Sex Offenders:Treatment and Re-Entry in the Society

Sex offenders: Treatment and Re-Entry in the Society
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Abstract
The public attitudes towards sex offenders are influential to laws related to sex offenses in the US. However, the laws are viewed to be retrogressive because the country still experiences high rates of recidivism. Several of researches present successful treatment options for helping sex offender and also to reduce recidivism as one of the strategies that need to be embraced. This is one of the emerging approaches derived from modern research that has been proven to work effectively (Wevodau, Cramer, Gemberling, & Clark, 2016). Using New Jersey containment model, this paper will present some research findings of certain response to sex offences that have positively and negatively impacted on both the sex offenders and the community.
Sex offenders: Treatment and Re-Entry in the Society
Sex crime policies emerged as a priority in the US especially in early 1990, with stringent laws being passed to track, apprehend, and punish sex offenders. Although the number of convicted sex offenders has increased, researches support the need for treating sex offenders by developing effective treatment plans, allowing sex offenders to lead a crime free lives after being released (Levenson, Sandler, & Freeman, 2012). Previous studies on public attitude regarding crime indicate that sexual offenders are considered as special cases, hence evoking different opinion due to anxiety and fear from both the public and legal fraternity in the US. Several kinds of literature suggest that the negative beliefs are as a result of the misunderstanding because of limited empirical data that exist regarding sexual offences. The preparation and opinions formed are based on contradictory, flawed, or incomplete research findings on sex offenders (Levenson, Sandler & Freeman, 2012). This research presents some of the laws that have not been effective, focusing of New Jersey. The research also highlights important definitions of sex offences and the statistical data about sex offenders. The research further presents successful treatment options for helping sex offender and reducing recidivism.
Interest groups advocating for stiffer penalties for sex offenders have previously relied on conceptualized framework looking at sex offenders as recidivists. The view is considered deviant; however, many laws have been developed to manage sex offenders. They include the Megan's Law, the Jacob Wetterling Crimes against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Program initiated in 1994, the Adam Walsh Child Protection, and Safety Act, and the Pam Lynchner Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act, 1996. These statutes confine offenders even after completion of their criminal sentence. Such statutes support the belief that sex offenders are not safe in the community. Furthermore, research repeatedly demonstrates that the legislations have long-term effects on offenders during the re-integration efforts; this may increase the risk of recurrent of such crimes (Levenson, Sandler, & Freeman, 2012).
Sexual abuse affects almost everyone, girls and boys; both adult women and men fall victims of this abusive act. Sexual abuse can be in the form of rape that includes either forced virginal, oral, or even anal intercourse. These are common behaviors that people rarely notice, but they are mostly perpetrated by immediate family members, acquaintances, or even friends of the victims. However, not everyone reports such acts to the relevant authorities; for the victims reporting such sex offences is more traumatic than the abuse itself .According to the national Centre for missing and exploited Children ,there are approximately 800,000 registered sex offenders. However many sex crimes are still not being reported so it’s not easy know the exact rate of sexual recidivism (Alistair, 2015)
Even though since 1990, the overall rates of sexual abuse have reduced, but research findings indicate that every state has varying statistics about the rates of sexual offences. Worldwide, the sex offence rate is at 7.9 percent among males and 19.7 percent for females. In the US, these rates stand at 7.5 percent for the males and 25.3 percent for the females (Saunders et al., 2008).
In America, 78 women are raped in every 1 hour with most of them being 18 years and over while 16 percent of the rape victims are under the age of 18 years. 22 percent of rape victims are under the age of 12 years while 32 percent of the rape cases reported, the victims are between 12 to 17 years old (Saunders et al., 2008).
According to the National Violence against Women Survey, 18 percent of women in the US responded by stating that they have experienced a completed or attempted rape in their lifetime (Saunders et al., 2008). While 3 percent of men, during the survey, stated that they have also experienced complete or attempted rape in their life. This can be translated to mean that 1 in every 6 women has experienced rape. Equally, 1 in every 33 men has experienced rape in their lifetime. In the last 12-months, approximately 876, 1000 rape cases have been reported amongst women in the US (Saunders et al., 2008). This represents a terrible situation in the country.
In one of the surveys conducted by the National Survey of Adolescents, 3 in 4 perpetrators, which accounts for 74 percent, are the people known to the victims. Almost 32 percent of these perpetrators were friends with the victim (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998). The survey findings indicated that 21 percent of the perpetrators were family members while 23 percent were strangers. According to the same survey, rapes occur at home, within the neighborhood, and in schools. 30 percent of rape cases were committed at home while 23.8 percent were within the neighborhood and 15.4 percent were victimized in school (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998). The same survey findings indicated that 86 percent of rapes cases are not reported to the authorities; only 13 percent were reported within the period of 12 months. 5.8 percent of rape cases were reported to the child protective services, the remaining 5 percent of rape cases were reported to school authorities while only 1.3 percent reported to other authorities. The survey indicated that generally, the rates of sexual abuse have decreased to 40 percent since 1990 though the reasons were not clear (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998).
Sex offenders vary; they can be juveniles with sexual behaviour problems, statutory offenders, or even incest offenders. Some are female offenders, exhibitionist, date rapists, or stranger rapists (Martin & Silverstone, 2013). Other sex offenders are termed as male pedophiles, sadist rape murderers, or even internet offenders. Notably, sex offenders are mostly adult men, but they come from different social, economic class. Most of the adult sex offenders are in the relationship by the time they commit such offences. 89 percent, however, are caught on the first attempt (Martin & Silverstone, 2013).
Some of the commonalities that exist among sex offenders are that most of them have broke state or federal laws before, and have problems with sexual arousal or social interactions. Others of them have problems obeying the laws and also have the problem making the decent living; they also have problems with drugs and adhering to society norms. Braking state laws or federal law includes aggravated sexual assault or aggravated criminal sexual contact. It may also include endangering the welfare of a child and also kidnapping, enticing, and luring the victim (Martin & Silverstone, 2013).
Civil consideration for sexual offences includes one having a prior offence, mental abnormalities, or personality disorder, or having the volitional impairment. The pedophilic disorder is another, meaning that one has recurrent sexual arousal, fantasies, urges, or behavior that involves sexual activity with prepubescent children (Bosley, 2014).
In New Jersey, the Megan's Law signed in 1996 requires the community to be notified about convicted sex offenders living amongst them. According to this law, 16 years is the age of consent; however, 13, 14, and 15 years old can only consent to sexual behaviour with someone who is 4 years older than themselves. In New Jersey, ministers, teachers, and coaches are forbidden from engaging in sex with minors under their watch (Shephard, 1997).
The same law permits newspapers to public the names of the offenders and their street addresses. The law has been challenged severally and termed as backwards based on how it is being applied. A group of 20 child molesters filed a suit to freeze public notifications after a seven year old was raped and a notification published before being sentenced (Shephard, 1997).
According to Meagan law, molesters who has served and completed their sentences are the ones to be affected by the law. In another incident in New Jersey, two men broke into a house looking for a child molester ending up blaming the wrong person because the address was not accurate. Furthermore, statistics show that 80 to 90 percent of sex offenders are likely to repeat their crimes (Shephard, 1997).
General consequences associated with sexual assaults by victims includes developing psychiatric problems, being homeless, contracting HIV/AIDS virus, committing suicide, abusing drug and alcohol, low self-esteem, teen pregnancies, and engaging in prostitution. Children who are sexually abused experience emotional disorders including fear, low self-esteem, and anxiety. They can also display anger or hostility among other emotional problems (Wevodau et al., 2016).
Long term mental effects among children who are sexually abused includes increased levels of vulnerability to other traumatic experiences, developing impaired relationships, developing somatic or personality disorder. Other effects include sexual disorders and increased suicidal attempts. Research indicates that 51 to 79 percent of rape victims develop psychological symptoms especially if the abuse was forced rape that involved sexual intercourse (Wevodau et al., 2016).
The government has put in place various responses to a sex offence; these include supervision and therapeutic approaches and criminal sanction. Criminal sanctions for sex offenders includes facing trial and the application of the Megan laws whereby the community is to be notified through various medium about the perpetrators' crime. Megan Law permits public disclosure of registry information known as the community notification (Levenson, Sandler &Freeman, 2012).
It becomes an offence to fail to register because sex offenders’ registration and notification laws aim at preventing recidivism. Notifications increase awareness and scrutiny of sex offenders through monitoring. However, research findings indicate that recidivism rates are lower than it is commonly believed. The US Department of Justice report indicates that 5.3 percent of more than 9000 convicted sex offenders released from prison have been rearrested for new sexual crimes for the last 3 years (Levenson, Sandler &Freeman, 2012).
Even though the Megan Law aims at minimizing recidivism because it will reduce the attempt for the perpetrators to seek out news victims, many sex offenders have failed to register to avoid detection and also find new victims. In one of the research study conducted in three states namely South Carolina, Minnesota and New Jersey indicated that...