By: Katie Laird
With 567,000 registered sex offenders nationwide, Utah has the seventh highest number of registered offenders in comparison with other states. Utah also recently received a “failing” grade for its online sex offender registry, which is supposed to contain constantly updated information on the whereabouts of each sex offender.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, convicted rape and sexual assault offenders serving time in state prisons reported that two-thirds of their victims were under the age of 18, and 58 percent of those said their victims were age 12 or younger.
This doesn’t necessarily mean random strangers are lurking around every corner to attack children, however. In 90 percent of the rapes of children less than 12 years old, the child knew the offender, according to police-recorded incident data. Even among victims 18 to 29 years old, two-thirds had a prior relationship with the rapist.
“You allow your child to walk out in the world and that child is at risk,” said Robert Banta, manager of Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services and a private therapist for convicted sex offenders. “They [the offenders] come in all sizes and shapes and kinds and no two are alike,” he said.
However, four datasets, namely the FBI’s UCR arrests, State felony court convictions, prison admissions, and the National Crime Victimization Survey, all profile a sex offender who is older than other violent offenders-generally in his early 30s-and more likely to be white than other violent offenders.
On the other hand, 40 percent of the offenders who victimized children under age 6 were juveniles.
In most cases, regardless the offender’s age, race or income, Banta said often their mindset is similar at the time of the offense.
“They were selfish, they were looking for acceptance, they had very poor interpersonal skills, particularly with same age or a consenting adult, and they feel like they’ll never find someone; so they reach out to someone more vulnerable who won’t reject them, or who won’t know how to say no,” he said.
