Title: Myths About Sex Offenders - ABC News
Headings: Myths About Sex Offenders
Myths About Sex Offenders
Content: It is important to note that not all sex crimes are solved or result in arrest and only a fraction of sex offenses are reported to police. For these reasons, relying on rearrest and reconviction data underestimates actual re-offense numbers. Myth 4 — Sexual offense rates are higher than ever and continue to climb. Despite the increase in publicity about sexual crimes, the actual rate of reported sexual assault has decreased slightly in recent years. Myth 5 — All sex offenders are male. The vast majority of sex offenders are male. However, females also commit sexual crimes. In 1994, fewer than 1 percent of all incarcerated rape and sexual assault offenders were female (fewer than 800 women). By 1997, however, 6,292 females had been arrested for forcible rape or other sex offenses, constituting approximately 8 percent of all rape and sexual assault arrests for that year, according to FBI statistics. Additionally, studies indicate that females commit approximately 20 percent of sex offenses against children.