Why so many sex offenders?

Sadly, in the Aug. 19 Sentinel-Record was the story of an alleged sexual assault of a local 11-year-old little girl. These types of stories are far too commonplace in our community. Why?

The Arkansas Crime Information Center reports there are over 280 registered sex offenders living in Garland County. That is an average of 29 sex offenders per 10,000 residents. The national average is

14 offenders per 10,000 residents. That means

Garland County has two times more sex offenders per capita than most other places in the

United States.

What causes people to become sexual predators? The Center for Sex Offender Management put out a report listing some of the more common causes for deviant behavior.

According to the report, the first and most common are lack of empathy and a feeling of entitlement. The sex offenders may tell themselves (and even tell others) that the behavior is not harmful or that it is less serious, or claim that the victim enjoyed the behavior or initiated the sexual contact, or they may come up with justifications for engaging in sex-offending behaviors, such as believing that the victims deserve to be treated in these ways. By doing this, the offenders believe it gives them “permission” to do something that they know is wrong, and therefore they may not feel as badly about themselves for doing it.

Another characteristic that seems to be fairly common among sex offenders involves problems in the social or interpersonal area. Isolation, poor communication skills and lack of appropriate intimate relationships are all contributing factors to sexual deviancy. People who don’t, as a general rule, leave their preferred groups on a regular basis tend to lack interpersonal skills. Keeping to yourself too much or believing that all outsiders are harmful because “they ain’t from around here” is backward, stunting and destructive behavior.

A history of mistreatment can also lead to sexual abuse. The study states a large number of sex offenders were also victims of sexual or physical abuse in their youth. This seems to suggest there may be some sort of relationship between having been abused and later becoming a sex offender.

Whatever the cause, it is up to us as a community to help stop this horrific crime. A child should not have their innocence ripped from them. If you suspect abuse is occurring, contact the authorities. Don’t think that it is none of your business. In the South, we tend to believe that we should mind our own business. The harming of a child is our business and turning a blind eye to the problem is shameful.

Maybe if we helped more innocent children, we would not have to deal with as many monsters. We owe the children of Garland County more. It is up to all of us.