Do convicted sex offenders 'probably want to commit these crimes again'?
I remember doing some research on rates of recidivism amongst sex offenders a few years ago when this was a big preoccupation in Britain.
The results were surprising.
Firstly, convictions for sex offences are quite rare, and for sex offences against children, even more so. (There is an argument that the low rate of conviction merely disguises a much more commonplace feature of family life - but to my mind, that is more prejudice than a fair assessment. No doubt most families have their flaws, but most do raise healthy children in a loving environment.)
Child sex offenders had a lower, not higher, rate of conviction for repeat offences than those committed of other, less remarkable offenders, such as burglary or common assault.
Certainly this was counter to the general explanations put out by those who treat sex offenders. They (in the country, Ray Wyre is the accepted authority) have argued that sex offenders, especially pedophiles are peculiarly incapable of recognising the gravity of their offences, and 'programmed' to re-offend. (Since Mr Wyre was making a living from providing therapy for sex offenders, his interpretations were perhaps self-serving.)
What the figures seemed to show though was that sex offences, especially those committed against children are largely opportunistic, committed, sad to say, mostly by male family members (step-fathers, fathers, grandfathers, uncles, older brothers etc.). Concentration on the more exceptional predatory, serial offender in the media tends to give a distorted view of most cases.
Due to the intense approbation attached to the offence, the more common offending relative, once convicted - and hence exposed - would tend to lose all opportunity to offend again. Suicide is common amongst convicted child sex offenders, indicative of the shame attached to the offence. By contrast, other types of offenders might meet some approbation from wider society, but often sympathy, or even support from immediate friends, making it easier to re-offend.
-- James Heartfield Sustaining Architecture in the Anti-Machine Age is available at GBP19.99, plus GBP3.26 p&p from Publications, audacity.org, 8 College Close, Hackney, London, E9 6ER. Make cheques payable to 'Audacity Ltd'. www.audacity.org