Sex Offenders

There are a lot of sanctions on sex offenders but there are only put in place to help the people that live in the communities and it can help the offender not try to commit any more sex crimes. The sanctions are helpful and can reduce recidivism among sex offenders. These sanctions are warranted and are needed.
There are many types of sex offences. A lot of them are more common than most. `Sex offences include: Molestation/Lewd Act with a Minor, Rape, Statutory rape or Unlawful Sexual Intercourse, Date Rape, Possession or Distribution of Child Pornography, Prostitution, solicitation, pandering or pimping, and Lewd acts, lascivious conduct and indecent exposure (Nathan).
There has also been a rise in abuse using technology. The most common
place for solicitors to find and make first contact with their victims is online chat rooms (U.S. Department of Justice). Another sex offence is sex trafficking, which is the most common type of human trafficking. Sex trafficking is a sex act that is done by force, fraud, or coercion, or if the person is persuaded to do the act (U.S. Department of State “Trafficking in Persons Report”). It is also has the highest cases and those numbers are rising every year. All over the world countries are breaking up sex trafficking rings and making laws to help fight against traffickers. The type of offences that gets the most publicity by the media is usually crimes against children.
Over half of the people that do commit sex offences are close with their victims and their families (U.S.
Department of Justice). Over 20% of sexual offenders are under the age of eighteen (U.S. Department of Justice). Juveniles make up 20 percent of people arrested for sex crimes (Gilligan). There isn’t a certain type of sex offender and there is no way to tell if someone is a sex offender or not. There can be offenders from all types of backgrounds. This helps prove that the sanctions are need. Anyone you could know could be a sex offender and prey on family members and friends. There is no profile of a sex offender so it is easier to have them in a database where they could be
found.
According to a study by Langan, Schmitt, and Durose 5.3 percent of the sex offenders in their sample committed sex crimes during the three years following their release (Przybylski). For overall recidivism rate for sex offenders in the study was higher with 17.1 percent being rearrested for a violent crime and 43 percent rearrested for any crime during the three years after their release (Przybylski). Sex offenders are more likely to commit a serious or violent crime in the three years after they are released than offenders than non-sex offenders. While the sex offenders had a lower arrest rate during those three years than non-sex offenders the percentage for rearrests for sex crimes was four times higher (Przybylski). The study also found out the recidivism rates rise the longer the offender is released form prison. If there were no sanctions to keep the offender responsible for something like updating where they work and live than there would be no reason for them not to try and commit the same offence. Sex offenders have higher rates in general crimes than sex crimes (Przybylski).
These rates could be even higher but a lot of sex crimes are not reported because the victims feel ashamed and don’t come forward. The biggest problem for many sex offenders is what happens after they are released from prison or and facility. If there are not any programs that are there to help them once they are released It will be harder for them to stay way form crime. Then the recidivism rates will rise more than ever.
There are many different treatments and programs for sex offenders.
Most of the programs are in prisons or in communities the offenders live in after they are released. There are three common therapeutic ways to treat sex offenders. The first one is cognitive-behavioral approach that emphases on changing the thinking related to sexual offending. The second one is psycho-educational approach that emphases on increasing the sex offenders' sympathy for their victims and educates them to take responsibility for offenses. The last one is the pharmacological approach that involves using medication to treat sex offenders (Bureau of Justice Assistance).
The Association For The Treatment Of Sexual Abusers is an international organization that helps prevent sex abuse and reduce sexual recidivism (Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers). This organization is one of many that try to help prevent sexual abuse but also help those that have committed sex
crimes.
The American Psychological Association released an article that claims psychological treatment could help reduce the recidivism rates among sex offenders. This treatment would include a full disclosure between the offender and the psychologist. The article says that the regular treatment is slow to progress because the offenders are afraid to tell about other crimes they have committed. They don’t want to have additional years being added to their sentence (Kersting). If the offenders feel as if they can share openly then the treatment would work better and the recidivism rates would drop.
SORNA stands for the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act that is apart of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. SORNA gives set of standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. Its purpose is so that loopholes that were there under pervious law don’t happen. SORNA helps strengthen the national database for registrations (Office of Justice Programs). With SORNA now in effect under the Act juvenile sex offenders now have to register in the National Sex Offender Registry like adult offenders (U.S. Department of Justice).
The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 “creates a National Sex Offender Registry, establishes a post-conviction civil commitment scheme, increases punishments for a variety of federal crimes against children, and strengthens existing child pornography prohibitions” (Barker). This Act has helped fewer children from being taken advantage of by strangers and people that are supposed to protect them.
The rational choice theory is present when discussing sex offenders because they committed these crimes with their own self-interest. They have decided that committing the crimes was worth more than the punishment. That is why it is important to keep track of the offenders. There is always a chance they are willing to commit their crimes again. Some of the offenders do the same crimes more than once.
In the Jerry Sandusky case most of the victims did not come forward so the number of victims rose when it could have been avoided. Mr. Sandusky was found guilty of sexually abusing boys in the 1990s and 2000s (Ganim). There are now more victims that are coming forward afterward. In the case Lewis v. Boys Scouts of America et al, Boys Scouts Of America knew about a scout leader named Timur Dykes molesting boys while in charge. Boys Scouts knew about the abused because Dykes confessed to the crimes but they continued to let him work there (Kerry Lewis v. Boy Scouts of America).
These sanctions against sex offenders are need and help the potential victims of the offenders. Now with these sanctions fewer children from being taken advantage of by offenders. The treatments that are offered do try to help but overall offenders are more likely to commit previous or different crimes again.