Sex offenses.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) presents Recidivism of Sex Offenders Released from Prison in 1994, which features data on the rearrest, reconviction, and reimprisonment of 9,691 male sex offenders, including 4,295 child molesters, who were tracked for 3 years after their release from prisons in 15 states in 1994. The 9,691 individuals comprise two-thirds of all male sex offenders released from prisons in the United States in 1994. The study represents the largest follow-up ever conducted of convicted sex offenders after discharge from prison and provides the most comprehensive assessment of their behavior after release. Highlights include the following: within 3 years following their release, 5.3 percent of sex offenders (men who had committed rape or sexual assault) were rearrested for another sex crime; on average, the 9,691 sex offenders served 3 1/2 years of their 8-year sentence; and, compared to non-sex offenders released from state prisons, released sex offenders were 4 times more likely to be rearrested for a sex crime. This report is available electronically at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/rsorp94.htm.