NCJ Number
94708
Date Published
1982
Length
77 pages
Annotation
This study responded to a concern of Madison, Wisconsin, police that most sexual assaults were committed by a small number of habitual offenders. It examined reported sexual offenses and the number of sexual offenders under supervision in the community and then recommended changes to improve police effectiveness in dealing with this problem.
Abstract
A review of reported sexual-offense cases for the first 9 months of 1981 revealed that an extraordinarily high number of reported sexual assaults involved children; the milieu of a sexual assault contained other elements of social disorganization; alleged offenders often had multiple problems; and many forms of sexual assault probably went unreported. In contrast, analysis of five highly publicized cases that contributed disproportionately to the perception of the sexual assault problem held by the police and the community showed that all five offenders had extensive criminal records and were under parole supervision at the time they committed their crime, having previously been convicted on a sexual offense. None of the five cases was listed as a sexual assault because the alleged offender was charged with a more serious crime. The study then examined the total population of sexual offenders currently under supervision in the community and found that a relatively small group of these offenders accounted for a disproportionate number of new sexual offenses when compared to the general community. Moreover, three-quarters of sexual offenders who had served time in prison and currently were free under supervision were relatively unknown to the police, because they were convicted in another jurisdiction. Although not required to do so, corrections makes information on parolees/probationers available to police through three systems, each working with varying degrees of effectiveness. In addition, police have no role that relates in any way to probation or parole supervision, and tensions arise between police and parole officers over apprehension orders. Finally, parole officers often have information that might help police in their investigations, but no channels of communication exist. Recommendations to address these problems are outlined. The appendixes contain tables and data on selected sexual assault cases.