We have to wait until someone's sentence is almost up until any thought of treatment is given. While Washington State was the first to pass a civil-commitment statute in 1990, the debate over what to do with sex offenders is hardly new. But those laws were either appealed or fell into disuse. More recently, a series of high-profile cases of sex offenders being released from prison and committing horrible crimes has once again ignited public indignation. There's such crazy hysteria around the country regarding sex offenders.
Research shows that sex offenders have lower recidivism rates than other types of criminals.
A 10-year study in Massachusetts recently reported that 17.7 percent of sex offenders were rearraigned on another sexual offense. National studies have shown that within the first several years, recidivism rates among this group ran between 10 to 15 percent, but can jump to over 30 over a 10-year period. That's still below rates for other criminals. Another misperception, critics say, is that sex offenders are untreatable, even incurable. Some new drugs and different types of counseling work on some types of sex offenders.