Community corrections professionals use strategies to monitor sex offenders. The main three general categories of supervision are statutory mandates, treatment, and electronic monitoring devices. Due to the fact that sex offenders are the hardest to supervise, there needs to be effective strategies. This group is the hardest to supervise because a sexual act can occur at anytime and anywhere in a quick timeframe.
Statutory Mandates
The laws and sanctions that sex offenders must adhere to while under some type of community supervision, be it low or high risk level of recidivism, is to keep the community safe. Statutory mandates guide offenders away from recidivism. To help enforce community safety sex offenders must be registered according to Megan’s Law since 1994 in Arizona. There are over 14,000 sex offenders registered in Arizona.
In a cross study of two risk assessments (RRASOR & Static-99) that were statistically analyzed research found that, “Our total cohort (N = 1,400) included both rapists and child molesters that could have evened out potential age effects and may thus explain why Young age was unrelated to overall risk elevation for sexual recidivism in this study.” (Sjöstedt & Långström P.639) Meaning the assessments separately showed opposing young age significances.
When a more comprehensive analysis was made as outcome research all risk factors were significant except in male victims. Thus the two assessments should not stand alone. With that in mind more assessments need to be cross examined before rule-out decisions are made. (Sjöstedt & Långström P.639)
These studies provide insight into how to make statutory mandates better for monitoring sex offenders. Predictors of risk can always be updated and mad...
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...ctronic monitoring devices all working to their full potential, effective supervision is a goal that can be accomplished.
References
Farkas A. Mary and Miller Gale, Federal Sentencing Reporter, Vol. 21, No. 2, Sex Offenders: Recent Developments in Punishment and Management, (December 2008), P. 78-82
University of California Press on behalf of the Vera Institute of Justice,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/fsr.2008.21.2.78, Accessed: 10/18/2011
Loftus Rebecca PH.D., Lecture on risk assessments, Fall 2011, Probation and Community Corrections. Noted: 10/13/11 - 10/20/11
Sjöstedt Gabrielle and Långström Niklas, Actuarial Assessment of Sex Offender Recidivism Risk: A Cross-Validation of the RRASOR and the Static-99 in Sweden, Law and Human Behavior, Vol. 25, No. 6, (Dec., 2001), P. 629-645, Springer, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1394544, Accessed: 10/18/2011
This essay begins with the introduction of the Risk-Needs-Responsivitiy Model which was developed to assess offending and offer effective rehabilitation and treatment (Andrews & Bonta, 2007). The R-N-R model “remains the only empirically validated guide for criminal justice interventions that aim to help offenders” (Polashek, 2012, p.1) consisting of three principles which are associated with reductions in recidivism of up to 35% (Andrew & Bonta, 2010); risk, need and responsivity. Firstly, the risk principle predicts the offenders risk level of reoffending based on static and dynamic factors, and then matched to the degree of intervention needed. Secondly, the R-N-R targets individual’s criminogenic needs, in relation to dynamic factors. Lastly, the responsivity principle responds to specific responsivity e.g. individual needs and general responsivity; rehabilitation provided on evidence-based programming (Vitopoulous et al, 2012).
The following research will display an overview of the process in Texas on how sex offenders are registered along with the notifications that are followed after registration. Texas, as many other states, has a procedure which requires sex offenders to register with the local law enforcement agencies at the time of their discharge. In addition to registration, they must also comply with further probation regulations. Research has concluded that there are four basic phases of registration and notification. Beginning with offender notified, following the offender registration and community notified and ending with public notification
In the event that a prisoner (particularly a sex offender) does complete rehabilitation, he carries with him a stigma upon reentering society. People often fear living near a prior drug addict or convicted murderer and the sensational media hype surrounding released felons can ruin a newly released convict’s life before it beings. What with resident notifications, media scare tactics and general concern for safety, a sex offender’s ability to readapt into society is severely hindered (554). This warrants life-skills rehabilitation applied to him useless, as he will be unable to even attempt to make the right decision regarding further crime opportunities.
Park, B. and Lee, J. (2013). The effectiveness of Megan’s Law: Does it reduce the recidivism of a released sex offender? British Journal of Arts & Social Sciences, 12(1), 25-34.
Juvenile sex offenders are individuals that range in ages between six and seventeen years. There is a differentiation between what is considered a juvenile sex offender and a juvenile rapist. A juvenile rapist is generally older in the adolescent years and their victimology will be someone who is older than they are and they generally use a weapon. These crimes will also be usually male on female crimes and occur in public areas. Whereas the juvenile sex offender victimology will generally be younger than them, usually by around five years, but still at ti...
Seto, M. C., & Lalumiere, M. L. (2010). What is so special about male adolescent sexual offending? A review and test of explanations through meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 136(4), 526-575. doi: 10.1037/a0019700
A 40-year-old serial rapist, a 12 year old young boy having consensual sex with his girlfriend. What do both of these individuals have in common? They can both be subjected under the Canadian sex offenders registry. However, when a rapist suddenly slides off the map and commits more crimes under the radar, one begins to question the effectiveness of the registry, and what can be done to develop it’s quality and accuracy. Another question which seems to badger Canadian society today is that relating to whether a minor should be a registrant at all, no matter what their crime, Canada has a strong belief in rehabilitation.
In the United States, as a condition of parole, sex offenders are typically required to register with law enforcement officials when released from prison. These officials notify the public of the offender’s release back into society and provide them with information such as the offenders address, and other personal information. Research indicates the notification system can have an adverse effect on the offender’s life, casting doubt on what the laws intended to protect the public. This paper will explore the background of sex offender registries, the relationship between the sex offender notifications and registration laws, and higher rates of recidivism in the United States. Introduction Sex offender legislation has become a controversial topic in the recent years.
In today’s society, juveniles that commit a sexual assault have become the subject of society. It’s become a problem in the United States due to the rise of sexual offenses committed by juveniles. The general public attitude towards sex offenders appears to be highly negative (Valliant, Furac, & Antonowicz, 1994). The public reactions in the past years have shaped policy on legal approaches to managing sexual offenses. The policies have included severe sentencing laws, sex offender registry, and civil commitment as a sexually violent predator (Quinn, Forsyth, & Mullen-Quinn, 2004). This is despite recidivism data suggesting that a relatively small group of juvenile offenders commit repeat sexual assaults after a response to their sexual offending (Righthand &Welch, 2004).
There are many topics nowadays that are still hard to talk about openly. Though we’ve opened the door on many controversies, some of the simplest parts of life can be the hardest to discuss. For most of us, sex in particular can be a taboo topic, which may be the reason why so many children and teens are misinformed on the inner workings of sexual relationships and how they develop as we grow and mature. For some adolescents, this can lead to an unhealthy fixation on the concept of sex, and in some cases, lead them to take action on a situation they do not fully understand. Sexual offenses are perceived as some of the most heinous crimes, but how could our views be affected if those acts were performed by a teenager? We may sometimes consider that they are the same as adult sex offenders; however our judgment can often be clouded by our lack of understanding. Adolescent sex offenders are different from adult sex offenders, are treated in a different way, and often have very different circumstances of their crime.
However, there is not enough research to prove that community notification prevents reoffending. Registers can only deter and trace already convicted sex offenders. However, research on reoffending patterns of sex offenders suggest that most sex offenders have not previously been convicted and released, so registration cannot protect the community from the majority of sex offenders. A Department of Justice study in the United States suggested that sex-offenders have a recidivism rate of 3-5% within the first three years after release. A New Zealand Department of Corrections study in 2008 revealed that over a 15-year period, 73% of sex offenders had not been charged or convicted for further sexual offending. International studies suggest that sex offender recidivate less than drug, property and burglary offenders. Ideas perpetuated in the media argue that sex offenders are different, they cannot be cured and they have high recidivism rates, however these conclusions are based on sensationalised media reporting on high profile attacks. One of the main purposes of a sex offender register is to reduce recidivism, however these studies and more show that sex offender recidivism is not as high a rate as it is perceived to
"Studies question effectiveness of sex offender laws." http://www.sciencedaily.com. ScienceDaily, LLC, 12 Aug 2011. Web. 13 Feb 2014. .
Yates, P. M. (2005). Pathways to treatment of sexual offenders: Rethinking intervention. Forum on Corrections Research, 17, 1-9.
Ohio state laws define a sex offender as one of three: a person who committed a sexually oriented crime, a habitual sexual offender, or a sexual predator. All sex offenders are required by law to notify the State Bureau of Criminal Investigations or local Sheriff Offices within three days of entering any county or changing their address. Sexual offenders are required to submit their fingerprints, photo, DNA, vehicle information, and criminal history. Certain individuals are eligible for a written notice about all sexual predators and habitual sexual offenders. Those individuals are local law enforcement patrons, all residents within 1000' of the offender's residence; the director of the public children services agency; the superintendent of each board of education of a school district; the director of each preschool program, and the administrator of each child day care center. These regulations, as harsh as they may seem, were creat...
Sex offenders have been a serious problem for our legal system at all levels, not to mention those who have been their victims. There are 43,000 inmates in prison for sexual offenses while each year in this country over 510,000 children are sexually assaulted(Oakes 99). The latter statistic, in its context, does not convey the severity of the situation. Each year 510,000 children have their childhood's destroyed, possibly on more than one occasion, and are faced with dealing with the assault for the rest of their lives. Sadly, many of those assaults are perpetrated by people who have already been through the correctional system only to victimize again. Sex offenders, as a class of criminals, are nine times more likely to repeat their crimes(Oakes 99). This presents a