Leo Carroll: Base sex offender laws on facts rather than myths
Two decades of research regarding the effects of sex offender laws have produced no evidence that such laws achieve their stated purposes. A recent review of research on community notification and residency restriction laws in the Oxford Handbook of Sex Offences and Sex Offenders concludes that such legislation is “misinformed and simply incorrect.”
These laws are knee-jerk reactions to hysteria fueled by media narratives of sensational but exceptional tragedies; they are based on myths rather than facts. The first myth is that sex offenders are strangers, when in fact the overwhelming number of sex offenses are committed by family members, acquaintances or persons in positions of authority whom the victim trusts or relies upon.
The second myth is that sex offenders, particularly rapists and child molesters, chronically reoffend. Factual evidence tells us otherwise. The Bureau of Justice Statistics followed 9,691 sex offenders released from prison in 1994. Only 14 percent had had a prior conviction for a sex crime, and in the three years following their release, only 5 percent were re-arrested for a sex crime and only 3.5 percent were convicted.
A third myth is that sex offenders cannot be treated successfully. The majority of nearly 100 studies conducted since the 1970s finds treatment can reduce sexual recidivism, and any recidivism, by about 25 percent, and the more recent studies find the strongest effects.
Because they are based on myths, laws requiring community notification and restricting residency do nothing to ensure public safety and may in fact be counterproductive. Stigmatizing and isolating offenders may lead many of them to adopt a transient lifestyle that eludes monitoring and deprives them of support and treatment.
Leo Carroll
North Kingstown
The writer is a professor of sociology and a professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Rhode Island.
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The sex offender “treatment” industry is currently operating on junk science and assumes-wrongly-that every offender released from prison, no matter his offense, must submit to “treatment” that he must pay CASH for… Who coming out of a long sentence has a lot of cash for ongoing “treatment” and polygraph sessions at $360 a pop? This “business” incentivizes corruption. THINK about it… A captive clientele held hostage by forensic psychologists who for the most part don’t even have a PHD (doctorate) in the purported skills they are supposed to have making evaluations about someone’s mental fitness. These people have the power, simply by telling the local probation dept that a particular client is not “responding” to treatment, or is disruptive or rebellious in “Group” and back to prison her or she goes, when his or her original offense might have just been ignorance of the law or basic journalistic curiosity. Doesn’t “making your head right” fall under brainwashing or though control? Part of such “treatment” involves putting down in order all the sexual experiences one has ever had. One musn’t write down anything other than the experience itself, there must be no CONTEXT, just the experience ITSELF. How is that going to read later on in a courtroom environment in the hands of an ambitious prosecutor looking to punish his convicted victim further? MOST SO’s ON THE REGISTRIES ARE THERE FOR NON-CONTACT, NON-VIOLENT OFFENSES. And in “treatment” are at the mercy of those who view themselves as little tin gods who enjoy torturing their “patients” with demeaning comments and unconscienable invasions of privacy.
Capt Munsey Governor Scott and his cronies already know the facts unfortunately since we have no ballot power we make easy political targets under the guise of protecting children. Although organizations like FAC NORSOL and WAR do their best to shed light on the truth it will continue to be a struggle until the courts around the country and some very brave policymakers also finally say enough is enough
One thing I have never been able to understand is how a law/ordinance can be un-Constitutional in one federal district of the United States and not un-Constitutional in all districts. I guess that as long as the politicians can rely on the tax payer to pick up the bill for any challenges to their actions, they can just go on ahead violating rights with impunity. Have I been laboring under the false impression that the Constitution applies to all US citizens?
In my lifetime I have worked with hundreds of children…youth soccer, scouts both boy and girl, and orchestra. Never one single complaint…in fact I had two boys in Springfield, Virginia, who said they did not want to play soccer any more if I wasn’t going to be the coach [I had announced that I was retiring from the Navy and moving back to Virginia Beach]. My wife dies a slow tragic death and I took it extremely hard. I touched my daughter inappropriately during my days of depression and now I am a threat to the world…makes no sense. My daughter and I have reconciled and are in the process of rebuilding our father/daughter relationship. Had common sense been exercised in our situation we could have resolved this years ago and both my son and daughter would have had a father during many of their years of growing up rather than having to struggle with survival while I was incarcerated. The system makes ‘Hogan’s goat’ look organized.
Hate to be pessimistic, but I’m sure that lawmakers and governors are already aware of the facts stated in the letter and know full well how useless and counterproductive the registry is. The problem is any attempt to abolish it will be branded as “child molester friendly” by political opponents come election time.
now if all the professors sociology/criminology and criminal justice come together with the truth. and stand up for justice maybe there will be light at the end of this bs life of hell. not just for rso’s but our family’s too. if you look at 900.000. rso’s add 100 times too counting family’s. if I had money to give to help fight the fight I would. I just hope and give thanks for all that can. maybe one day my family and I
can stand with our heads high. thank you.
I forwarded this to Governor Scott to maybe…just maybe…add to his knowledge on the subject.