Social Work and Sexual Violence...Assignment #5

Felicia McCaw
SW 314
Social Work and
Sexual Violence
Assignment #5

Reference: ProQuest
70.3 (Dec 2006): p45-49, 64
Craun, Sarah W.; Kernsmith, Poco D.
http://0-search.proquest.com.library.svsu.edu/docview/213979149/1396F67BC5C1D3E70...

Juvenile Offenders and Sex Offender Registries: Examining the Data Behind the Debate

Name of Study

Juvenile Offenders and Sex Offender Registries: Examining the Data Behind the Debate

Literature

The Sex Offenders Registry serves as an informational database to deter sexual offending, provide punishment and curtail and prevent sexual offenders from repeating a crime and allow the safety of the public and neighborhoods. Because of the potential danger of sex offenders prevalence to repeat crimes this registry is a preventive measure and is easily accessible to the public. As a further step to prevent repetition of crimes the federal government passed a law in 1996 to require sex offenders to register with a local enforcement agency which allows public access for checking if names are listed. The law that was passed is known as “Megan’s Law” and is popular with the public although there is controversy surrounding whether juveniles should be listed or required to register and be made readily available to the public


Methods Used to Conduct the Study

The methodology used to compile and gather data was The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) which reflects people who were raped by a single offender who was under the age of 18 years. Based on the study the victims are usually younger than the assailant and female and 40 percent of the juvenile perpetrators abused victims under the age of six. Females that were convicted of rape usually targeted the same sex. Although the report reflects a pattern less than one percent of the cases tried in juvenile court are for forcible rape or other violent sex offenses.

Measures

The study consists of a comparison of characteristics of adults and juvenile offenders and correlating victims listed on the State of Texas Sex Offender Registry. The dataset was provided in 2004 for secondary analysis after removing items that had missing information and the sampling comprised 41,979 sexual offenses committed by 36,347 offenders.


Felicia McCaw
SW 314
Assignment #5
Page 2

Results

Data compiled reflected Adult Sex Offenders who have been released from incarceration have committed another crime (compiled amount equivalent to 43% and 5.3% arrested for another sex crime within 3 years after release (Langan, Schmitt, & Durose, 2003 Study)). In a study done by Hanson & Bussiere it reflected 13% of convicted sexual predators lapsed into criminal activity within four to five years (1998). The percentage dropped or changed to only one percent when examining critical acts committed against children. Research by Lisak & Miller (2002) reflected 120 adults were responsible for 1,225 acts of interpersonal violence being defined as rape, battery, child physical abuse and child sexual abuse (averaging out to 5.8 assaults per offender that were not reported to law officials). Further the study reflects 36,347 participants (offenders) and which amount to 91.45 percent who were adults and 8.55 percent were juveniles. The majority in this study was made whether they were adults (98 percent) or juveniles (98 percent). The mean age for juveniles at disposition was nearly 15 years of age (SD=1.4), as compared to a mean age of 33 years (SD=12) for adult offenders. Majority of offenders were White with a higher percentage of Black juvenile offenders (25%) on the registry or compared to Black adult offenders (21 percent) and a lower percentage of White offenders listed as juveniles (75% percent) (p<.001).

Age of victims ranged from one to over ninety for adults and one to eight-five for juveniles. The mean age of the victim was higher for adult offenders (13.6 years, SD=7.9) than for juvenile offenders (8.3 years, SD=4.8) (P<.001). The age difference between offender and victim was much larger for adult offenders than for juveniles (p<.001). Average – adults – 20 years older (SD=15) than the victim and juveniles were six years older (SD=4.7). Female victims – common for both adults (89 percent) and juvenile (66 percent) offenders, males victimized by juveniles than by adult offenders (P<.001)

Conclusion of the Study

The purpose of the study is to provide a database of sexual offenders and an analysis differentiating information on crimes committed by either juveniles or adults. Further the survey can help clarify and relay information regarding statistical data of the amounts of criminal activity committed by registered youths and adults and reflects the possible stigmatism involved in being listed in the registry as well as providing safety to the public and protection of vulnerable populace.

My Opinion/thoughts about the study

Based on my brief analysis of this article the amount of criminal activity involving sexual crimes is amazing and that acts of this nature are done by juveniles. Further that these juveniles are predatorial in nature and exhibit high levels of antagonism and are dangerous to adults as well as to youth their age and younger. I feel that they should be listed in this registry because they are a danger to not only to themselves but to the surrounding populace that obeys the laws of the land.