Sex offenders in the community where we live is something that affects a lot of people and can have a huge cost to society and families alike. Many people do not address this issue and that is something that hopefully this blog will help educate people about and hopefully help them avoid any tragedies.
The release of any offender back into the community warrants public response in regards to public safety, supervision of the offender, and whether they can reintegrate back into the community smoothly. This public response is especially strong when the offender being released is a convicted sex offender. The public’s response to the release of a sex offender is often a flurry of social control and legislative mechanisms. These include laws that restrict where sex offenders can live and work and that they must register online and notify the community when they are released from prison. All of these obstacles are what the convicted sex offender faces when he/she is released from prison.
First of all, lets define what a sex offender actually is. A sex offender is defined by a sexual act committed by one person against another, either against the will of that person (lack of consent) or when such consent cannot validly be given (Spencer, 1999). Sexual offending can be committed by both male and female offenders, although the majority of offenders are male and their victims are adult females or young children.
Many theories have been examined as to why sex offenders commit these crimes. Some include displays of anger, control, domination, hostility, and power upon another person. Recently a shift in emphasis in how we might view sexual offending has occurred. A number of feminist scholars have linked sexual aggression and predisposing factors. Their argument is that although sexual drive is important, the patriarchal nature of our society is what causes them to offend. Thus, sexual offending can be used by men to fulfill non-sexual needs such as the expression of power, anger, and the need to control, dominate and, through that, humiliate women. The fact that women and men are raised differently and given different values, with the link to childhood abuse and or neglect, lead to sexual aggression in these men.
Data at a Glance:
¨ One of six U.S. women and one of thirty-three U.S. men have been
victims of a completed or attempted sexual assault.
¨ Nine out of ten sexual assault victimizations involved a single offender
with whom the victim had a prior relationship as a family member,
intimate, or acquaintance
¨ 67% of reported crimes to law enforcement were related to assaults
against juveniles
PC290
¨ 67,710 registered sex offenders living in California communities
¨ In 2006, approximately 2000 sex offenders registered as transient. In
January, 2008 here are 2,879 sex offenders registered as transient.
In Custody (Criminal)
¨ There are currently 22,474 sex offenders currently in custody (in state
prison).
¨ The number of registered sex offenders in California’s 145 jails fluctuates
from day to day and is unknown at this time.
Civil Commitment
¨ Coalinga State Hospital currently has 655 men under commitment or precommitment as a Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) (including WIC 6604s and WIC 6602s).!
¨ Atascadero State Hospital has a total of 63 men committed as Sexually
Violent Predators.!
Supervision
¨ There are 10,425 registered sex offenders on state parole with the Division of Adult Parole Operation.
¨ Approximately 70 - 80% of all sex offenders are living in the community
under no formal supervision.
¨ There are approximately 3,011 designated as High Risk Sex Offenders
currently on parole.
¨ There are approximately 2,337 High Risk Sex Offenders (HRSOs) on
active GPS monitoring.
¨ 1002 non-HRSO PC 290 registrant sex offender parolees on passive GPS
monitoring as of January 21, 2008.
¨ With 50 of 58 counties reporting numbers of sex offenders, there are 6,738 sex offenders under county probation.
¨ There are 243 registered sex offenders on U.S. Federal Probation.
Proposition 83
¨ Of registered sex offenders in the community on parole, CDCR has
determined 2,393 were not subject to the provisions of Jessica’s Law, and
4,345 are subject to the provisions of Jessica’s Law.
¨ 4,332 are compliant with Jessica’s Law requirements, and 13 are noncompliant with Jessica’s Law requirements (due to extenuating
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