In 20 studies, broad definitions of recidivism were used, including parole violations, readmissions to institutions or community reports. The observed violent recidivism rate was 6.3 percent and the overall recidivism rate was 20.2 percent.20The researchers compared these recidivism rates for female sex offenders to five-year sexual, violent and overall recidivism estimates for male sex offenders derived from other studies.21The comparison revealed statistically significant differences between the recidivism rates for male and female sex offenders for each type of recidivism measure.22Table 1 presents a summary of the differential male and female recidivism rates reported in the analysis. In addition, parolees may be subject to more behavioral constraints than probationers, resulting in higher recidivism rates due to technical violations of the conditions of release (Maltz, 2001). 32Serious sexual charges consisted of 15 sexual charges that involved physical contact with a victim (e.g., carnal abuse, accosting, unnatural acts, indecent assault, assault with intent to rape, rape, sodomy, statutory rape, incest). One interpretation is that first-time recidivism may occur for some child molesters 20 or more years after criminal justice intervention and that recidivism estimates derived from shorter follow-up periods are likely to underestimate the lifetime risk of child molester reoffending (Doren, 1998). Findings regarding the relationship between age and sexual recidivism reported by Knight and Thornton (2007, p. 910) in an earlier study designed primarily to evaluate and improve risk assessment schemes for sexual offenders offer support for this position. Still, the 25-year follow-up period employed in the research is arguably one of the longest used to examine the recidivism of rapists,29and certain findings concerning the variability of recidivism rates over time may have significance for the measurement and interpretation of recidivism rates today.30. And, finally, rehabilitation refers to the extent that a program reduces crime by addressing the needs and deficits of the person who originally committed the crime. a. Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women, Volume 4/Issue 1 - THE EXCHANGE - January 2021. One of the largest meta-analyses of studies of the effectiveness of sex offender treatment was conducted by Lsel and Schmucker (2005). Studies also have demonstrated a "disproportionate and patterned attrition of sexual offenses and sexual offenders from the criminal justice process" (Larcombe, 2012, p. 482). Recidivism: A Comparison of Operational Definitions Are sex offenders dangerous? (1997) study, Knight and Thornton (2007) examined the recidivism rates of rapists as part of a larger study aimed at evaluating and improving risk assessment schemes for sex offenders. While there is broad agreement that observed recidivism rates are not true reoffense rates, the magnitude of the gap between observed and actual reoffending, the propensity of sex offenders to reoffend over the life course and whether it is valid to characterize sex offender recidivism rates as low or high are examples of key issues that are subject to divergent viewpoints.3While debate concerning the interpretation and policy implications of research findings occurs in many public safety areas, it is both pronounced and ongoing in the context of sex offender recidivism.