Does rehabilitation work for sex offenders?
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — In the city of Bakersfield, there are currently 870 convicted sex offenders. And in Kern County, there are an additional 1,270. Their crimes range from statutory rape to rape by force. They are required to register with the state annually.
Although they have certain rules they have to abide by after release, they are part of our society. But some residents have differing opinions about a sex offender's place in society.
"If they could really, they are gonna be fine (in society), then I would give them one more shot," one resident said.
"(They can't be cured). It's a sickness," another resident said.
But psychologists who have worked with convicted sex offenders say treatment can work in most cases.
"Pedophilia is a mental disorder. In some sex offenders it appears to be some biological variation that might play a role," mental health administrator Dr. Brad Cloud said.
When sex offenders seek treatment the success depends on the person.
"Treatment works for a great many people. But it doesn't always work. There are people who don't respond well to it, or there are people who respond well to it and then re-offend later," Cloud said.
And the statistics for re-offense also depends on the type of crime and the circumstances.
"(There is a) four to ten percent recidivism rate for incest offenders. Rapists are a bit higher at seven to 35 percent recidivism rate. The highest rate of recidivism is those who molest boys and that rate is at 13 to 40 percent," Cloud said.
But it also depends on what type of treatment they receive.
"Some of them have been shown to have a meaningful reduction effect to some studies and not to others," Cloud said.
To see how many sex offenders are living in your neighborhood, see the Megan's Law online registry of sex offenders.
