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Research Notes

From the NCJRS Weekly Accessions List:

Attitudes of Members of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers Towards Treatment, Release, and Recidivism of Violent Sex Offenders: An Exploratory Study, Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, Volume:44 Issue:4  Dated:2007  Pages:17 to 24, Michael J. Engle ; Joseph A. McFalls Jr. ; Bernard J. Gallagher III:  "The findings suggest that the popular belief that sex offenders cannot be cured is shared by professionals who work with and/or study these offenders. A large majority (63 percent) of the professional respondents reported little hope for a cure, and 88 percent reported a fear of recidivism after treatment."

Prosecutorial Discretion and the Imposition of Mandatory Minimum Sentences, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Volume:44 Issue:4  Dated:November 2007  Pages:427 to 458, Jeffery T. Ulmer ; Megan C. Kurlychek ; John H. Kramer: "The analysis found those prosecutors’ decisions to apply the mandatory minimum were significantly affected by the type and characteristics of offenses, guideline sentence recommendations, prior record, mode of conviction, and gender. Legally relevant factors, such as case processing concerns (rewarding guilty pleas) and social statuses (gender, ethnicity, and age) shaped prosecutors’ perceptions of blameworthiness, community protection, and their decisions to apply mandatories."

Fingerprinting Reforms at Hand, Law Enforcement Technology, Volume:34, Issue:10, Dated:October 2007, Pages: 128, 130 to 133, Douglas Page: "This article describes a novel method of detecting fingerprints by using X-rays, which don't disturb the print and reveal chemical markers that could give investigators new clues for tracking suspects and missing persons."

Posted by Kent Scheidegger on December 17, 2007 11:37 AM |

Comments

Caution is warranted, however, with the first article as the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers Towards Treatment (ATSA) is a controversial group among mental health professionals.

Nonetheless, the evidence seems to suggest that recidivism rates among sex offenders rises substantially the longer the follow-up period.

Posted by: Steve [TypeKey Profile Page] | December 17, 2007 03:51 PM

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