FEWER THAN 15 per cent of the 1,100 convicted sex offenders on the sex offenders register are receiving treatment or supervision while living in the community.
Rape Crisis Network Ireland said the risk of sex offenders reoffending was being underestimated and that the State was neglecting to protect society from that risk. Last year 158 convicted sex offenders were supervised by the Probation and Welfare Service, according to figures obtained by The Irish Times.
However, Garda sources say the number of offenders on the register has been hovering at about 1,100. The total rises or falls slightly as more offenders are added and the terms of those on the register expire. It means about 940 offenders living in the community who are on the register are not required to engage with the probation service and are not being monitored by it.
The Probation and Welfare Service directed queries about sex offender supervision to the Department of Justice, which has yet to reply to queries from The Irish Times.
Rape Crisis Network, an information and resource centre on rape and sexual violence, expressed its concern at the low levels of supervision.
Policy director Clíona Saidléar said those offenders who were convicted represented only a small percentage of the total sex offender population. It was imperative “these ones that we know about” were supervised when living in the community.
It was only when offenders knew they were being monitored after being released that they might police their own behaviour. “The State has a responsibility to, insofar as is possible, minimise the risk they [sex offenders] pose. To neglect that responsibility is just unacceptable.”
It was the courts that had the power to impose a period of supervision on an offender, Ms Saidléar added.
The register was established in 2001 when the Sex Offenders Act was enacted. An offender convicted of a sexual offence is placed on the register indefinitely if they are jailed for two years or more.
If a court imposes a sentence of between six months and two years, the period on the register is 10 years.
If jailed for under six months, the offender is placed on the register for seven years. If no sentence is imposed, the period is five years.
Once on the register, an offender has certain obligations and failure to comply is a criminal offence. They must inform gardaí where they are living and if they change their address. They must also inform gardaí of any travel plans.
However, while the Garda effectively keeps the register updated and investigates breaches, it has no role in the supervision or treatment of those on the register living in the community. That responsibility rests solely with the probation service.
An offender can be supervised by the service only if the trial judge imposes a period under probation post- release. A judge who opts not to impose a custodial sentence can still impose a period under probation when the offender is convicted.