584984
research-article2015
IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X15584984International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyPalermo
Editorial
Recidivism in Sexual Offenders
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 2015, Vol. 59(6) 563–564 © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0306624X15584984 ijo.sagepub.com
Sexual offenders, in particular, child molesters and rapists, often spend long periods in jails and prisons because of their sexual misbehavior. These offenders are viewed by the majority of the members of society as predators. Believing that once a sexual offender, always a sexual offender, people fear them and feel they are a constant menace. This is particularly true of those persons residing in neighborhoods into which these offenders are released, some of whom even panic at times. However, when released into the community, the offenders are generally strictly controlled. For example, they may be tracked by electronic monitoring, required to comply with mandatory registration, and subjected to myriad other laws, laws that have often created more problems and whose effect on recidivism has been questioned (e.g., Levenson & Zgoba, 2015). In spite of the above precautions, questions that face correctional officials include whether these offenders will recidivate and, if so, how soon? Numerous studies, including several meta-analyses, have been conducted over the past decades in an attempt to ascertain the answers to the above questions. The research also sought to find out, among other things, whether child molesters tend to recidivate sooner than rapists, whether older sexual offenders recidivate before younger ones, or vice versa, and what factors might contribute to non-recidivism. In this issue of the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology (IJOTCC), an interesting and well-documented article by Christine Petterson and colleagues examines whether scores on the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI) may predict sexual recidivism. To this effect, they conclude that the Assault and Verbal Hostility subscale of the BDHI may be such a predictor. Obviously, other factors, including the personality of the offenders, whether hostile or not, also influences their behavior and possible recidivism. Indeed, a severe degree of antisocial personality disorder or borderline behavior, coupled with unrepressed hostility, may be at the basis of their recidivistic behaviors. Among the many studies on recidivism is that of Hanson and Bussiere (1998), who reported a total recidivism rate of 13.4% (including 12.7% for child molester and 18.9% for rapist subgroups) among a group of 23,393 offenders. A study from the U.S. Corresponding Author: George B. Palermo, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Nevada, School of Medicine, Las Vegas, Mailing Address: 2169 Silent Echoes Drive, Henderson, NV, 89044, USA. Email: [email protected]
564
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 59(6)
Department of Justice (DOJ; Langan, Schmitt, & Durose, 2003) reported a sexualoffender recidivism rate of 5.35% within the 3-year period following release from State prisons in 1994, indicating that 1 in 19 released sex offenders was later rearrested for sex crimes. The rate was four times higher than that for non-sex offenders. Hanson and Morton-Bourgon (2005), in a meta-analysis of 82 recidivism studies, reported an average recidivism rate of 13.7%. In the April issue of the IJOTCC, Rettenberger, Briken, Turner, and Eher (2015) reported a study of sexual-offender recidivism among a population-based prison sample. They took into consideration a large cohort (n = 1,115) of incarcerated male sexual offenders in Austria. They found that most sexual offenders do not reoffend soon after release from incarceration (and when they do reoffend, their crimes may be non-sexual, at least in the beginning). They reported a recidivism rate of 6% for the first 5 years following discharge (8% for child molesters and 4% for rapists), similar to the statistics reported by the DOJ but lower than those found in the studies of Hanson and Bussiere and of Hanson and Morton-Bourgon. Reasons for the difference in findings could be attributed to the fact that some offenders are not reported, detected, or arrested, and that many may plea bargain down to a non-sexual offense. It can be seen from the above-reported studies and the article of Petterson and colleagues in this issue that sexual offenders may offend and reoffend on the basis of their personality, aggressivity, hostility, and impulsivity. These factors all contribute to the formation of a spectrum of recidivistic sexual offenders, from occasional recidivists to frequent ones, with some subsets reoffending at high rates. George B. Palermo, MD, MScCrim, PhD Editor-in-Chief Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Henderson, USA References Hanson, R. K., & Bussiere, M. T. (1998). Predicting relapse: A meta-analysis of sexual offender recidivism studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 348-362. Hanson, K. R., & Morton-Bourgon, K. E. (2005).The characteristics of persistent sexual offenders: A meta-analysis of recidivism studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 154–1163. Langan, P., Schmitt, E., & Durose, M. (2003). Recidivism of sex offenders released from prison in 1994. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/rsorp94.pdf Levenson, J. S., & Zgoba, K. M. (2015). Community protection policies and repeat sexual offenses in Florida. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. Advance online publication. doi:10.1177/0306624X15573946 Rettenberger, M., Briken, P., Turner, D., & Eher, R. (2015). Sexual offender recidivism among a population-based prison sample. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 59, 424-444.
research-article2015
IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X15584984International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyPalermo
Editorial
Recidivism in Sexual Offenders
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 2015, Vol. 59(6) 563–564 © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0306624X15584984 ijo.sagepub.com
Sexual offenders, in particular, child molesters and rapists, often spend long periods in jails and prisons because of their sexual misbehavior. These offenders are viewed by the majority of the members of society as predators. Believing that once a sexual offender, always a sexual offender, people fear them and feel they are a constant menace. This is particularly true of those persons residing in neighborhoods into which these offenders are released, some of whom even panic at times. However, when released into the community, the offenders are generally strictly controlled. For example, they may be tracked by electronic monitoring, required to comply with mandatory registration, and subjected to myriad other laws, laws that have often created more problems and whose effect on recidivism has been questioned (e.g., Levenson & Zgoba, 2015). In spite of the above precautions, questions that face correctional officials include whether these offenders will recidivate and, if so, how soon? Numerous studies, including several meta-analyses, have been conducted over the past decades in an attempt to ascertain the answers to the above questions. The research also sought to find out, among other things, whether child molesters tend to recidivate sooner than rapists, whether older sexual offenders recidivate before younger ones, or vice versa, and what factors might contribute to non-recidivism. In this issue of the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology (IJOTCC), an interesting and well-documented article by Christine Petterson and colleagues examines whether scores on the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI) may predict sexual recidivism. To this effect, they conclude that the Assault and Verbal Hostility subscale of the BDHI may be such a predictor. Obviously, other factors, including the personality of the offenders, whether hostile or not, also influences their behavior and possible recidivism. Indeed, a severe degree of antisocial personality disorder or borderline behavior, coupled with unrepressed hostility, may be at the basis of their recidivistic behaviors. Among the many studies on recidivism is that of Hanson and Bussiere (1998), who reported a total recidivism rate of 13.4% (including 12.7% for child molester and 18.9% for rapist subgroups) among a group of 23,393 offenders. A study from the U.S. Corresponding Author: George B. Palermo, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Nevada, School of Medicine, Las Vegas, Mailing Address: 2169 Silent Echoes Drive, Henderson, NV, 89044, USA. Email: [email protected]
564
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 59(6)
Department of Justice (DOJ; Langan, Schmitt, & Durose, 2003) reported a sexualoffender recidivism rate of 5.35% within the 3-year period following release from State prisons in 1994, indicating that 1 in 19 released sex offenders was later rearrested for sex crimes. The rate was four times higher than that for non-sex offenders. Hanson and Morton-Bourgon (2005), in a meta-analysis of 82 recidivism studies, reported an average recidivism rate of 13.7%. In the April issue of the IJOTCC, Rettenberger, Briken, Turner, and Eher (2015) reported a study of sexual-offender recidivism among a population-based prison sample. They took into consideration a large cohort (n = 1,115) of incarcerated male sexual offenders in Austria. They found that most sexual offenders do not reoffend soon after release from incarceration (and when they do reoffend, their crimes may be non-sexual, at least in the beginning). They reported a recidivism rate of 6% for the first 5 years following discharge (8% for child molesters and 4% for rapists), similar to the statistics reported by the DOJ but lower than those found in the studies of Hanson and Bussiere and of Hanson and Morton-Bourgon. Reasons for the difference in findings could be attributed to the fact that some offenders are not reported, detected, or arrested, and that many may plea bargain down to a non-sexual offense. It can be seen from the above-reported studies and the article of Petterson and colleagues in this issue that sexual offenders may offend and reoffend on the basis of their personality, aggressivity, hostility, and impulsivity. These factors all contribute to the formation of a spectrum of recidivistic sexual offenders, from occasional recidivists to frequent ones, with some subsets reoffending at high rates. George B. Palermo, MD, MScCrim, PhD Editor-in-Chief Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Henderson, USA References Hanson, R. K., & Bussiere, M. T. (1998). Predicting relapse: A meta-analysis of sexual offender recidivism studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 348-362. Hanson, K. R., & Morton-Bourgon, K. E. (2005).The characteristics of persistent sexual offenders: A meta-analysis of recidivism studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 154–1163. Langan, P., Schmitt, E., & Durose, M. (2003). Recidivism of sex offenders released from prison in 1994. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/rsorp94.pdf Levenson, J. S., & Zgoba, K. M. (2015). Community protection policies and repeat sexual offenses in Florida. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. Advance online publication. doi:10.1177/0306624X15573946 Rettenberger, M., Briken, P., Turner, D., & Eher, R. (2015). Sexual offender recidivism among a population-based prison sample. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 59, 424-444.
