THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 30, 1994 TAG: 9412300459
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
Gov. George Allen's proposed budget cuts would ax all funding for the treatment of imprisoned sex offenders because the administration does not believe such programs work.
``We have to face reality,'' said Ronald J. Angelone, Department of Corrections director. ``You cannot just change someone's sexual orientation. What they do to get their thrill will continue throughout their whole life. I know of no chemical therapy, I know of no counseling that will change that.''
Others disagree.
``Almost all of these sex offenders are going to be getting out of prison one day, and they're going to be worse than when they went in,'' said Sen. Janet D. Howell, D-Reston, a leader in recent efforts to toughen laws dealing with sex crimes. ``It's going to be endangering the public. . . . I think it's reckless.''
Many psychiatric specialists consider sex offenders to be suffering from a disease, much like alcoholism or drug addiction. But the effectiveness of treatments has been questionable, and the recidivism rate of sex offenders is among the highest for any class of criminals.
As of June, Virginia had 2,175 sex offenders behind bars, about 9 percent of the prison population. A recent state study showed that 43 percent of convicted sex offenders had undergone some form of mental health treatment. Nearly half of all rapists in Virginia are arrested for a new felony within a year of their release; 17 percent are convicted of another rape within five years.
The state runs treatment programs at the Bland and Haynesville correctional centers, each treating 35 to 40 inmates at a time through individual counseling and group sessions. Treatment is voluntary.
The programs are run on an annual budget of $970,000.
National specialists in sex crimes said the problem with many treatment programs isn't that they don't work but that they aren't extensive enough. A study of 600 men treated by a well-regarded program in Maryland, for instance, showed a recidivism rate of less than 10 percent after five years.
``You can't punish away or legislate the problem,'' said Fred Berlin, founder of the Sexual Disorders Clinic at Johns Hopkins University. Offenders ``aren't simply going to disappear simply by warehousing them.''
Allen's budget also proposes a $1.9 million reduction for inmate recreation and counseling programs.
``It looks like the administration is doing everything they can to make trouble for themselves,'' said Jean W. Auldridge, chairman of the state chapter of Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants. ``It's foolish to eliminate funding for the very things that are going to make inmates mentally healthier and protect the public when they get out - and they will all get out. It's just so mean.''
Jerry W. Kilgore, secretary of the Department of Public Safety, said the administration plans to increase money for education programs and expand work opportunities for inmates.
``None of this is mean-spirited,'' Kilgore said. ``We're in a budget crunch, and we're looking for ways to reduce the budget and at the same time have secure prisons.'' by CNB