating allegations that a woman in a care-giving role had sexual contact with a teen resident of a child welfare facility.
The string of incidents has raised concern among child welfare officials who wonder if more can be done to protect a fragile population from being preyed upon by the adults who are charged with caring for them.
"It's like going to a cop because you've been robbed and then the cop robbing you," said Cook County Public Guardian Robert Harris.
"Kids in the system are abused and neglected. Their whole emotional and psychological state is often fragile or compromised. To have a therapist or someone in a position of trust like this either manipulate that fragility or take advantage of it, it's abhorrent," he said.
Experts say the public is largely unaware of the problem, in part because statistics show there are fewer female than male sex offenders and because the offenses contradict the perceptions of women as motherly and nurturing. Also, society has tended to wink at such relationships
A 40-year-old instructor was convicted of having sex in 2008 with a 16-year-old resident at the Alternative Behavior Treatment Centers in Lake County and given a 5-year sentence.
Last August, a 26-year-old counselor from Kids Hope United in Lake Villa was accused of having sex with a 14-year-old resident. Cori Rivelli of Libertyville pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Her trial is expected to start on April 26 in Lake County Circuit Court.
In Chicago, a 29-year-old teacher was alleged to have been having an inappropriate physical relationship with a 15-year-old male student at a Lawrence Hall Youth Services facility.
According to a lawsuit filed in April by that young man's family, Linda Pithyou engaged in oral sex and sexual intercourse with the boy between January and February of 2009, sometimes with her 16-month-old baby in the back seat of her car.
Pithyou has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
None of these women appeared to have previous criminal histories in Cook County. None could be reached for comment.
In Illinois, sexual exploitation of children by teachers and counselors is "unfortunately nothing new," said Kendall Marlowe, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
"We must treat these crimes very seriously regardless of whether the perpetrator is a man or a woman," he added.
While there is debate
A 2002 study on female sexual abusers labeled a subgroup: "The Teacher/Lover Offender." These women, the study found, did not want to harm their victims and typically didn't even consider them as such.
"Usually, women who fit into this category have a difficult time understanding that the relationship was not one based on equality but was abusive," the study found.
These women had survived severe emotional and physical abuse; some were sexually abused as children. They also reported feeling "brutalized by adult men" and so had turned to adolescents.
Experts say such women could be immensely immature and suffer from personality disorders.
Marlowe said applicants at child welfare facilities must clear criminal and child abuse background checks that include fingerprinting. But, he said, "no background check will ever screen out a first-time offender."
There is a new test on the market called the Diana Screen that claims to screen for adults who may be at risk of the behavior.
Robin McGinnis, founder and chief executive officer of Alternative Behavior Treatment Centers in Mundelein, said she hopes to start using the Diana Screen and has also reached out to other child welfare officials to talk about exploring new ways to weed out problematic applicants.
"This is a national epidemic. We need to talk about it," McGinnis said. "This is not about me or my agency. This is about a problem that everyone is experiencing."
ocasillas@tribune.com
My added information:
Robin McGinnis has over 35 years of experience in this field. She worked with Dr. Abel on a Abel Screening product, Better Boundaries. Yet, in this article she was going to use Diana Screen in 2010. Diana Screen was on the market by 1995. Why the delay of 23 years? Did she use Diana Screen before Alternative Behavior Treatment Centers Corporation was closed by the state? Does she use any Abel Screening products as CEO of Infant Welfare of Chicago.
Here is a quote from the Infant Welfare of Chicago Corporation's web site on Robin McGinnis:
"Ms. McGinnis has many professional and civic affiliations and is a frequent presenter at national conferences and association meetings."
It appears she spends more time with affiliations than the day to day routine of a CEO.
Might her focus on affiliations and her frequent role as presenter at conference and meetings, have contributed to the arrest of a counselor at Alternative Behavior Treatment Centers in 2008? And, the closing of Alernative Behavior Treatment Centers?
Anonymous
St. Louis, MO,Missouri,
USA
McGinnis statement in Tribune article 10-16-2008
#7Consumer Comment
Mon, August 10, 2015
Another Tribune Report, Cut and Paste if the link does not show up.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-10-16/news/0810150847_1_teen-criminal-case-law-enforcement
To quote a paragraph or two:
"There is a new test on the market called the Diana Screen that claims to screen for adults who may be at risk of the behavior.
Robin McGinnis, founder and chief executive officer of Alternative Behavior Treatment Centers in Mundelein, said she hopes to start using the Diana Screen and has also reached out to other child welfare officials to talk about exploring new ways to weed out problematic applicants."
The article was printed in 2008, Diana Screen was on the market since 1995.
Why a delay of 13 years to use Diana Screen? Did McGinnis use Diana Screen until her corporation, Alternative Behavior Treatment Centers, was closed by the state? Does she use the test at her other corporation, Infant Welfare Society of Chicago?
Robin McGinnis is active in a number of organizations either started by Dr. Abel or Dr. Abel is a member.
Dr. Abel refuses to do an APA Peer Review on each of his products. He is a Fellow with APA, regardless that his products are not peer reviewed. Perhaps, there are no peers in the APA qualified to review his products.
Alternative Behavior Treatment Centers Corporation was shut down by the state for unrelated reasons.
Robin McGinnis is the CEO at the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago.
Anonymous
St. Louis, MO,Missouri,
USA
Arrest at McGinnis' facility in 2008
#7Consumer Comment
Mon, August 10, 2015
Robin McGinnis, who worked with Dr. Gene Abel on an Abel Screening product, "Better Boundaries Training Course", had an arrest at her then facility, Alternative Behavior Treatment Center in 2008. The Tribune headline,"Counselor at Mundelein rehab center charged with having sex with patient, 16". Did she give the facility's staff any Abel Screenings? Cut and paste article: articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-10-16/news/0810150847_1_teen-criminal-case-law-enforcement.
The Alternative Behavior Treatment Center was shut down by the state for unrelated issues.
Therese F.
Coronado,California,
Some supporting facts of your opinion would be helpful
#7Consumer Comment
Tue, February 04, 2014
I had the misfortune of working in a facility that had two sexual predators discovered weeks apart. The experience was horrific. However, it did offer me the pleasure of working with and getting to know Dr. Gene Abel.
It appears that you must have taken the Diana Screen and were rejected for employment, at least partially, based on your test results. Further, to my knowledge, no one taking the test is given the "right" answers used in the tool, so I wonder how and if you truly received such information.
If you have done any research on the Diana screen, you would know that it is based on many years of research. The tool itself has been modified several times and validated repeatedly. There are no right or wrong answers, per se, but potetial or actual predators generally answer certain questions in a way that is predictive of their sexual interest in children.
My perception is that you are angry about your test results and are venting against Dr. Abel. If that is the case, it is truly unfortunate that you smear his reputation with false allegations and you provide no support for your position, other than your opinions.
Take a look at http://www.childmolestationprevention.org/pdfs/study.pdf. There are many resources on the web that acknowledge the validity of Dr. Abel's research, as well as the validity of the Diana Screen. Unfortunately, recently appearing are many slams against Dr. Abel, most of which seem to be coming from individuals who did not pass the Diana Screen.
Patrick Kennedy
New York,New York,
Salon.com is doing an article on Dr. Abel RE Fraud
#7Author of original report
Sat, December 07, 2013
Salon.com will soon publish an article on Dr. Gene Abel that puts his junk science to rest for once and for all.
De. gene Abel
Atlanta,Georgia,
Dr. Gene Abel's Work Began as Conversion Therapy (To Turn Gays Straight)
#7Author of original report
Wed, November 27, 2013
The Sex Offender System Was Founded As Conversion Therapy
to Turn Gays Straight
The movement’s founder, Freund, invented the system’s first diagnostic, the ridicously named Penile Plethysmograph in Czechoslovakia in the late fifties by cribbing together a lie detector test outfitted with tubes for the insertion of a p***s. The communists wanted to identify straight men trying to avoid the draft by claiming they were homosexuals — who were excluded from service. Any Czech man of military age claiming to be gay was hooked up by their p***s to the P.P.G. and shown naked pictures of their more comely female comrades. As their penises rose their hopes of avoiding the Iron Curtain war machine sank.
Freund moved from the Psychiatric Research Institute in Prague to be the clinical director of the Clarke Institute for Sexuality in Toronto; former patients call it Jurassic Clarke because it was so incredibly backward. Freund’s primary focus funded by the Canadian government — which at that time considered homosexuality a serious mental disorder — was with gay men and women who were institutionalized by their parents.
The Institute’s most common diagnosis for its gay patients was Gender Identity Disorder. In other words, they mixed up gender and sexuality (i.e. men cannot be attracted to men and women can’t be attracted to women.) They tried to cure their male patients of being gay by showing them films of gay sex while they sniffed ammonia and then showed them films of straight sex without the ammonia fix all the while measuring their erections with the Penile Plethysmograph.
For female patients, they tried a version of the Penile Plethysmograph, the Vaginal Plethysomograph, inserted into the vagina to measure lubrication, but it didn’t work so they simply recorded their facial reactions. They also indoctrinated their patients on Cognitive Distortions, Covert Sensitization, Sexual Deviance and their Sexual Deviance Cycle. The patients were required to attend Individual and Groups sessions, keep High Risk Trigger Logs and fill out Safety Plans and Approved Schedules. The same system the Sex Offender System uses forty years after it’s been proven ineffective.
Freund’s abject failure to turn gays straight didn’t stop him from getting into sex offender treatment in a big way. In 1965, he published a paper claiming to be able to determine pedophiliac interest using the Penile Plethysmograph with moving images of children engaged in sex acts with adults. He revolutionized the field by showing sex offenders child pornography. Not entirely surprisingly, he ended up killing himself by overdosing on sedatives.
After Fruend’s suicide, the Penile Plethysmograph fell out of favor when, in a moment of uncommon clarity, the courts decided that showing sex offenders child pornography wasn’t such a great idea. It was outlawed, dead until the patent was picked up by Dr. Peter Byrne, owner of BTI Technology in Salt Lake City. He put clothes back on the kids in the pictures to make it a moneymaker again and is currently one of the system’s primary clinicians.
In the meantime, Dr. Gene Abel took over leadership in the field with the Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest. The operating manual is full of pseudo-scientific sounding names with questionable grammatical constructions. One sentence: Objective evaluation of dangerousness, triage your treatment and strengthen surveillance strategies.
His theories are bunk, and racist (Blacks are labeled deviant for shorter viewing times than whites.) but they were also very profitable. His center in Atlanta charges $250 for every Abel Assessment that tens of thousands of men are court-ordered to take every year. Crimes against boys are scored several orders of magnitude more risky than crimes against girls so gay men are screwed.
The Dianna Screen
Abel is planning on having an even bigger payday. He wants parents to sit down with any boy who had been sexually abused and ask them if they ever had deviant thoughts, feelings and behaviors. The ones who, predictably, admitted they had deviant thoughts, feelings and behaviors would be turned over to the authorities and contained the same as convicted sex offenders.