Stats Show Sex Offenders Don't
Re-offend
Last Update: 5/12/2006 6:05:17 PM
Posted By: Sean Carroll
WETM-TV (Elmira, NY)
Elmira
The fear that a sex offender will strike again is one reason why new laws and
tougher registration requirements are being proposed across the country. But did
you know that statistics show sex offenders rarely re-offend?
Many people believe that once a sex offender, always a sex offender is simply a
fact of life. Some statistics say otherwise. A national advocacy group called
SOhopeful International is working hard to dispel the myths that many people
have about people convicted of sex crimes.
"The myth is that most offenders do re-offend, when the statistics are
completely the opposite," Pastor David Hess said. Hess is not only the pastor of
the West Henrietta Baptist Church, in the Rochester suburb of West Henrietta,
but also the New York State Representative of SOhopeful International. "We want
safe communities, we want our children safe, we want effective laws."
Hess also wants people to have the facts. According to a U.S. Bureau of Justice
study completed in 2003, only 3.5% of convicted sex offenders were re-convicted
of another sex crime within a 3-year follow-up period. Compare that to the
roughly 47% of all criminals in the same study who were re-convicted of a felony
or serious misdemeanor crime. Compare that to other criminals in the same study.
Re-arrest rates for robbers was 70%, burglars 74%, people convicted of drug
crimes were re-arrested at a 70% clip.
"The vast majority of sex crimes, the vast majority, are committed by people who
are not on a sex offender registry," Hess said. Pastor Hess believes that
parents wanting to keep their kids safe, might want to think about who really
poses a risk. "Someone had said the face of danger is more likely to be in a
family snapshot than it is a mug shot on a sex offender registry."
If you'd like to view the statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Justice click on
this link:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/
SOhopeful Internationals homepage:
http://www.sohopeful.org/