One in four Ohio prisoners are sex offenders

9-23-15 Ohio:

About one in four Ohio prisoners are serving time for a sexual offense, most for rape, a new report shows.

The Correctional Institution Inspection Committee, a legislative watchdog agency, reported 7,707 inmates are doing time for sex offenses, with another 2,415 incarcerated for parole and other violations accompanying prior sex offenses.

The vast majority are male. Just 137 sex offenders are female, 2 percent of the total.

The agency said the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction has been working to improve programs and treatment for sex offenders, but gaps still exist. There are no programs for sex offenders in the highest-security level in state prisons, mainly due to the potential for “ disruptive behavior.”

The report also noticed that released sex offenders have more problems than other ex-inmates in finding housing and jobs. That often leads to new offenses, the report said.

After rape, with 4,768 inmates incarcerated, the other crimes with the most offenders were gross sexual imposition (736), failure to register (508), sexual battery (476), pandering obscenity (425), unlawful conduct with a minor (419), felonious sexual penetration (147), and promoting prostitution (68).

Among women, rape was the highest category with 77 offenders. Woman outnumbered men, five to two, in just one category -- soliciting.

Ohio began a three-tier post-release registration system for sex offenders in 2008, with the most serious offenders, Tier 3, required to register their address with the state every 90 days for life. Those with less serious offenses must register every 180 days to 12 months.

The report showed the average time served for sex offenders dipped slightly to about 10 years between 1998 and 2013. ..Source.. by Alan Johnson