Recidivism of Sex Offenders Essay -- Adult Sex Offender Recidivism

Sex offenders have been a serious problem for our legal system at all levels, non to mention those who have been their victims. in that respect ar 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 childhoods destroyed, possibly on more than one occasion, and are faced with dealing with the assault for the rest of their lives. Sadly, some(prenominal) 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 aproblem for the public, as potential victims, and the legal system which is entrusted by the public for protection. It would be haughty for the legal system to ignore the criminal class of sex offenders, for they are subject to a recurring physiological urge that requires the use of effective restraints that would trim back the habitual repetition of episodes producing the harmful consequences to the public(Schopf 95). In light of this realization, steps beyond treatment have been taken to reduce the recidivism rate of sex offenders. Notification laws, special supervising techniques by parole officers, and both surgical and chemical castration are techniques used in various forms in this country and abroad with success. However, card laws and both forms of castrationshave not come about without criticism on constitutional grounds. Any criticism should take into account the extraordinary recidivism rates arrange only in the criminal class of the s... ...Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 15. pp. 279-290Martin, R. (1996). Pursuing Public Protection Through Mandatory Community Notification of Convicted Sex offenders The Trials and Tribulations of Megans Law. The B oston Public sake Law Journal, Vol. 6, Issue 29Oakes, S. (1999). Megans Law Analysis on Whether it is Constitutional to Notify the Publicof Sex Offenders Via the Internet. The John Marshal Journal of Computer and discipline LawSampson, E. (1999). Supervising Sex Offenders Alternatives to Incarceration, Bethpage, Vol. 5, pp.6-7Schopf, S. (1995). Megans Law Community Notification and the Constitution. Columbia Universtiy School Journal of Law and Social Problems, 29Seto, M. & Barbaree, H. (1999). Psychopathy, Treatment Behavior, and Sex Offender Recidivism. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 14, pp.1235-1248