Non Serious Offenders

When entering the social work program I never gave much thought to who I did not want to work with, rather my focus was entirely on what population I do want to work with. After long thought, I decided I do not want to work with sex offenders, I’d rather work with children and perhaps that is where I get my bias against sex offenders or perhaps it stems from other reasons. Through my research, I am hoping to discover new information about sex offenders that may change my opinion and help me to see them in a new light.

Male and female offenders alike are incarcerated every day for various reasons. Some commit violent crimes while others are arrested for drug use or public-order offenses. The difference between the two are the rates at which they are incarcerated, the length or harshness of their sentences, for the same or similar crimes committed, patterns of drug use, and previous correctional history. While men still lead in violent crime rates, 54.3 percent male verse 36.6 percent female, women are more likely than men to serve sentences due to drug-related offenses and other nonviolent property crimes (American Corrections, 2016).

In the United States, failure to adequately discriminate between and among sex offenses and the overuse of the label “sex offense” has led to the polarization and over criminalization of sex crimes and has resulted in a lack of reintegration options for these alleged criminals. The term “sex offender” needs to be reserved for those individuals who best represent the meaning of the term. (Colbert, 2011, p. 1) According to US Department of Justice, a sex offender is anyone convicted of an offense of a sexual nature under the law of any jurisdiction, this also includes juveniles fourteen years of age and older. (Colbert, 2011, p. 1) In the United States, the term sex offender is too broad and can be very misleading. There is a widespread misconception among society that the meaning of sex offender is pedophile and rapist, but a sex offender can be someone that was caught urinating in public or they can be underage teenagers having consensual sex. This lack of distinction between sex offenses results in a misinformed society and this absence of information in regards to sex offenses and the presence of the sex offender registry fuels society 's ignorance and heightened prejudices towards "sex offenses." The stigma that comes with the label "sex offense” persists beyond sentencing due to the parameters of the law, making reintegration of alleged criminals into society overbearing and near impossible. These registries are public record, however they only state partial information

They can be your next door neighbor, someone down the street, or even a stranger behind you in line at the shopping center. Sex offenders are out there. They do not wear a label on them that says, “I am a registered sex offender”. They are required to register on the sex offender registry list as well as inform neighbors, put it on job applications, live a certain distance away from any zone which contain children, and follow several other places they are forbidden to go as part of their release from prison. However, one thing not stated upon their release is the way they are treated by everyone in the community when the re-enter the world. A sex offender is the pariah of the community. They are not welcome and most certainly are the easy target for society to cast blame when a crime is committed. The community acts the only way they know how, and they will do anything to protect the ones they love.

Between 1980 and 2014 the number of incarcerated people in the United States quadrupled from 500,000 to approximately 2.3 million. At any given time, the United state incarcerates one percent of its population while another two percent are under extended supervision (Wakefield and Uggen 2010). In addition, the United States has faced a dramatic increase in its homeless and housing insecure population since the 1980s (Herbert, Morenoff, and Harding 2015). Reasons include a decline in affordable housing, foreclosure, poverty, eroding work opportunities, and also laws restricting certain populations from housing. This paper will address past and current challenges related to reentry, recidivism, and housing by analyzing relevant empirical research.

There are many various risk prediction scales that are being use to assess offenders. By using these risk assessments on offenders we are able to determine whether the offender is a high, medium, or low risk to the society. The Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R) is an assessment that consists of a series of questions that are answered by the offender. LSI-R uses all of the following factors “criminal history, education/employment, financial, family, accommodation, leisure, companions, alcohol/drug problems, emotional/personal, and attitudes” (LSI-R, 2015) when assessing an offender. With the score generated from the LSI-R and opinions from correction professional we can determine whether the offender risk of recidivism is high,

Youth offenders in the United States who commit an adult crime should they be tried as an adult or sent off to rehab?

I enjoyed your paper, it was one of the best in providing informative details about specific need and risks. Also, it was mentioned that probation officers should focus more on the offender that pose the most benefit from interventions and treatment. In fact, after reading your paper it is safe to infer that regardless of the risk factor, both should be highly supervised. In addition, a low-risk offender could face difficulties and challenges that require immediate attention because this offender may not be required to receive interventions and treatment due to their classification. While, On the other hand, a high-risk offender receiving both practices becomes less vulnerable of reoffending.

The courts are reducing punishment for non-violent offenders by putting them in rehabilitation programs (Berenji, B., Chou, T., & D'Orsogna, 2014).The reintegration will help these offenders to become new are whole again. However, resources may be limited these offenders should be offered the chance to participate in these programs. There are lots people who have been locked upon returning back into society it is hard for them to get a job, therefore, they go back to their life of crime. The people that are not violent criminals should at least be given a second chance. The program recidivism constituted studies by researchers to see if it has helped habitual offenders in becoming complete again (Rice, & Harris, 2014). Nevertheless, some may fall back into the system simply these intervention programs will be a great success for the ones who truly want to change their lives. The implementing of these programs is no guarantee that the convicts will not continue to violate the law. The statistic shows that age and sexual violent is a predictor of recidivism. The three strike law is ridiculous because stealing can be an addiction just like drugs are (Bohm, R. M. & Haley, 2011). The cons to the three strike law are that lots children that will grow up without their parents. The non-violent offenders should have mentors to help them get a job and put them in rehabilitation programs to reach the core of their addiction. The pros to this three strike law are that it will help some people to

Many of the youths that are incarcerated are in between 16 to 22 years of age, and many of these are male rather than female. Over forty-four percent of youths arrested are under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or sometimes the combination of both. Not only that but most of the accused commit the crime with someone, not by themselves. The young adults are more inclined to commit any type of crime under the influence or with some of their 'friends' encouragement. These are most commonly seen in teens who want and need to belong. The teenage years are a period of life that is shapeable by many stressors, such as physical changes, school, relationships with friends and parents, and also romantic relationships. Many succumb to the need to belong that they turn to people that are not the right motivator the adolescent needs.

Juvenile sex offenders are frequently treated in the same manner as their adult counterparts with regards to punishment and sex offender registering. “Nationally, juvenile sex offenders make up 20% of all individuals charged with sexual offenses (McGinnis, 2006).” Placing a sex offender label on a juvenile may unjustifiably put restrictions on his or her opportunities in adulthood so it is for this reason that cases involving juvenile sex offenders should be prosecuted cautiously. The term “sex offender”

Larry Simmons Residence (LSR) of A New Leaf is a residential treatment center for adolescent male sex offenders. They treat male sex offenders have between the ages of twelve to seventeen. LSR only has room for twenty boys in their treatment center. A New Leaf is a not for profit agency which was previously known as PREHAB of Arizona, Inc. It is funded by United Way to private donations and also includes many government agencies, such as the Arizona Departments of Juvenile Corrections, Economic Security, Public Safety, Commerce, Education, and the Court system. The purpose of the residential treatment center is to take sex offenders out of their home environment and encourages change and healing through individual, family and group

Every offender perpetrates offenses based on their own purposes. Everyone has a reason on why they do the things they do. However, some individuals are worse than others, which is why they can’t all receive the same depth of punishment. There seems to be a lack of knowledge about offenders, which makes it very complicated for the criminal justice system to categorize them. In regards of the criminal justice system, the system cannot respond to all crimes with a one size fits all approach.

The purpose of this research is to determine why the correctional system in the United States incarcerates non-violent offenders or offenders in general at a higher rate than any other country? The way in which the United States correctional system sentences offenders is not fair due to prejudice and racism. The United States has this “get tough on crime policy” that is ineffective and is not benefitting anyone. According to Clear (1996), “the common view of the prison is simplistic because it fails to account for the unintended consequences of imprisonment,” (p. 57). Elective officials need to be aware of the issues that are facing our country due to this “get tough on crime” initiative.

This "background study examines how individuals with mental illness are handled and treated in the criminal justice system and discusses the suggestions of unsatisfactory or inadequate care for these individuals. In particular, the main objectives are to review current practice in the processing of mentally ill offenders, assess the societal and economic costs associated with recidivism and insufficient care for this population, and highlight promising strategies to tackle challenges involved in the reintegration of mentally ill offenders into society".