Sex Offenders Also "Shaken"... "This Is My Story"—Changed After Experiencing the Victim’s Perspective [Report]

Experiencing the Ministry of Justice's VR-Based Psychological Treatment
Content Covers Sexual Violence, Stalking, and More
Program Now Running at 11 Correctional Facilities Nationwide
Pilot Program with 392 Inmates Shows Positive Results <

"How do you think the victim would have felt in this situation?"

A scene reenacting a situation where the stalking offender approaches the victim's residence in a virtual reality (VR) psychological treatment program targeting stalking offenders. Provided by the Ministry of Justice.

The scene of grabbing and threatening a former partner stopped in the virtual reality (VR) headset. Three choices appeared in front of my eyes: "They must have suffered," "I'm not sure," "Maybe they enjoyed it." When I selected an answer with a gesture, the video resumed. This was a scene from the VR psychological treatment program for stalking offenders, which I experienced firsthand at the psychological treatment center inside the Seoul Southern Detention Center on August 4.

Since the end of July, the Ministry of Justice has been operating its VR-based psychological treatment program in earnest across 11 correctional facilities nationwide. In this program, inmates experience crime scenarios and see through the victim's perspective in virtual reality, prompting them to objectively reflect on their actions and distorted thinking—a type of "mirror therapy." A total of 22 types of content have been developed, including 6 for sexual violence, 4 for drug offenses, 4 for stalking, 4 for child abuse, and 4 for domestic violence.

Re-examining Crime From the Victim’s Perspective... "Some Begin to Empathize With the Pain"

The experience began after a preliminary counseling session. Once I placed the VR headset on my head, an introductory video played, followed by a scenario involving stalking an ex-partner. In the perpetrator’s perspective, there were scenes of persistently contacting the other person, restraining the victim by force, and making threats. At certain points, the viewpoint would switch to the victim’s perspective. The pressure of the perpetrator standing at the door, repeated attempts to make contact, and the feeling of inescapable fear were vividly reproduced before my eyes.

The sense of immersion was greater than expected. Unlike simply hearing an explanation, the all-encompassing visual experience forced the question: "How did my actions make the other person feel?" Each time the scene changed, questions such as "How do you think the victim felt?" or "What kind of consequences could this action produce?" would appear. Choosing an answer by gesture would lead to slightly different explanations and scenarios. Selecting a response that empathized with the victim’s pain prompted a message saying, "That must not have been an easy choice. Thank you for following along."

On the 4th, a reporter is directly experiencing the VR psychological treatment program for stalking offenders at the psychological treatment center inside the Seoul Southern Detention Center.

The program is developed to reflect the characteristics of each type of crime. For sexual assault offenders, it addresses distorted sexual awareness and hostility toward women; for stalking offenders, it focuses on desires for monopolizing relationships and forming forced attachments; for domestic violence offenders, the content deals with conflict resolution styles and gender stereotypes. The sessions are structured in stages: recognizing criminal situations, correcting cognitive distortions, understanding consent and boundaries, empathizing with victims, and coping with risk factors.

Even during the pilot run, there were cases where inmates’ responses changed. A center staff member explained, "Among stalking offenders, many initially feel it is unfair that they are being punished, but after seeing the scenes from the victim’s perspective, some inmates have said, 'I think that person must have suffered.'"

In the program for sexual violence offenders, one inmate reportedly became very emotional—his hands shook and he stuttered. He confessed, "This is my story," and after completing the session, he said, "I learned that there are boundaries even in relationships with women. I want to live a different life when I get out."

Positive Effects Found in Pilot Run... Staffing and Budget Remain Key for Expansion

Between February and June, the Ministry of Justice conducted a pilot run at nine institutions — including Seoul Southern Detention Center — for 392 offenders of sexual assault, stalking, child abuse, and domestic violence. The results showed that the treatment group using the VR program demonstrated much greater positive changes in key indicators—such as cognitive distortion correction, reduction of aggression, and improvement in empathy—compared to the control group that only received traditional psychological treatment.

However, there are voices on the ground calling for additional staffing and budget support to enable expansion. While VR devices and content exist, the effectiveness is ultimately limited without enough professionals to handle pre- and post-session counseling, response analysis, and follow-up interventions.

The Ministry of Justice plans to analyze the operating results, enhance crime-type-specific content, and further develop a scientific psychological treatment system. Minister of Justice Jeong Sungho stated, "We will continuously expand scientific evidence-based psychological treatment programs to support healthy social reintegration of inmates and contribute to crime prevention."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.