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There are more than half a million registered sex offenders in the United States and they pose an enormous challenge for policy makers. Ryan Alexander, assistant professor of criminal justice and director of the Forensics Science Program at 九色视频, has conducted extensive research on sex offenders.

Alexander: 鈥淲hat I was looking at for my study was basically how sex offenders recruit their child victims, where they recruit their child victims from and how they do that, and track that across the life course to see how recruitment changes based on turning points in their lives.鈥�

Alexander says there are a number of misperceptions when it comes to sex offenders.

Alexander: 鈥淭here seems to be a misperception that all sex offenders are somehow sexual predators, when if we look at the empirical data, only about 1 to 2 percent of sex offenders fit that profile of a sex offender being a sexual predator.

鈥淎nother misperception is that a lot of sex offenses take place at the hands of somebody that鈥檚 a stranger to the victim, when indeed, if we look at the data again, the data tells us that the vast majority of people that perpetrate sex crimes against children, the child actually knows.鈥�

It is estimated that about 71 percent of child sex offenders are under 35 and knew the victim at least casually. In 90 percent of the rapes of children under 12 years old, the offender knew the victim.

And contrary to popular opinion, Alexander says most sex offenders do not recruit or target children in buffer zones.

Alexander: 鈥淚n looking at dealing where sex offenders target their child victims, the public often thinks that, or seems to view that, children are targeted from places where children congregate, like schools, pools, parks and playgrounds. Plus, legislation such as buffer zones in places that limit where sex offenders live has been enacted to really kind of play into that sense of inner belief, when in fact, if we look at where this occurs, we find that sex offenders by and large do not recruit or target children from schools, pools, parks and playgrounds.鈥�

There have been a number of high-profile sex crimes that grab the headlines, but Alexander says those are usually the exception and not the rule.

Alexander: 鈥淚t seems that high-profile sex crimes cases, especially when they鈥檙e perpetrated against children, grab the public鈥檚 attention, and then we see legislation that results from these high-profile cases, when in fact those cases are usually the exception rather than the norm.鈥�

Policy makers have their hands full in trying to deal with the issue. Alexander says a targeted approach holds more promise than a one-size-fits-all approach to sex crimes.

Alexander: 鈥淚t appears that having policies that are essentially one-size-fit-all or blanket type of policies aren鈥檛 very efficient, when policies maybe that are more targeted toward specific sex offenders and how they recruit or target their child victims would be much more appropriate.鈥�

鈥淎nd I think a targeted approach toward certain sex offenders and how they recruit child victims is certainly a more appropriate and more efficient way to handle that entire issue, as far as when you look at community safety or safety specifically toward children.鈥�

As policy makers address the issue of sex offenders, they are confronted with some basic realities. Most sex offenders are not in prison, and those who are tend to serve limited sentences.

Most sex offenders are largely unknown to people in the community.

Sex offenders have a high risk of re-offending.

And while community supervision and oversight is widely recognized as essential, the system for providing such supervision is overwhelmed.

Thanks for listening. Until next time, this is Joe Kleinsasser for 九色视频.