Sex Offender Recidivism Summary

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The study conducted by R. Karl Hanson was titled “Will They Do It Again? Predicting Sex-Offense Recidivism”. It focused on predicting reoffending within sexual offenders. To come up with a hypothesis researchers looked at 61 recidivism studies that included 24,000 sex offender participants. Results showed 13.4% of offenders committed within 4-5 years of release another sexual offence. Results as a whole showed recidivism rates were at 36%. These are underestimated as most crimes go unseen and untold. The strongest predictor for re offending is sexual deviance. These include victims being strangers and male, having deviant sexual preferences, sexual reoffending from a young age and committing various sexual crimes. Another predictor which is singularly the strongest predictor is a sexual interest in …show more content…

It was also predicted that factors not relating to reoffending was being sexually abused as a child, having low self esteem, denial of offenses and a lack of empathy towards the victim. It was also predicted that recidivism whether sexual or not had the same predictors that include anti social personality disorder, being of young age, juvenile offending, having prior offenses and being a minority race. The method of this study including reviewing 61 recidivism studies that included around 24,000 partipants who were sexual offenders. Results showed that new nonsexual violent crimes committed by sex offenders was at 12%, while 22% of rapists reoffend through violence, which is 12% higher than child molesters. Recidivism rates reached 36% when recidivism was defined as all reoffences. Rates of recidivism have also shown to increase 30-40% when the period after release exceeds 20 years. Informal reports and arrersts of criminal activity help contribute to estimations about recidivism compared to official convintions

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