Low reoffending risk found for child porn users

Child porn offenders shouldn’t be given a second chance IMO

REOFFENDING rates by child pornography users are far below rates for assaults, drink-driving or property damage, with fewer than one in 10 people who download sexual images of minors later convicted of the crime again.

Despite community concern about the dangers posed by convicted child pornography users, new Corrections Victoria figures reveal only about 7.5 per cent are found to reoffend. The recidivism rate for those convicted of assault is five times as high, according to comparable data from NSW.

The Victorian study also found that intensive treatment and supervision orders for people found guilty of child pornography possession, including group counselling and mandatory listing on the sex offenders register, might actually increase the risk of reoffending.

“Overly restrictive or intrusive interventions for an offender who is considered low risk may be unnecessary and may lead to experiences of depression or isolation, or withdrawal from social activities, which can increase the risk of reoffending,” said psychologist Simon Candlish, who conducted the research for Corrections Victoria. Case management, education and brief psychological intervention were more effective treatments for “low-risk” offenders, he said.

The majority of those convicted of child-pornography-only possession – as distinct from procuring children or producing such material – had a low risk of reoffending, Mr Candlish said. “For many, their interest in child pornography arises out of a broader interest in extreme pornography rather than a preferential interest in having sex with children,” he said.

“Ordinarily these people are quite pro-social and respond to a conviction quite seriously, and that’s potentially enough for them to abstain from that kind of behaviour in the future … When you compare it against contact sex offending rates or other types of offending behaviour, including violence, drug and alcohol and anti-social behaviour, the recidivism rate is low.”

Source. Theage.com.au