Aging and Sexual Offending: Risk Reduction and Recidivism Insights
This webinar is primarily for criminal justice professionals, including probation officers, prosecutors, social workers, and mental health experts who manage and assess sexual offender populations. Researchers, policy makers, and victim service providers working in forensic settings will also gain critical insights from this discussion.
The effect of aging on sexual recidivism has been studied for more than twenty years, and research results consistently show a dramatic reduction in risk with age. Dr. Jeffrey Sandler, alongside Naomi Freeman, has taken this question a step further by examining whether this trend holds true for men who commit sexual offenses over the age of 60. Their 2024 study, with another forthcoming, provides critical new insights into this question.
In this webinar, Dr. Sandler discusses their findings and explores broader implications for understanding re-offense risk, treatment needs, and public safety.
Key takeaways from this research include:
- Refined risk assessments enable more precise and nuanced evaluations of re-offense potential
- Strategic resource allocation helps criminal justice systems focus interventions on high-risk populations
- Targeted treatment development informs age-appropriate rehabilitation and intervention programs
- Evidence-based policy designs guide more effective management strategies for aging offenders
- Cost-effective interventions potentially reduce the financial burden on criminal justice systems
Dr. Sandler’s research promises to reshape our understanding of sexual offense dynamics across the lifespan, paving the way for more effective interventions and policies that enhance community safety and support rehabilitation.
Who's Presenting
Jeffrey Sandler, PhD
Jeffrey Sandler has been researching issues related to sexual offending for almost 20 years. His primary areas of research interest are age and sexual offending, females who sexually offend, public policies intended to manage people who sexually offend, and sexual recidivism risk assessment. Dr. Sandler recently rotated off of the board of directors for the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse (ATSA), where he served as Treasurer. He has served as Chair of ATSA’s Research Committee and was Conference Co-Chair for that organization’s annual conference in Los Angeles in 2022.