Recidivism (Re-Offense) Rates for Registered Sex Offenders

National:

See HERE

This Program Offers Sex Offenders Second Chances -- And It's Working

October 2015 Hawaii:

Of the state program’s 800-plus “graduates,” only 20 have returned to prison after committing a new sex crime.

One day back in 2003, DeMont Conner sat in a room at the Kulani Correctional Facility, listening to a recording of a frantic 911 call.

A woman was on the line, clearly in distress: Her house was being broken into. Terrified, she was hiding in a closet and begging for help — but to no avail. A man soon broke in, raped the woman and killed her.

Conner, who had been locked up for seven life sentences — including one for a rape conviction — says listening to the recording was "torture." "It hit me really hard. It broke me down. I cried profusely," he said.

The exercise was designed to be a step on Conner’s road to redemption.

Offender Recidivism Figures

2012 Alaska:

A recent report by the Alaska Judicial Council (AJC) examined for the first time recidivism among both felony and misdemeanor offenders in the state. An earlier report in 2007 was the first general study of recidivism and focused on felons. In this 2011 study, the AJC analyzed records for felons and misdemeanants who returned to the community in 2008 and 2009. Because there were two years of data for the offenders released in 2008, the report highlights the analysis of that 2008 sample—2,675 felons and 8,815 misdemeanants. (The report does include data for the 2009 sample.) This article focuses on the data for offenders released in 2008.

In Criminal Recidivism in Alaska, 2008–2009, the researchers looked at three measures of recidivism:

--Rearrests—Department of Public Safety ASPIN data
--Reconvictions—Department of Public Safety ASPIN data
--Remands to incarceration, including remands for new arrests, and for probation and parole violations—Department of Corrections OTIS and AVOMS data.

There is some overlap in the measures, but each reflects an offender’s contact with the justice system which impacts justice resources. In the report and in this article, “recidivism” is used as an umbrella term referring to all measures of recidivism. When a specific percentage for recidivism is given, the measure—remand, rearrest, or reconviction—is identified.

The report also looked at offender characteristics and the location of the court where the case was originally filed; this may or may not have been the same as the offense location. The court locations were designated as Anchorage, Fairbanks, Southeast, Mat-Su, Kenai, and Rural.

... ... ...

Felons

Within two years of return to their community:

-- 30% of felons were convicted of new offenses.
--2% of Class B felons and 3% of Class C felons were convicted of a more serious crime than their original underlying offense.
--No Class A felons were convicted of a more serious crime. (An unclassified felony is the most serious category and an unclassified felon could, therefore, not commit a more serious offense.)
--29% of individuals convicted of a violent offense, 34% convicted of a property offense, and 34% convicted of “other” offenses were reconvicted of the same category of offense.
--15% of drug offenders were reconvicted of a drug offense. (These offenders were more likely to be convicted of a driving or property offense than another drug offense.)
--2% of sex offenders were reconvicted of another sex offense.

..Source.. by Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage

Wyoming Sex Offender Recidivism Rates

Average 4.4% Over 5yr Followup

Facts and Fiction about Sex Offenders

5-2-15 New Hampshire:

The New Hampshire Prison sex offender treatment program compiled recidivism data in 1999 for a national survey by the Colorado Department of Corrections.

Lance Messenger, the New Hampshire program director at the time, reported a 6.2% sex crime re-arrest rate after an average of 4.8 years on parole for 204 men who completed the Intensive Sex Offender Treatment Program.

The recidivism rate was 12.4% for 435 sex offenders who received no treatment and had spent an average of 8.6 years in the community. Messenger is now in private practice and recently told this writer his report did not constitute a rigorous scientific study. ..Source..

Nebraska Sex Offender Registry Study

July 2013 Nebraska:

Excerpt:
Sex offense recidivism. In comparing the old risk - based system of classification to the new offense-based system of classification, the former risk-based system resulted in less overall recidivism.

Specifically, the pre-LB 285 classification system resulted in a 2-year recidivism rate of 1.7% and a 1-year recidivism rate of 0.6%. In comparison, the post-LB 285 classification system resulted in a 2-year recidivism rate of 2.6% and a 1-year recidivism rate of 1.7%. We also examined the effectiveness of each classification system in identifying offenders at the highest risk to reoffend. In general, the former system that utilized a psychological risk assessment tool consistently distinguished offenders who were at a high, medium, and low risk to reoffend.

In comparison, the AWA system was very effective in distinguishing those at a high risk to reoffend from medium and low risk offenders. However, the AWA classification system consistently failed to distinguish offenders 3 at medium risk to recidivate from those at low risk to recidivate. Our findings suggest that, as an overall tool for identifying anuanced risk to reoffend, the old risk-based system appears more effective. However, if the goal is simply to distinguish the highest risk offenders from everyone else, the Adam Walsh Act Tier system appears most effective.

One caveat, however, is that this latter finding is in sharp contrast to published research on sex offenders in other states (Zgoba et al. 2012).

For the purpose of this study, “recidivism” is defined as a criminal conviction for a new sex offense that requires the offender to register with the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry. A list of crimes that require a person to register may be found in the FAQ section of the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry website. ..Source.. Prepared by: Consortium for Crime and Justice Research, University of Nebraska - Omaha, Ryan Spohn, PhD., Director

Sexual crime studys shows repeats are low

Alaska Feb 2007:

STUDY: Supporters of tough new laws say convicts just get smarter.

A study of nearly 2,000 Alaska ex-cons challenges the widely held conviction that sex criminals are more likely to strike again than other lawbreakers when they get out of prison.

The study, by the Alaska Judicial Council, found that sex offenders are among the criminals least likely to get in trouble once they've done their time and been released.

The study says only 3 percent of sex offenders were convicted of another sex crime within three years of release from jail.



The most despised of criminals, sex offenders are widely held to be incurable and more likely to repeat their acts than those who commit other violent crimes. Backers of new laws that drastically increased jail time for sex criminals say they are skeptical of the report and stand by the tougher penalties.

Most Colorado sex offenders don't get treated in prison

UPDATE 5-10: DOC disputes 9WTK sex offender investigation (See letter below)

5-7-2014 Colorado:

A six-month investigation by 9Wants to Know discovered most sex criminals were not allowed to attend specialized sex offender therapy programs while in prison.

The Colorado Department of Corrections is responsible for rehabilitating the 5,000 sex offenders currently behind bars, but the DOC strategic plan indicates just 103 actually completed the sex offender treatment program in the last state fiscal year.

Kellie Wasko, executive deputy director of corrections, says her department is trying to expand the size of the in-prison program, but she admits it's hard to find enough therapists. As of last month, more than 25 percent of program positions were vacant.

Until recently, corrections officials say they only allowed inmates sentenced under the state lifetime sentencing law to begin treatment in prison. Those offenders' sentences required them to stay in prison until they show satisfactory progress in treatment. Lifetime sex offenders make up one-third of the convicted sex criminals behind bars. The other two-thirds of offenders, inmates with traditional sentences, were specifically excluded.

Convicted child molester Donald Chapman, serving a traditional 32 year sentence for child molestation, told his parole hearing officer last month he needed treatment and "I can't seem to get treatment in here."

Recidivism rates falling

Note: This is 2009.

4-10-2009 Indiana:

Rehab programs contribute to decrease in repeat offenders

Changing the thinking patterns of criminal offenders is one key to keeping them from reoffending, prison officials say.

From looking at the number of repeat offenders in state prisons, it must be working, as the recidivism rate over the past three years has declined, the Indiana Department of Correction reported.

Officials at the IDOC have studied and monitored Indiana’s recidivism rates for four years and found the overall recidivism rate has gone down for the third consecutive year, falling to 37.4 percent.

DOC officials attribute the improving recidivism numbers to their focus on the successful re-entry of offenders.

At the Miami Correctional Facility, offenders are offered multiple programs aimed at rehabilitation, said public information officer Ann Hubbard.

Hubbard said the DOC tries to make its prisons more than just a place to house criminals. If they choose, inmates can work on issues such as substance abuse and anger management. They can take classes on fatherhood and on character and faith development.

A Multi-state Recidivism Study Using Static-99R and Static-2002 Risk Scores and Tier Guidelines from the Adam Walsh Act

November 2012:

Abstract:
This study seeks to examine important components of our nation’s sex offender tracking and monitoring systems, with a focus on risk assessment and sexual recidivism (measured by re-arrest). The principal aims of this study were fourfold: (1) to compare the nationally recommended Adam Walsh Act (AWA) classification tiers with actuarial risk assessment instruments in their respective abilities to identify high risk individuals and recidivists; (2) to evaluate the predictive accuracy of existing state risk assessment classification schemes; (3) to examine the distribution of risk assessment scores within and across tier categories as defined by the AWA; and (4) to examine the role of offender age in recidivism risk across the adult lifespan.

Data were collected from 1,789 adult sex offenders in four states (Minnesota, New Jersey, Florida and South Carolina) to inform these analyses. Variables including offender demographics and criminal history information, coded from state criminal justice records, were used to score actuarial risk assessment instruments and sex offender registry information. On average, we found that the recidivism rate was approximately 5% at five years and 10% at 10 years. AWA tier was unrelated to sexual recidivism, except in Florida, where it was inversely associated with recidivism. Actuarial measures and existing state tiering systems both showed better predictive validity than AWA tiers. Finally, offender age was found to have a significant protective effect for sexual reoffending, with older offenders showing a decreased risk for sexual recidivism.

The findings indicate that the current AWA classification scheme is likely to result in a system that is less effective in protecting the public than the classification systems currently implemented in the states studied. Policy makers should strongly consider substantial revisions of the AWA classification system to better incorporate evidence-based models of sex offender risk assessment and management. ..Source.. by Kristen M. Zgoba, PI, New Jersey Department of Corrections -and- Michael Miner, Co-PI, University of Minnesota Medical School -and- Raymond Knight, Co-Investigator Brandeis University -and- Elizabeth Letourneau, Co-Investigator, Johns Hopkins University -and- Jill Levenson, Co-Investigator, Lynn University -and- David Thornton, Co-Investigator, Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center

Recidivism among sex offenders in Connecticut

February 2012:

Executive Summary

Although the term “sex offender” is commonly used to describe anyone who has been convicted of sex-crimes, it is important to recognize that individuals who have committed sex offenses do not constitute a single, homogenous population. Together they exhibit a wide range of criminal behaviors that may or may not include violence or contact with other persons. As a consequence, the risk, or likelihood, of committing new sex crimes is not consistent across all sex offender types.

This study tracked 14,398 men for a five-year period following their 2005 release or discharge from a CT prison in 2005. Every subsequent arrest, criminal conviction or reincarceration event was captured and analyzed to produce the 5-year recidivism rates for the group.

In addition to analyzing recidivism among all offenders released or discharged during 2005, the study identified five subgroups from the total cohort who were either convicted for sex offenses or thought to have been involved in criminal sexual crimes but not convicted. The five subgroups were:

-- 1,395 men who had had a prior arrest for a sex-related offense
-- 896 men who had a prior conviction for a sex-related offense
-- 746 men who had served a prison sentence for a sex-related offense before being released in 2005
-- 423 men, a subset of the 746, whose last prison sentence before release was for a sex-related offense, and
-- 1,229 men who were assigned Sex Treatment Scores of 2 or higher by the Department of Correction prior to their 2005 release or discharge.

In 2005, 746 offenders who had served a prison sentence for a least one sex-related offense were released or discharged from prison. Over the next five years:

-- 27 (3.6%) of these men were arrested and charged with a new sex crime.
-- 20 (2.7%) were convicted for new sex offense, and
-- 13 (1.7%) were returned to prison to serve a sentence for a new sex crime.

The sexual recidivism rates for the 746 sex offenders released in 2005 are much lower than what many in the public have been led to expect or believe. These low re-offense rates appear to contradict a conventional wisdom that sex offenders have very high sexual re-offense rates. The real challenge for public agencies is to determine the level of risk which specific offenders pose the public. ...continued... by State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management, Criminal Justice Policy & Planning Division (Source Conn State)

Indiana’s Recidivism Rates Decline for Third Consecutive Year

March 2009:

The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) has been studying and monitoring Indiana’s recidivism rates for the past four years. Now, researchers have found that the overall recidivism rate has declined for the third consecutive year to 37.4%.

The IDOC defines recidivism as an offender’s return to incarceration within 3 years of their release date from a state correctional institution. An offender is included in this study when they are released via one of the following avenues: Community Transition Program (CTP), Probation, Parole, or Discharge. Once released, an offender is verified as a recidivist if they return to the institutional custody of the IDOC for a new conviction or a technical violation of postincarceration supervision.

For offenders released in 2005, only 37.4% have returned to prison by 2008, which is lower than the 2007 recidivism rate of 37.8%. Rates for 2005 and 2006 were 39.2% and 38.6%, respectively. During those four years, the demographics of the offenders studied remained consistent.

In addition, one statistic regarding a class of offenders shows a great deal of promise. The recidivism rate for sex offenders returning on a new sex offense was 1.05%, one of the lowest in the nation. In a time when sex offenders continue to face additional post-release requirements that often result in their return to prison for violating technical rules such as registration and residency restrictions, the instances of sex offenders returning to prison due to the commitment of a new sex crime is extremely low.

These improving recidivism numbers demonstrate that the IDOC’s focus on the successful reentry of offenders in recent years is beginning to pay off. Indeed, all IDOC staff members across the state have worked hard to prepare offenders for their release back into their communities and give them the tools to succeed. ..continued... by Indiana DOC Full Study HERE

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All Indiana recidivism studies by the IDOC

Liberty Healthcare: Sex offenders in Indiana less likely to be re-incarcerated

1-31-2011 Indiana:

Liberty Healthcare Corporation: “Indiana had the foresight to implement and maintain a program that manages a very difficult population”

Press Availability

WHO: Dr. Adam Deming, Executive Director, Indiana Sex Offender Management and Monitoring Program managed by Liberty Behavioral Health Corporation for Indiana Department of Correction.

SUBJECT: How the State of Indiana treated over 7,000 sex offenders and reduced recidivism and costs of incarceration.

WHEN: January 31, 2011.

WHERE: American Correctional Association Winter Conference, San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Deming is available via telephone (317) 508-9178 during the conference.

BACKGROUND: According to state data, sex offenders in Indiana are significantly less likely to be re-incarcerated compared to national figures.

Only 17, or 1.7 percent, of 997 sex offenders released from prison in 2006 were convicted for a new sex crime within three years, a state recidivism analysis conducted in 2010 showed.

By comparison, a 2003 Department of Justice study found that 3.5 percent of the over 9,700 released sex offenders surveyed in 15 states had been convicted for a new sex crime within three years.

Credit for the success in keeping sex offender recidivism low is being given to the public/private partnership between the State of Indiana and Liberty Behavioral Health Corporation, which oversees the Indiana Sex Offender Management and Monitoring Program (INSOMM).

The program and the partnership will be discussed during a presentation being given by Liberty's Dr. Adam Deming, Executive Director of the INSOMM Program, and by Edwin Buss, former Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Correction, during the American Correctional Association's Winter Conference in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday, January 31.

"Since 1999, Liberty has been a true partner with the Indiana Department of Correction in our efforts to assess, treat, and manage our sex offender population," said Buss, who has been newly appointed to oversee Florida's correctional system. "The Liberty staff work collaboratively with our facility staff and our parole agents in the community to help keep Indiana communities safe. That collaboration has enabled us to reduce sex offender recidivism rates, and deliver fantastic programming outcomes."

Working with the state, Liberty provides sex-offender treatment and management services with the primary goal being making communities safer by reducing sex offender recidivism. After an assessment is made, clinicians provide treatment that targets specific risk-factors and needs of each offender in the program. By providing the right amount of treatment based on risk levels, the program is able to keep costs contained and avoid the additional high costs associated with re-incarceration.

"Indiana had the foresight to implement and maintain a program that manages a very difficult population," said Deming. "As a result the state has benefited greatly in fewer victims of sexual violence."

In addition to participating in treatment specific to sex offenders, inmates are required to attend sex offender re-entry programs including classes on sex offender registration and parole requirements. They also receive guidance on dealing with housing and employment issues. Liberty has provided these services to more than 3,000 Indiana parolees in the last three years. ..Source.. by Liberty Healthcare Corporation

SEX OFFENDERS

September 2009:

Indiana Program Has Low Recidivism Rate

The Indiana Sex Offender Management and Monitoring (INSOMM) Program reports a low recidivism rate (2.43%) for sex offenders who received treatment through the program and then was convicted of a new sex crime upon release.
Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) started the INSOMM Program in 1999 and uses it to not only treat sex offenders but also to track and report their recidivism rates upon release.

In his report at the ACA conference, Dr. Deming (Tel: 371/951-1984, ext. 121, Email: ademing@LibertyHealth.com) reported that IDOC data, released since his article was written, show the latest recidivism rates to be even lower (1%) for INSOMM-treated sex offenders who commit a new sex crime. Deming is director of the program, which is managed by Liberty Behavioral Health Corporation under a private contract.

In the Sex Offender Law Report article, Deming and his colleagues note the in-consistency of recidivism definitions and state methodologies for collecting and reporting recidivism rates. Standardization, they say, is “paramount in the effort to decrease rates of sexual violence” and in making an accurate appraisal of treatment and management practices.

For the remainder of this paper: by Prison Fellowship

Arizona Recidivism

1998 (Fact Sheet):

FACT SHEET 98-06

SEX OFFENDER RECIDIVISM

During September 1998, the Research Unit of the Arizona Department of Corrections. (ADC) completed an analysis of sex offenders released from ADC custody over the ten-year period from July 1988 through June 1998. A released offender was included in the study if he or she was serving time for one or more sex offenses just prior to release from incarceration. Offenders were tracked only with reference to the first release from a given criminal sentence.

The record of each targeted sex offender was reviewed to determine if the offender returned to the custody of the Department by June 30, 1998, and if so, under what circumstances. Returns for technical violations were distinguished from returns with new felony convictions. In cases of new convictions, information was recorded concerning the nature of all new conviction offenses. Preliminary findings from the study are as follows:

2,444 sex offenders were released from ADC custody over the ten-year period. The average period of follow-up (to June 30, 1998) for all sex offenders was 54.5 months. Among the 2,444, 509 or 20.8 % returned at least once to the custody of the Department, including 346 or 14.2% with new felony convictions. While sex offenders returned to prison for a variety of new crimes, 78 or 3.2% returned for a new felony sex offense, and an additional 90 or 3.7% returned for a new violent felony offense.

Among the 2,444 released sex offenders, 1,087 (44.5%) were released to the supervision of ADC parole officers. Among this group, eight (8) or 0.7% were found to have committed a new sex offense during the period of parole supervision. Among the eight (8), one (1) or 0.1% returned to custody with a new sex offense conviction while still under supervision. The remaining seven (7) were returned to custody after termination of the period of supervision.

The most serious new sex offense committed by the 78 sex offense recidivists was:

Child molestation or sexual conduct with a minor 34(44%)
Rape or sexual assault 22(28%)
Sexual indecency (exposing) 14(18%)
Sexual abuse 8(10%)

Among the 78 sex offense recidivists, the timing of the commission of new sex offenses was as follows:

35 (45%) were committed within the first year after release;
19 (24%) were committed within the second year after release;
8 (10%) were committed within the third year after release;
3 (4%) were committed within the fourth year after release;
6 (8%) were committed within the fifth year after release;
4 (5%) were committed within the sixth year after release;
3 (4%) were committed within the seventh year after release.

The Department of Corrections is currently working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to determine if data can be accessed for the completion of the second phase of the research. Further study will be undertaken if data is available to ascertain if any of the offenders in the study have re-offended and have entered secure custody in other jurisdictions. It is anticipated that the report on the first phase of the research will be published before the end of the year. For further information, please contact the Department of Corrections.

For the remainder: by Arizona Dep't of Corrections

AZ- Arizona Sex Offender Recidivism

Arizona released this 15 year recidivism rates for sex offenders and upon reviewing it there are a few problems: A) There is no definition of recidivism and no mention of technical violations which usually drives the recidivism rates up but do not represent new crimes; B) There is one sentence which I have highlighted below, if that sentence is true then all the recidivism statistics cannot be true. Think about this, if there were 3,205 SOs released and 1,649 of them were parolees with a 70% recidivism rate, there is no way the other numbers can be correct if that statement is true. Something is amiss or has been juggled with these statistics! Note also, no mention of whether Arizona has a sex offender therapy program or, if they do, who of these released offenders participated or not. eAdvocate

Arizona Fact Sheet:
A total of 3,205 sex offenders were released from the Arizona prison system over the 15-year period FY 1984-FY 1998, for an average of 214 per year. Average yearly sex offender releases increased from 152 over the period FY 1984-FY 1988, to 217 over the period FY 1989-FY 1993, to 272 over the period FY 1994-FY 1998.

The 3,205 sex offenders released over the period FY 1984-FY 1998 included 818 committed for sexual assault/rape, 800 committed for child molestation, 634 committed for sexual conduct with a minor, 577 committed for sexual abuse, 279 committed for sexual indecency/exposure, and 97 committed for miscellaneous sex offenses.

Among the 3,205 released sex offenders, the average (mean) time served prior to release was 4.9 years, and varied as 3.7 years for FY 1984-FY 1988 releases, 4.8 years for FY 1989-FY 1993 releases, and 5.6 years for FY 1994-FY 1998 releases. Average time served varied as 7.0 years for sexual assault/rape, 5.9 years for child molestation, 4.4 years for sexual conduct with a minor, 2.4 years for sexual abuse, 1.7 years for sexual indecency/exposure, and 5.2 years for miscellaneous sex offenses.

Most released sex offenders (78.5%) were not granted an early release from prison. Most were released at expiration of sentence (29.5%), by mandatory release six months prior to expiration (25.6%), or by the accumulation of earned release credits (19.7%). More than half of released sex offenders (51.4%) were released to the supervision of state parole officers, while 36.4% were otherwise released in Arizona, and 12.2% were released to out-of-state authorities (detainers or out-of-state supervision or custody).

Among the 3,205 released sex offenders, 25.2% returned to prison in Arizona at least once within an average follow-up period of 6.85 years. Among the 3,205, 18.9% returned with a new felony conviction, 10.0% with a new felony conviction for a crime against persons (violent or sex crime), and 5.5% with a new felony conviction for a sex crime.

Rates of return with a new felony conviction varied by original committing offense as 27.5% for sexual assault/rape, 22.7% for miscellaneous sex offenses, 22.2% for sexual abuse, 21.9% for sexual indecency/exposure, 15. 1 % for sexual conduct with a minor, and 9.4% for child molestation. Rates of return with a new felony conviction for a sex crime varied as 11.3% for miscellaneous sex offenses, 9.3% for sex" indecency/exposure, 5.9% for sexual assault/rape, 5.0% for child molestation, 5.0% for sexual abuse, and 3.5% for sexual conduct with a minor.

Among the 1,649 sex offenders released from the Arizona prison system to the supervision of state parole officers, 70% eventually returned to prison with a new felony conviction for a sex crime, including 1.5% who committed a new sex crime while under state supervision.

For released sex offenders who could be followed for the following lengths of time, 2.5% returned to prison with a new felony conviction within one year of release, 8.2% within two years, 12.6% within three years, 15.7% within four years, 18.3% within five years, 20.7% within six years, 22.4% within seven years, 24.0% within eight years, 24.8% within nine years, 26.2% within ten years, 26.8% within eleven years, and 28.3% within twelve years. Furthermore, 0.5% returned with a new felony conviction for a sex crime within one year of release, 2.0% within two years, 3.4% within three years, 4.6% within four years, 5. 1 % within five years, 6. 0% within six years, 6.7% within seven years, 7. 1 % within eight years, 7.2% within nine years, 7.8% within ten years, 7.9% within eleven years, and 8.7% within twelve years.

Rates of return to prison within three years of release dropped from 18.9% for FY 1984-FY 1989 releases to 18.0% for FY 1990-FY 1995 releases. Rates of return with a new felony conviction dropped from 14.2% for 11.9%, rates of return with a new felony conviction for a crime against persons (violent or sex crime) dropped from 7.0% to 5.8%, and rates of return with a new felony conviction for a sex crime dropped from 4.6% to 3.3%. ..more.. by Arizona DOC