Executive Summary:
This study was designed to provide a comprehensive exploratory examination of the program management, treatment, and recidivism of sexual offenders in New Jersey. There were four main objectives of the research: 1) To provide normative data on a large sample of New Jersey sex offenders; 2) To determine which sex offenders get selected for treatment and what criteria are used to make that decision; 3) To examine the effect of treatment on recidivism; and 4) To compare those offenders selected for commitment as a Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) with those offenders not selected for commitment.
Data were gathered from the archival records of 3,168 male sex offenders who were housed at either a prison-based sex offender treatment facility (treatment group) or any of the New Jersey State prisons (no treatment group) and released from custody between the years 1996 and 2007. Additionally, archival data were gathered from all detained or committed SVPs. Federal and state recidivism data were obtained for all released offenders.
Ultimately, three general outcome categories were the focus of the analyses: selection for treatment (determined by whether the offender was housed at the prison-based sex offender treatment facility), recidivism (determined by whether an offender was convicted of an additional offense—sexual or non-sexual—following release), and SVP commitment (determined by whether the offender was released or civilly committed upon completion of the index sentence).
After coding the archival file data for offender characteristics, offense characteristics, risk assessment outcomes, and recidivism (and what type of recidivism, if applicable), comparisons were made via chi-square analysis and independent samples t-test across these three outcomes; that is, we compared treated and non-treated offenders, recidivists and non-recidivists, and committed and not-committed offenders on these factors.
Additionally, a series of classification tree analyses and logistic regressions were conducted to gather insight into what factors were most strongly indicative of selection for treatment, SVP commitment, and recidivism. ..Source.. by Cynthia Calkins Mercado, PI -and- Elizabeth Jeglic, PI -and- Keith Markus, Co-PI -and- R. Karl Hanson, Consultant -and- Jill Levenson, Consultant
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