MYTH: "The cost of treating and managing sex offenders in the community is too high—they belong behind bars."

CSOM Myths/Facts:

Fact:
One year of intensive supervision and treatment in the community can range in cost between $5,000 and $15,000 per offender, depending on treatment modality. The average cost for incarcerating an offender is significantly higher, approximately $22,000 per year, excluding treatment costs.

As noted previously, effective sex offender specific treatment interventions can reduce sexual offense recidivism by 8%. Given the tremendous impact of these offenses on their victims, any reduction in the reoffense rates of sex offenders is significant.

Without the option of community supervision and treatment, the vast majority of incarcerated sex offenders would otherwise serve their maximum sentences and return to the community without the internal (treatment) and external (supervision) controls to effectively manage their sexually abusive behavior. Managing those offenders who are amenable to treatment and can be supervised intensively in the community following an appropriate term of incarceration can serve to prevent future victimization while saving taxpayers substantial imprisonment costs (Lotke, 1996). ..Source.. by CSOM

A cost-benefit analysis of child sex-offender treatment programs for male offenders in correctional services.

March 1999:

Abstract
This paper reports on a cost-benefit analysis of child sex offender treatment programs for male offenders in correctional services. This study provides an overview of child sex abuse issues and provides a description of cognitive therapy treatment programs in several countries and around Australia. It then discusses the methodological and practical issues involved with the economic analysis of offender treatment programs and child sexual abuse as well as presenting findings based on South Australian data.

A comprehensive list of the effects of child sexual abuse is outlined and there is a discussion of the methodological difficulties in attributing values to these. Despite these difficulties, overall estimates of the costs of programs and the benefits derived from lowering recidivism are reported, together with a sensitivity analysis of the results. The magnitude of the problem of child sexual abuse generally and offences by recidivists in particular, suggest the range of potential economic costs from child sexual abuse are substantial and the economic benefits to be achieved from appropriate and effective treatment programs high.

Given the application of recent economic techniques to measure the intangible costs of child sex abuse and the methodological and informational problems encountered, the study can be considered a major first step towards a comprehensive economic analysis of in-prison child sex offender treatment programs that also provides a framework for future research efforts. ..Source (PDF).. by Ron Donato and Martin Shanahan and Rosslyn Higgins