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Offender Solutions Network.
Facts v. Myths:
The Truth About the Sex Offender Panic
Driven by easy
votes, election year sound bites, advertising dollars and higher ratings,
politicians and the media refuse to deal with the sex offender issue in a fair,
accurate, and responsible manner. When
one looks at the real facts regarding sex offenders, the media continually
subjugates the truth to myths and lies.
Here are some examples:
Myth All sex offenders are child
molesters and all child molesters are predators.
Fact The FBI-UCR, National Crime Victimization
Survey reveals that only 23% of sex crimes are against someone under 18; and
the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that predators represent around three
percent of all sex offenders and child killers are less than one percent of all
offenders.
Myth All child molesters are
pedophiles.
Fact Pedophile means someone attracted
to and obsesses of pre-pubescent children.
Studies by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services show that
less than twenty-nine percent of sex offences are against children under age
twelve.
Myth Strangers are lurking at school
bus stops or around playgrounds looking for children to molest.
Fact According to all reliable
resources, around 90% of all child molestation cases involve someone who is a family
member, or someone who is close to or trusted by the family.
Myth Depraved adults commit all sex
crimes.
Fact Over 40% of sex crimes committed
against someone under 18 are by a juvenile; most are consensual sex by
teenagers, others are older siblings acting out against a relative.
Myth Men who molest boys are
homosexuals or bisexual.
Fact According to the
Myth Sex offenders have the highest
recidivism rate (some quote 95%) and allowing them back into society is a
mistake.
Fact Again, according to the U.S. Dept.
of Justice and other studies done since 1994, sex offenders commit another
crime, of any kind, at a rate of just six percent, while those convicted of
property theft reoffend (steal again) at an average of 75%. People convicted of drunk driving will
reoffend at a rate of 51%, while a convicted murderer will reoffend at a rate
of 41%. Ex-convicts with a non-sex
offence charge are 87% more likely to commit a sex offence than a convicted sex
offender in therapy is.
Myth Sex offences are increasing and
are becoming an epidemic in our society.
Fact Using the Bureau of Statistics;
U.S. Dept. of Justice own figures, over the past 16 years, sex offences are
declining around 20%. Reporting offences
to authorities has improved, and stiffer sentences have led to this decline. Sensationalized media coverage of a handful
of cases leads the public to believe otherwise.
Myth Sex offender treatment is too high
and ineffective.
Fact Sex offender treatment cost is
exponentially lower than incarceration and has proven to be an effective way to
monitor sex offender activity. The
statistical average nationwide of incarceration is around $22,000 per year per
inmate. The cost for treatment and
community monitoring is less than $5,000 per year per offender.
Myth All sex offenders are the same.
Fact Sex offences are as varied as the
people who commit them. It is
irresponsible to classify all sex offenders the same. An example would be a one time intra-familial
offender, someone who had a lapse in judgment and did something inappropriate;
is not the same as a serial rapist who has had many adult victims.
There are
solutions that protect all families. Treatment of high-risk separately
from that of low-risk offenders. Civil commitment for Predators.
Assess risk level prior to re-entry into society, implement GPS monitoring and
bi-annual assessment of high-risk offenders until their determined risk is
lowered. Immediate removal of community notification for low-risk
offenders (teenage consensual sex and one time intra-familial) increasing its
effectiveness to law enforcement, state corrections, and the courts.
Develop standardized investigative techniques, creating an accurate litmus test
to determine false allegations from factual sex abuse cases. Prevention
programs for teens and young adults to prevent sex abuse through development of
successful coping skills and through understanding of appropriate boundaries.
What has
not been publicly discussed is the impact of registration on those low risk
registrants and specifically their families and children - many times (remember
DOJ stats show 40%), the offender is under 18, and the victim is a younger
sibling of friend. These victims are doubly victimized when their older
sibling or friend is humiliated and ostracized.
Nationwide, wives, children, parents, and siblings of offenders and
former offenders are denied due process protection because of proximity
(banishment) and community notification (registration) laws.
In lieu of
fostering a fearful witch-hunt mentality for election year sound bites,
politicians should step up to this societal challenge. Additionally, the media should strive to
dispel the myths and create the environment for policy and subsequent legislation
to succeed, creating a safe society for all children. How does demonizing an entire group of people
create value for society? What is next
for sex offenders and their families?
Internment camps fashioned after the relocation centers for Japanese
Americans during World War II. We are either
going to be part of the problem or part of the solution.
For more
information or to find out what you can do to make all families safe, log onto
the Sex Offender Solutions Network at
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