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Let's Talk
By Djamila Amellal, Communications Officer, Communications and Citizen Engagement Sector
The VISA program began at MSFI in 1991. Drawing on the services organization model created in the 1980s by American researchers, Henry and Anna Giarretto, VISA provides a comprehensive, integrated and humanistic approach. Even though the program focuses mainly on domestic sexual abusers, the experience of victims and their families is also particularly important.
VISA consists of three components. The pre-VISA stage involves welcoming new participants. Through individual or group meetings, an attempt is made to establish a relationship with these men who have become defensive because of shame or fear. If necessary, they can be sponsored by a "graduate" who has successfully completed the program. Then a pre-program assessment is conducted to confirm the objectives set out in the specialized assessment conducted at the time of admission and to match them with the VISA treatment targets.
Next is the VISA stage, the core part of the therapy. For twelve weeks ten men get together three times a week and participate in individual sessions. The therapy helps them acknowledge the abuse they have committed, to take full responsibility for it and to develop a better understanding of the consequences. It also helps them to better manage their emotions and to channel them into restorative action. Finally, the men are encouraged to develop a more appropriate and satisfying adult sexuality, identify their risk situations and measures to take to avoid re-offending.
By the end of the VISA program, most of the participants obtain parole. The others are referred to a third component, VISAPRÊT. Meeting every two weeks, incest offenders continue their treatment and apply what they have learned in the previous stages. For most of the men this maintenance work is done at MSFI. For others it takes place in the community in a maintenance group for sex offenders on parole. Male inmates attend these meetings accompanied by a volunteer who also participate.
The program is being researched under the direction of Jean Proulx, Ph.D, a professor at the University of Montreal, and Dr. Jocelyn Aubut, a psychiatrist and international expert on sex offenders. They regularly provide the team with advice and supervision.
It is eight in the morning. A handful of men - middle-aged, grey haired, of average height and build - are waiting in front of a door in the hallway of an institution. Two ladies arrive. One after another, the men enter the room and take their seats in a circle around both women. Once settled, they take turns speaking to the facilitators, who listen attentively. A flood of sordid details follows, details of the sexual abuse that these men inflicted on their own children.
The stories are shocking and heart-rending, but the facilitators control themselves and betray no emotion. As Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) employees working closely with incest offenders, they must show discretion in order to do their jobs well. They must see beyond the offences that have already been committed to find a way to prevent others. They must also help the victims. Today, referring to the information in the offenders' files, one of them plays the role of the victim in a simulated meeting between the abusive father and his child. In this way, the therapists try to make the offenders conscious of the significant damage that they have caused and the difficulty in meeting the needs of their victims.
I met one of the remarkable women who runs the program, Marielle Mailloux, at Montée Saint-Francois Institution (MSFI), in Laval, Quebec. Ms. Mailloux, a psychotherapist, co-facilitates the meetings with Lucie Albert, a program officer. Completing the team are Martine Nobert, a sexologist who works part-time with VISA, and Line Bernier, a psychologist and clinical manager for the program. Thanks to their courage and dogged efforts, the team members provide a unique program that has been a real success. It not only aims to help offenders, but also to expose victims and other family members to the treatment's positive results. The program, Violence Interdite sur Autrui (VISA), has an excellent reputation, not only in the local communities but also internationally. A series of foreign delegations of researchers and interns have visited Laval to see how the program works and how to then tailor it to suit their own needs.
To date, 379 offenders have participated in the program and the recidivism rate is very low - 2.6 percent. The VISA program's success helps strengthen CSC's reputation as a leader in corrections.
A Small Yet Effective and Outstanding Team
The pioneers of the VISA program - Line Bernier, Marielle Mailloux, and Gilles David, a retired social worker, proudly recall how far they have come. "The VISA program is unique," says Ms. Bernier. "Not only does it satisfy the specific needs of the participants, it also takes into account the history of incest treatment in Quebec and distinctive features and resources from the area in which it is implemented."
Marielle Mailloux, therapist, surrounded by offenders participating in a VISA program therapy session. The therapist plays the role of the real victim to enable the incestuous father to make amends. This is also a way for therapists to assess the offender's progress and development.
Line Bernier (left) and Marielle Mailloux (right)
"Faced with an increase in incest offenders at his institution in the early 1990s, Guy Villeneuve, the warden at the time, looked for an effective way to ensure that they received treatment. He opted for an agreement with the Centre de Services Sociaux, a provincial agency that until then was the expert in incest cases. That is how Gilles David joined our team."
She added: "As opposed to other CSC regions where incest offenders ended up being treated with other sex offenders, the Quebec region continues to develop special expertise in treating incest offenders."
The original VISA team experimented with a few versions of the program based on an initial plan for therapeutic activities suggested by Gilles David. The team was concerned about taking into account the participants' needs and ability to respond, but also their sentence requirements and the limits and possibilities inherent in the institutional environment. Since then, even though the program's parameters and treatment targets have remained unchanged, VISA continues to evolve and enrich itself through all the research done on sex offenders and the contribution of the many workers in this program.
Gilles Côté, Deputy Warden at MSFI, added: "This program, which is very demanding for the small treatment team, is a golden opportunity for incestuous fathers to reflect on their actions. When they successfully complete the VISA program, public safety is reassured. The program is not a cure-all and requires participants' commitment, but we believe in it and that is why we all work to encourage offenders to participate."
Dynamic Security through Team Work
What makes the VISA program especially unique is the attention given to the victim and family in the treatment process. "Treating victims and the family is also considered prevention and ensures a certain type of dynamic security," said Ms. Bernier. "By helping the abuser to acknowledge the abuse they have inflicted, he helps put an end to the confusion, ambiguity and guilt. The family roles are redefined and risk situations are less likely to reoccur or lead to re-offending."
This is such a concern for the team that meetings are held for victims and spouses. The spouses are also given an article on the issues of being in a relationship with a man who has committed acts of pedophilia. "Dynamic security is also about educating the spouses and family circle. If a risk situation arises, they have to be able to identify it and react."
Within the institution, dynamic security is ensured through co-ordination between the VISA team and all MSFI staff. Whether it is through program awareness activities, sharing client information or even through employee participation in VISA activities, MSFI staff contribute to the treatment. "It is true that the VISA program relies on the treatment team members," said Mr. Gagnon, "However, it is much more than that. All the workers participate in rehabilitation and dynamic security by being available, open and security conscious. Offenders are everyone's concern."
Restorative Justice
Reparation is one of the VISA program objectives. It starts to materialize when the offender acknowledges the abuse, accepts responsibility for it, becomes aware of the consequences of his actions and develops empathy toward his victim. To reach that stage, the team uses specific activities. For example, a group session is reserved for two women who were victimized during childhood to come along with their therapists to talk to the program participants about their traumatic experience. These women voluntarily agree to speak out about the impact that the abuse has had on their lives as a spouse or mother. They are referred to VISA by the Centre de prévention et d'intervention pour victimes d'agression sexuelle (CPIVAS). "The CPIVAS MSFI partnership has been around since 1991," said Francine Doré, the organization's director. "Our clients' stories are powerful and do a lot of good for both the victims and abusers because they answer questions, which is liberating."
Other methods of reparation have also been suggested. The men are invited to explain to the victim's family members that the victim is not to blame. They are also encouraged to write an apology letter to their victim if the situation lends itself to this. As Ms. Mailloux said, "The victims expect their fathers to take concrete reparative action and VISA prepares them to pay their debt somehow, not only to society but also to the victim according to the victim's wishes."
At the end of the activities, some incest offenders deepen their treatment by participating in a restorative justice exercise at MSFI. Five or six meetings between an equal number of victims and abusers are facilitated by a male or female volunteer. Victims and abusers tell their stories. The victims free themselves and the abusers develop empathy. By sharing their suffering, these men and women learn how to understand each other. As Gilles David, said: "Through these meetings, the offenders become more aware of the effect of their actions on the victim and family and all the trouble they have caused along the way."
An incest victim who spoke during the VISA program and at RVD. "When I told my story to incestuous fathers, it showed how far I have come. My father always denied his abuse. But hearing the other men acknowledge it has been helpful to me. It's as if it's my own father admitting it. It's like bringing my story out into the open. We can't change the things we have doubts about having existed, but we can build on something that is recognized as being true. That is why admitting it is important. In these activities, anger, fear and frustration are expressed, but in a calm way. It is amazing how much can be said in a respectful environment. Criminal justice is necessary, in my opinion, but this therapy is just as important. It's good for the abusers and it's good for the victims. Acknowledging their actions frees them of their shame and self-hatred. For me, it's somehow empowering."Partnership - A Valuable Contribution
The VISA team works tirelessly to improve the program, working outside the institution, even in the community, in order to raise awareness and build partnerships.
"We have to work as a network, with the people who are involved from the beginning, like social workers and those who are involved in the later stages, like community parole officers. It is not enough to offer a program. It must be a continuous process with the involvement of others," said Ms. Bernier who herself co-facilitated follow-up VISAPRÊT meetings for eight months in the community. "The philosophy behind the program and how the program works has to be explained to the facilitators before referring offenders to them to ensure monitoring and maintenance. Those are the links that facilitate reintegration. That is also how awareness is raised."
Mr. Bessette, a volunteer
Credibility and International Reputation
This unique program, set up at MSFI, enjoys international credibility. Medical, academic, legal and correctional specialists have discussed it at international fora and congresses, which explains why a number of delegations from European countries such as Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Scotland, as well as Australia, have come to MSFI to learn about the VISA program.
Pierre Collart, PhD., a Belgian sociologist and specialist in the science of family and sexuality, made the following comments about the program and
MSFI Warden Serge Gagnon (right) and Gilles Côté, Deputy Warden.
Warden Gagnon says "VISA's international reputation is a clear indication that the program is meeting a need."
This small team, which has found a special way to address the problem of incest, is continuing its work and experimenting with new practices. As they are about to present the program for renewed international accreditation (the program was previously accredited in 2001), the team spares no effort, investing the time and energy required for a big undertaking. Obviously, they have not run out of passion!
