Sex Offender Rehabilitation

Disability to Offenders’ Rehabilitation

The lack of opportunities to secure housing and employment and loss of family and friend support are all consequences of community notification. More than one third of registrants surveyed in a study reported they had lost a job, been denied a place to live and been harassed and treated rudely in public as a result of public knowledge of sex offender registers. Offenders are more likely to be driven underground when they are unable to secure employment or a place to live due to their status on the sex offender register. Employers are less likely to employ a sex offender due to fear of losing business from an informed public. These issues on top of the stress of being released from prison and trying

In a study more than one half of all responding registrants reported having lost a friend as a result of public knowledge of their sexual offending. There is also evidence that family members of registered sex offenders experience persecution and threats when the information is public. Consequently, the offender might lose support from both friends and family, which further hinders their ability to rehabilitate into

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