New Sex Offender Recidivism Study

Corrections Sentencing points to a new sex offender recidivism study in Tennessee.  Here is Connelly's summary:

New sex offender recidivism study coming out of TN, finding as most do that those offenders come back to the system less often than other offenders. Their long sentences may age them out and they do tend to get heavy supervision. Also may benefit from the rarer reporting of their crimes. Still, the consistency of the findings of these studies is impressive triangulation of the reality of the numbers.

This is from the news account about the study:

"It goes against normal public perspective because people believe they are always going to reoffend," said Tim Dempsey, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Chattanooga Endeavors, which seeks to help those released from prison transition back into society. "But if you're just looking at risk, sex offenders have always been in that lower-risk category."

For the study, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation followed 1,116 male offenders for three years after their releases in 2001, according to TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm. Half the offenders had been convicted of sex crimes and the other half nonsex crimes, Ms. Helm said.

Results were released in August, showing that 28 percent of the sex offenders were recommitted to the prison system, compared with 52 percent of other felons.

The sex offenders who were recommitted tended to remain on the streets longer before their next arrest, according to the study, which recorded statutory rapists, offenders who committed sexual battery and rapists as those with the highest rearrest rates.

Some skeptics wonder whether there are other factors affecting the reported dichotomy in repeat offense rates.

"They may offend less, or their victims may be less likely to report, as sex offenses are very difficult to prosecute," said Dr. Charlotte Boatwright, president of the Coalition of Domestic and Community Violence of Greater Chattanooga and coordinator of the Chattanooga Family Justice Alliance.

"Victims often feel that it is useless to report it, as their character is put on trial to distract from the case against the (perpetrator), and they are terribly revictimized in the process," Dr. Boatwright said. "Victims of sexual assault suffer the trauma for years, some for the remainder of their lives."

The study's findings echo results of two previous TBI recidivism studies, Ms. Helm said, one conducted in the early 1990s and a second in 1997.

Comments

[ZMan]

I have various recidivism studies here:

http://sexoffenderissues.blogspot.com/2007/04/facts-myths.html

If anyone has any for the states I do not have linked, please reply to the blog item with a link to the study.

[George]

There are two studies out of Arkansas.

http://www.acic.org/statistics/research.htm

What is most interesting is that over 70% of their offenders were arrested for a sex offense as their first offense of any kind.

The study found no escalation of offenses, but did find that those who were first arrested for a sex offense as their first crime were much more likely to be repeat sex offenders.

That means, without strong prevention programs, punitive laws miss the majority of the problem. Only by preventing that first offense can any meaningful progress come to pass.

[George]

There is also "Ten-Year Recidivism Follow-Up Of 1989 Sex Offender Releases" out of Ohio.

"The total sex-related recidivism rate, including technical violations of
supervision conditions, was 11.0%."

http://www.drc.state.oh.us/web/Reports/Ten_Year_Recidivism.pdf

[Ilah]

"They may offend less, or their victims may be less likely to report, as sex offenses are very difficult to prosecute,"

Just once I'd like a reporter to ask the follow-up question: "Which one of our current sex offender laws is aimed at changing that dynamic?"

I have heard numerous lawmakers and activists cite "unreported sex crimes" as justification for increasingly restrictive laws. Trouble is, they've been citing that reason for over a dozen years--without making a single move to address the issue. The fact it's still considered a valid justification for disregarding data indicates a belief ur current laws have utterly failed to do.

[eAdvocate]

A closer review of the Tennessee recidivism study shows that it is bloated, overstated by the inclusion of "Technical Violations" of supervision which are not crimes.

For a more complete explanation see my blog on that study, found here: http://sexoffenderresearch.blogspot.com/2007/09/recidivism-study-of-tennessee-offenders.html

The actual recidivism rate is much much lower than shown.