Preventing Repeat Sex offenses

Preventing Repeat Sex Offenses

There are few things more reprehensible than sexual assaults or sexual offenses, especially when they involve children. There is nothing parents want more than protecting the health and welfare of their children. To those ends, I propose a stiff increase in penalties and mandatory maximum sentences for sex offenses.

We know sex offenders victimize a great many people. Federal studies show each sex offender has an average of 35 victims. It is a known fact that sexual predators are likely to repeat their offenses. Most often wind up back in prison.

Washington became the first state to require the registration and community notification of the release of sex offenders from incarceration in 1990. Later, in 1994, a federal statute called the Jacob Wetterling Act required all states to pass legislation requiring sex offenders to register with state sex offender registries. Two years later, in 1996, based on a set of New Jersey Laws called "Megan's Laws," the federal government required states to pass legislation mandating public notification of personal information for certain sex offenders.

All fifty states have passed laws requiring sex offenders, especially child sex offenders, to register with police authorities. They report where they live when they leave prison or are convicted of a crime. This requirement is often in addition to the offender's sentence/punishment and other restrictions, such as not allowing contact with children and not living within certain distances from schools, parks, stores, and stadiums. In most places, sex offenders are subjected to an exit ban meaning they can't travel or leave a certain place at a certain time. Most often the offender can't leave his/her hometown without permission from a probation officer. The exact provisions vary with each state.

The purpose of such registration and restrictions are to encourage the protection of children and society by increasing the awareness of the community about the recidivism risk that some offenders may present on release. Supporting this intervention will assist in preventing future sex offenses.

Child molesters are often thought to be highly susceptible for recidivism, although broad recidivism rates for sex offenders are lower than most other types of crimes. In some localities, the lists of sex offenders are made available to the public. However, in other localities, the lists are not available to the general public but are known to the police. In the United States offenders are often classified in three categories, Level I offenders which are at low risk to reoffend. Level II offenders which are at moderate risk to reoffend, and Level III offenders which are at high risk to reoffend. Information is usually accessible related to that risk (more information for more risky offenders). I propose penalties for failure to register as required.

Although female sex offenders are often sensationalised in news media, the vast majority of sex offenders registered are male. The vast majority of offenders also victimize individuals who are known, related or intimate to the victim -- contrary to media depictions of stranger assaults or child molesters who kidnap children unknown to them.

"While sex offender registries are designed to protect and alert the public about the dangers of sex offenders, in at least one instance two convicted sex offenders were murdered after their information was made available over the