On the relationship between temporary absence status, minimum security confinement, and recidivism in sexual offenders

摘要

Early release, temporary absence, and minimum security confinement have been permitted less often in German prisons in recent years. There are several reasons and indications that sexual of-fenders are particularly affected by these developments. Prison files and recidivism data of 115 adult sexual offenders who had been in a Lower Saxony prison in the mid 1990s were analyzed for the current study to find out whether this group posed a specific risk when permitted temporary absence or minimum security confinement. It was also considered whether temporary absence and minimum security confinement were related to reduced recidivism after release. The average follow-up interval was 8.5 years. The following findings emerged: First, 50.9 were reconvicted for any offence, 21.3 with an aggressive offence, and only 7.4 were reconvicted with a sexual offence. Every fifth (19.4) was sentenced to another prison term or had another probation term revoked. Second, rule-breaking and criminal activity by sex offenders during minimum confinement or temporary absence were very rare and of low severity. Third, sexual offenders in minimum security confinement were less likely to recidivate than others on all measures of reoffending. With Cox regression analyses that controlled for important risk factors for recidivism it was found that minimum security confinement contributed to reduced general, but not to reduced sexual or aggressive reoffending. No relationship was found between level of temporary absence status (unaccompanied vs. accompanied) and recidivism. It is concluded that, contrary to public opinion and judi-cial practice, sexual offenders can be granted minimum security confinement and temporary absence if an adequate selection process is implemented.