Recidivism of Sex Offendes Released from Prison in 1994

Prior arrest for a sex crimeAll sex offendersPrior to their release in 1994, 2,762 ofthe sex offenders (28.5% of the total9,691) had 2 or more arrests for a sexoffense in their criminal record: thearrest for the sex offense that resultedin their imprisonment, plus at least 1earlier arrest for a sex crime (table 30).For the remaining 6,929 (71.5% of thetotal 9,691), their only prior arrest for asex crime was the arrest that broughtthem into prison. (Any other priorarrests the 6,929 may have had werefor non-sex crimes.) Following theirrelease, the 2,762 with more than 1 sexcrime in their criminal background wereabout twice as likely to be rearrestedfor another sex crime (8.3%) as the6,929 with a single prior arrest (4.2%).Rapists and sexual assaultersRapists (4.0%) and sexual assaulters(4.2%) with one prior arrest for a sexcrime were less likely to be rearrestedfor another sex crime than rapists(7.4%) and sexual assaulters (8.7%)who had been arrested two or moretimes for a sex crime prior to releasefrom prison in 1994.Child molesters and statutory rapistsBy definition, all 4,295 child molestershad been arrested for a sex offense atleast once prior to their release in 1994— the sex offense that landed them inprison. For 3,049 of them (71% of4,295), that arrest was their only priorarrest for a sex offense (table 31). Theremaining 1,246 child molesters (29%of 4,295) had at least 2 prior arrests fora sex crime: the arrest for their imprisonmentoffense plus at least 1 otherprior arrest for a sex offense (notnecessarily one against a child). Of the1,246 child molesters with multiple sexcrimes in their past, 8.4% (105 of the1,246) were rearrested for another sexcrime (not necessarily another sexcrime against a child), or more thandouble the 3.8% rate for the 3,049released child molesters with just 1prior arrest for a sex crime.Similar results were found for releasedstatutory rapists. Those with a moreThe arrest responsible for their being in prison in 1994 was —*Their first arrest for any sex crimeNot their first arrest for any sex crimePercent of released prisonersTotalThe arrest responsible for their being in prison in 1994 was —*Their first arrest for any sex crimeNot their first arrest for any sex crimeTotal releasedextensive record of prior arrestsfor sex crimes were more likely to berearrested for another sex crime (8.8%)than those with just one past arrest(2.6%).Table 30. Of sex offenders released from prison in 1994, percent rearrestedfor any new sex crime, by type of sex offender and prior arrest for any sex crimeArrest prior to 1994 releasePercent rearrested for any new sex crime within 3 yearsTotal5.3%100%71.528.59,691100%71.328.73,115100%71.628.46,576Note: The 9,691 sex offenders were released in 15 States.*By definition, all sex offenders had at least 1 arrest prior to their release: namely, the arrestresponsible for their being in prison in 1994. "First arrest for any sex crime" pertains exclusivelyto those released prisoners whose first arrest was the sex offense arrest responsible for theirbeing in prison in 1994.The arrest responsible for their beingin prison in 1994 was — *Their first arrest for any sex crimeNot their first arrest for any sex crimePercent of released prisonersTotalThe arrest responsible for their beingin prison in 1994 was — *Their first arrest for any sex crimeNot their first arrest for any sex crimeTotal released100%71.029.04,295All4.28.361.638.4Rapists100%5.0%4.07.4Sexualassaulters5.5%Table 31. Of child molesters and statutory rapists released from prison in 1994,percent rearrested for any new sex crime, by prior arrest for any sex crimeArrest prior to 1994 releasePercent rearrested for any newsex crime within 3 yearsTotalChildmolesters5.1%Note: The 4,295 child molesters were released in 15 States; the 443 statutory rapists, 11 States.Because of overlapping definitions, all statutory rapists also appear under the column "childmolesters."*By definition, all sex offenders had at least 1 arrest prior to their release: namely, the arrestresponsible for their being in prison in 1994. "First arrest for any sex crime" pertains exclusivelyto those released prisoners whose first arrest was the sex offense arrest responsible for theirbeing in prison in 1994.3.88.4Statutoryrapists5.0%2.68.84434.28.728 Recidivism of Sex Offenders Released from Prison in 1994