Recidivism Rates of Sexual Offenders up to 7 Years Later Does Treatment Matter?

This article critically reviews the evidence on sex offender treatment and subsequently provides new estimates on short-term recidivism among sexual offenders released from prison in New Jersey. The sample of male sex offenders is drawn from the Adult Diagnostic Treatment Center (ADTC), New Jersey\u27s only sex-offender-specific prison, and the general population of nine prisons within the state of New Jersey. The ADTC sample receives treatment while incarcerated (n = 495), whereas no treatment is provided to the offenders in the general population sample (n = 223). Overall, 33% of the total sample (N= 718) commits a new offense. Of the total sample, 14% commits a new sexual offense and 24% commits a new nonsexual offense. Significant differences exist between the ADTC and the general population samples with respect to nonsexual reoffending only. In the final analysis, treatment appears to matter in terms of a reduction in recidivism but not in conventionally expected ways

Failure to Register as a Predictor of Sex Offense Recidivism: The Big Bad Wolf or a Red Herring?

This quasi-experimental study analyzed the recidivism outcomes of 1,125 sexual offenders in two groups. The first group comprised 644 registered sex offenders who were convicted of a sex crime and at some point failed to register after release from prison. The comparison group contained 481 registered sex offenders released from prison during a similar time frame who did not fail to register after their release. The groups were then tracked for both sexual and nonsexual offenses to determine whether failure to register under Megan\u27s Law is predictive of reoffending. Failure to register was not a significant predictor of sexual recidivism, casting doubt on the belief that sex offenders who are noncompliant with registration are especially sexually dangerous. Few differences between groups were detected, but FTR offenders were more likely to have sexually assaulted a stranger and to have adult female victims, further challenging the stereotype of the child predator who absconds to evade detection. Potential policy implications are discussed

Sex Offender Residence Restrictions: Sensible Crime Policy or Flawed Logic?

The article explores the efficacy of the residency restrictions imposed on sexual predators. The Jacob Wetterling Act, a law passed by the U.S. Congress in 1994 to protect the public, requires the compliance of sexually violent offenders to the registration requirements. It was amended in 1996 by Megans Law that allows public disclosure to the registry information. Housing restrictions have been enacted that prohibit sex offenders from residing within 1,000 to 2,000 feet where children usually converge

Megan’S Law 20 Years Later: An Empirical Analysis And Policy Review

This present study examines the sexual and general recidivism rates of 547 convicted sex offenders released before and after the enactment of Megan’s Law in New Jersey. Presenting the longest Megan’s Law evaluation, participants were followed for an average of 15 years after release (range = 10-29 years). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression equations were estimated to identify covariates significantly associated with both sexual and general recidivism. Group-based trajectories of general recidivism within the 10 years post–prison release were also estimated and compared according to pre–Megan’s Law and post–Megan’s Law release status. No differences in recidivism rates were noted between the cohorts, but differences emerged in the offending trajectories of the high-risk group of offenders within 10 years of release. These results highlight the lack of impact that sex offender registration and notification (SORN) laws have on sexual and general reoffending rates postrelease