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..

Sex offender treatment available, not always mandatory

12-4-2009 Ohio:

CLEVELAND – As the women found dead in and around the home of accused rapist/murderer Anthony Sowell’s home on Imperial Avenue have been identified and laid to rest by their loved ones, many people – particularly women – are left wondering if there are any more men capable of committing such crimes wandering the streets and, if so, how many?

To gain some insight, let’s consider a few already known facts in this case.

One, the accused has a history of rape as he served 15 years in prison after a victim escaped then reported him. Secondly, he was a registered sex offender.

Third, we know he received no treatment while in prison or upon release.

Now, when you examine the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department registry of sex offenders, you’ll find that 2,406 sexual offenders ranging between the three-tiered types of offenses are listed in Cleveland alone. Even Beachwood has 10 while Pepper Pike has one.

Sex offenses include everything from soliciting for sex to rape and, of course, having sex with minors. Tier 1, the lowest, is anything other than a Tier II or Tier III offense.

However, the real questions become: Are there any organizations or support groups to assist men plagued with these kinds of issues as well as what kind of treatment do they receive while in prison? Also, is anyone looking at why people commit such crimes and how to prevent them from recurring?

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