Will special programs for reconvicts reduce recidivism - Essay Example

Evaluation Question and Literature Review Ahmed Salem Al mazrouei Number: 2732344 Griffith Research, Evaluation &Policy Analysis Subject: Assignment 2 Course Convener: DR. Robin Fitzgerald Due Date: WILL SPECIAL PROGRAMS FOR RECONVICTS REDUCE RECIDIVISM? The growing threat of recidivism needs to be addressed by social scientists and criminologists. The measures to be taken for this task will entail tougher measures and new techniques. Recidivism can be defined as behavior which may be legal but giving rise to an opportunity for the person convicted for committing the crime again. There are systems both in the United Kingdom and the United States for the compulsory registration of sexual offenders. In U. S. A., the Pam Lychner Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act of 1996 (Lychner Act) required the Attorney General to establish a national database at the FBI to track the whereabouts and movements of certain convicted sex offenders under Title 42 of the United States Code Section 14072 (FBI website). U. S. A. has effectively used the registration of offender system to prevent recidivism. The United Kingdom currently has a penal system where sexual offenders are jailed for varying periods based on the offences provided for in legislation (Sexual Offences Act 2003). There is provision for registration of offenders under the same Act (S 82). Records of offenders are kept in Violent and Sex Offender register. However, recently, the Supreme Court in U. K. has ruled that the Sexual Offences Act was incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights because it made no provision for individual review (Howard 2010). In a recent study in the U. K. commissioned by the Home Office, data from the Offender Index and the Police National Register was used to compare the rate of recidivism by comparing the official statistics with unofficial statistics of reconviction. In the findings of this study, it was found that the recidivism rate was 5.3 times that of the reconviction rate (Falshaw, Friendship and Bates). The evaluation that will be done is the study of data available from the Metropolitan Police Authority and the National Police register. These statistics will also be studied to study what sorts of sexual offenders are most effectively prevented from recidivism. The paper will deal with the types of statistics to be compared, the gathering of necessary data for the purpose of applying the system of offender registration. The following are the research questions in this study: (1) Is the registration of sexual offenders effective in terms of reduction in recidivism? Is there need for further steps to prevent recidivism? (2) Can the data regarding reconviction help the study of recidivism? The evaluation of the above will help the U. K. legislature to amend the notification period or take alternative steps for the prevention of recidivism. The hypothesis of the study is as under: “Recidivism in sexual offences can be controlled by special correctional measures including psychotherapy and counseling.” The data regarding recidivism and reconviction will be evaluated to predict and prevent the recidivism amongst sexual offenders. For that purpose, the profiles of reconvicts will be studied. Profiles will include the age, sex, educational background, financial status of the convict etc. The evaluation will also include the particular cause of the recidivist act i.e. whether there was an immediate trigger which set off the offence or the act was premeditated. This will help study of the psychological aspect of recidivism. The study will focus on the area covered by the Metropolitan Police force and the State of Colorado in the U. S. A. it will compare and contrast the statistics relevant to the study. The convicts who have been reconvicted and those who have not been will also be compared and contrasted to study whether there is a class of persons more likely to reoffend than others. The histories of both the classes of convicts will be studied to determine the necessary steps to be taken for the prevention of recidivism. The results of this study will be utilized to identify the most representative of reconvicts will be formed. Experimental groups of the classes will be identified. The experimental groups will be given correctional lectures, incentives for good behavior including the shortening of the period of notification and a role in social aid for police forces (volunteering for traffic police duties etc.) apart from psychotherapy and counseling. Persons in each group will be selected randomly. The study will be done with the aid of secondary data in the form of the records maintained in the form of Violent and Sexual Crimes Register, Offenders Index and the National Police Register in the United Kingdom and the similar records in the U. S. A. The experiment will be conducted for a period of six months during which the experimental group will also be made to pursue hobbies and complete specially designed courses for good behavior etc. Recidivism is a trait and it can be measured in terms of the frequency of its recurrence. The study will compare the recurrence of recidivist acts since prior to one year of the study and six months after the study to measure the effectiveness of the intervention. These groups will comprise of 20 persons each. The generalization of these samples to larger population of reconvicts will present problems because there is no official data available for reconvicts, and the reliability of unofficial data will always be in question. Apart from this, there may be circumstances in which the reconvicts differ and for which there may not be accounting. E.g. some members of the control group may be compulsive paedophiles whose latent urges may not have surfaced prior to the study. Also, the experimental group may not be enough in proportion to the sample to justify the experiment. The members of the experimental group will be directly approached. Double the number of the experimental group will be asked willingness to participate in the program. The main disadvantage of this design is that convicts of sexual offences are deviants and their sincerity will be doubtful. The effects of the program may not be apparent within the period of experiment. The study will help in understanding the effect of special treatment of reconvicts and provide a general profile of people likely to commit the same offences again. Recidivism of sexual offences can be prevented if adequate measures including psychotherapy and counseling are implemented. References Background on the National Sex Offenders Registry http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/cac/registry_background.htm Retrieved on April 29 2010 Howard, Stephen Supreme court upholds sex offenders register ruling. The Independent U. K. April 21 2010 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/supreme-court-upholds-sex- offenders-register-ruling-1950048.html Retrieved on April 29 2010 Falshaw, Louise, Friendship, Caroline and Bates, Andrew (Undated) Sexual offenders – measuring reconviction, reoffending and recidivism http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r183.pdf Retrieved on April 29 2010 Pam Lychner Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act of 1996 http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi- bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=104_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ236.104.pdf Retrieved on April 29 2010 The Sexual Offences Act, 2003 http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/legResults.aspx?LegType=All+Legislation&title=sexual+o ffences+act&Year=2003&searchEnacted=0&extentMatchOnly=0&confersPower=0&bla nketAmendment=0&TYPE=QS&NavFrom=0&activeTextDocId=820904&PageNumber =1&SortAlpha=0 Retrieved on April 29 2010 Read More