Framing aside, the recidivism data presented in the BJS report can offer helpful perspective on the risks posed by people after release. Whether measured as rearrest, reconviction, or return to prison, BJS found that people whose most serious commitment offense was rape or sexual assault were much less likely to reoffend after release than those who served time for other offense types. The BJS report shows that within 9 years after release:
- Fewer than 67% of those who served time for rape or sexual assault were rearrested for any offense, making rearrest 20% less likely for this group than all other offense categories combined (84%). Only those who served time for homicide had a lower rate of rearrest (60%).
- People who served sentences for sex offenses were much less likely to be rearrested for another sex offense (7.7%) than for a property (24%), drug (18.5%), or public order (59%) offense (a category which includes probation and parole violations).
- Only half of those who served sentences for rape or sexual assault had a new arrest that led to a conviction (for any offense), compared to 69% of everyone released in 2005 (in the 29 states with data).
In sum, the BJS data show that people who served time for sex offenses had markedly lower recidivism rates than almost any other group. Yet the data continue to be framed in misleading ways that make it harder to rethink the various harmful and ineffective punishments imposed on people convicted of sex offenses.
Your font colors make the text unreadable on my phone. Yellow text with white background??? No contrast
ReplyDeleteI agree. Select all (Ctrl + A), then left click and choose Automatic (Black). The text will change to black. Worked for me. :)
DeletePer my previous comment, we are talking about font color, just to clarify.
ReplyDeleteI found these parts particularly interesting:
ReplyDeleteIn sum, the BJS data show that people who served time for sex offenses had markedly lower recidivism rates than almost any other group. Yet the data continue to be framed in misleading ways that make it harder to rethink the various harmful and ineffective punishments imposed on people convicted of sex offenses.
The recidivism data suggest that current legal responses to people convicted of sex offenses are less about managing risk than maximizing punishment. The desire for retribution is understandable; unquestionably, rape and sexual assault inflict serious and lasting trauma. But our criminal justice system does a poor job of providing survivors of rape, sexual assault, and other violent crimes what they really want. In a 2016 survey of crime survivors, the Alliance for Safety and Justice found that, “Survivors of violent crime — including victims of the most serious crimes such as rape or murder of a family member — widely support reducing incarceration to invest in prevention and rehabilitation and strongly believe that prison does more harm than good.”
The Laws are too arbitrary for Sexual Offences. Lawyers encourage plea agreements instead of trials and Judges use their discretion to do whatever they want. A person can agree on a sentence in a plea agreement, and after they complete it, they are adding onto their sentences ! This is so wrong and seems unconstitutional, yet nothing is being done. If you are told you serve 10 yrs and register for 15 yrs after sentence ends, then your registration should be OVER at that point ! Trying to have the court follow their own sentence in these cases, isn't happening. Very frustrating for people at the mercy of an appointed ATTY or Pro-bono Atty, who is encouraging this system. How can people STOP these arbitrary actions ??
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