We hear about cases where sex offenders continue a cycle of crime. But, are we doing enough to figure out why?
21 News took a deeper dive into whether punishment alone is enough to keep our children safe or if we need to be doing more to solve the root problem.
A study from the National Library of Medicine looked at a group of men convicted of sexual offenses in 2022. 14.8% violently reoffended, 31.4% were convicted of a crime, and 3.6% were convicted of sexual crimes in less than three years.
Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro said sex offenders offenders who go after children were often victims of sexual abuse.
“Children learn what they live. So if they are abused as a child, they are likely to follow that pattern as adults. And we've seen that with a number of cases where as we dig into the case, we find out the defendant had been the victim of abuse as a child,” said Maro.
Trumbull County assistant Prosecutor Gabe Wildman said if it is a hands-on or violent case, it's often difficult to offer resources to help outside a sentence.
“Common experience shows that this is sort of hard wired into them. So at times, I think if given the opportunity, many of these offenders will reoffend,” said Wildman. “I think there’s probably a window when you’re dealing with adolescence and juveniles where some intervention can be helpful, but in general, I think the goal should be incapacitation, that they put these people in prison so they can’t hurt, or harm a child ever again.”
For those who are seeking help, there are resources available in the valley.
“There are community based treatment programs where you can have an assessment and they'll set up a treatment program for you. If you know you've got improper impulses, if you've engaged in conduct, even if you haven't been arrested, you can get treatment and you can get counseling,” said Maro.
Maro said they do not see sexual offenders repeat crimes as much in Mahoning County as they do on a national level.