Sex offender reform program sees success

Some of the most heinous crimes are sex offenses, and in the minds of many, those who perpetrate those crimes can't be reformed.

In Missouri, those convicted of such crimes are placed on registries to warn neighbors of their presence so extra precautions can be taken. Not even murderers have to place their names on a public registry.

However, the Missouri government does try to reform sex offenders. Treatment programs are in place both in prison and on the outside with the goal of preventing those offenders from lapsing into recidivism.

Recently attention has been focused on the state's sexual predator treatment program. A law passed in 1998 allows convicted sex offenders to be held beyond their criminal sentences if a judge or jury in a civil trial deems them too difficult to control.

Only sex offender involved in the worst cases are put into the program -- currently about 100 people are in it -- and so far no one has graduated.

However, another program, the Missouri Sex Offender Program (MOSOP), has been much more successful in rehabilitating these criminals, says the Department of Corrections. The program treats less-serious offenders while they're still in prison.

"Basically MOSOP has two phases," said John Fougere with the Missouri Department of Corrections. "There's treatment and intervention. Basically offenders are called to be accountable for their individual behavior through individual and groups sessions. Denial is a big thing these people must get over.

"Then there's instilling empathy for the victim. A lot of times they don't know their actions hurt somebody, and that point really has to be hammered home."

Fougere cites figures saying that a study conducted from fiscal year 1985 through fiscal year 2003 showed offenders who successfully complete the program have a lower recidivism rate than those who don't.

In fiscal year 2003, 447 attended the program and 407 finished.

"I do think MOSOP has made a difference," Fougere said. "We've had it for 25 years. It's purpose is to reduce recidivism. That promotes the longest-lasting effect on public safety."

Offenders who are paroled or placed on probation also must complete the treatment prior to the end of their sentence. Those who don't complete a treatment program by the time the terms of their probation are up can be sent back to jail or prison.

At the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department, Sgt. Sharon Jones works with sex offenders on a regular basis. It's her job to oversee the county's sex offender registry and make sure the 97 offenders in the county update their information.

She said most of the offenders stay true to their commitment to update on the registry. In cases where the victim is under 17 years old, the offenders must come in every 90 days. In other cases, they must register once a year.

Most of them, she said, don't go back to their old ways, lending some credence to the effectiveness of the treatment.

"We really don't see many of them getting into trouble over and over," said Jones.

But Angel Woodruff, an assistant county prosecutor who handles many sex offender cases said some faces become very familiar.

"It's not uncommon to see repeat offenders," Woodruff said. Most of the sexual offenses her office deals with are child-molestation cases, she said.

The cases are often hard to prosecute since they often pit the word of a child against the word of an adult, Woodruff said. And since prior records often can't be used as evidence in a trial, those who are repeat offenders are still just as hard to prosecute.

"These are scary crimes, and we wish we could educate people about them more," Woodruff said.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182