Observations
An overview of sex offender recidivism plus new arrests and convictions for all offenders released from prison.
Author
Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.
Retired federal senior spokesperson. Thirty-five years of award-winning public relations for national and state criminal justice agencies. Interviewed multiple times by every national news outlet. Former Senior Specialist for Crime Prevention for the Department of Justice’s clearinghouse. Former Director of Information Services, National Crime Prevention Council. Former Adjunct Associate Professor of criminology and public affairs-University of Maryland, University College. Former advisor to presidential and gubernatorial campaigns. Former advisor to the “McGruff-Take a Bite Out of Crime” national media campaign. Certificate of Advanced Study-Johns Hopkins University. Aspiring drummer.
Article
Recidivism based on new arrests, convictions and periods of incarceration is a vital measure of crime and criminal justice policy. See an overview at Offender Recidivism.
The report below on sex offenders provides recidivism data and much more; it offers arrest-conviction data for all offenders released from federal and state prisons and how many were arrested for new crimes versus technical violations (i.e., escape-absconding, refusing to go to programs, etc.).
Highlights
Sex offenders were more than three times as likely to be re-arrested for rape or sexual assault. Please keep in mind that sex offenses are vastly underreported and, because of their non-stranger component, problematic to investigate and prove. This finding is an undercount.
About two-thirds (67%) of released sex offenders were arrested at least once for any type of crime indicating that there are few specialists when it comes to criminality.
84% of all released prisoners were rearrested, the highest figure I’ve seen per national data.
99% of all released offenders were arrested for an offense other than a probation or parole violation. Considering the debate on offenders being returned to prison for technical violations, this figure is potentially explosive. “Almost all prisoners who were re-arrested (96% of released sex offenders and 99% of all released offenders) were arrested for an offense other than a probation or parole violation,” BJS Press Release.
BJS Report
State prisoners released after serving time for rape or sexual assault were more than three times as likely as other released prisoners to be re-arrested for rape or sexual assault during the 9 years following their release, per Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Released sex offenders represented 5% of prisoners released in 2005 and 16% of post-release arrests for rape or sexual assault during the 9-year follow-up period.
The BJS study tracked a representative sample of prisoners released in 2005 in the 30 states that were responsible for 77% of all state prisoners released nationwide and examined their arrests through 2014.
An estimated 7.7% of released sex offenders were arrested for rape or sexual assault during the 9-year follow up period, versus 2.3% of other released prisoners.
While rape and sexual assault offenders were more likely than other released prisoners to be arrested for rape or sexual assault, they were less likely than other released prisoners to be arrested for other crimes.
About two-thirds (67%) of released sex offenders were arrested at least once for any type of crime during the 9 years following their release, compared to about five-sixths (84%) of other released prisoners.
Almost all prisoners who were re-arrested (96% of released sex offenders and 99% of all released offenders) were arrested for an offense other than a probation or parole violation.
Overall, half of sex offenders released from prison had a subsequent arrest that led to a conviction. However, sex offenders were less likely than all released prisoners to have a new arrest resulting in a conviction.
At the end of the 9-year follow-up, 50% of sex offenders and 69% of all released prisoners had a new arrest that led to a conviction.
Sex offenders were more likely than other released prisoners to receive longer sentences and to be granted unconditional releases from prison. The median sentence length for sex offenders was 60 months versus 36 months for all state prisoners released in 30 states in 2005.
About 32% of sex offenders were granted an unconditional release and not placed on parole, probation or some other form of community supervision. About 26% of all released prisoners were granted an unconditional release.
The report, Recidivism of Sex Offenders Released from State Prison: A 9-Year Follow-Up (2005-14)is available on the BJS website at www.bjs.gov.
Source
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Contact us at leonardsipes@gmail.com.
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Reviews are appreciated.
What a poorly written summary of an equally poorly devised paper by the DoJ.
http://www.oncefallen.com/unique_threat_myth.html
OnceFallen’s critique of this report is far more accurate.
Thanks Derek: I will read. Best, Len.