What Is a Sex Offender?
According to various dictionaries, the question "what is a sex offender?" can be answered like this: A sex offender is someone who's been convicted of a crime or crimes involving sex. Those crimes can include rape, sexual abuse, molestation, lewdness or other acts that offend a community's tastes, like trafficking in child pornography.
However, because it's based on community standards, the definition of a sex offender is often determined by individual state laws, which naturally differ. For instance, the age of sexual consent in the United States, as determined by state legislatures, generally ranges from 16 years old to 18 years old, so a boy who just turned 18 and has (or continues to have) pre-marital sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend may very well be committing statutory rape, depending on which state the couple lives in. A statutory rape conviction can result in the defendant being labeled a sex offender, requiring him (or her) to register as a sex offender with a state agency.
Usually, though, the term "sex offender" refers to an adult who's been convicted of engaging or trying to engage in sexual acts with another person without that person's consent. There's rightfully a lot of concern over pedophiles (sex offenders who prey on children), but the victim of a sex offender can be any age, from a young child to a senior citizen; it's the act that determines a sex offense, not the age of the victim.
While there's no official "profile" of a sex offender, information gathered by researchers offers some general guidelines about what type of person a sex offender is. For example, sex offenders tend to be males and are more likely than the average person to have been sexually abused as a child. And the information about sex offenders who target children indicates that they know their victim(s) — even though pedophiles are, on average, five years older than sex offenders who target adults.1
Even worse, anecdotal evidence and sex offender statistics strongly suggest that, regardless of the victim's age, the vast majority of people who commit sexual assault remain free. This is because victims are much more likely to report a sexual offense when the assailant is a stranger than when the victim knows the offender.2
There are no foolproof, 100%-guaranteed methods to protect your children (or yourself) from sex offenders, but an important step you can take to identify threats in your neighborhood is to request a Family Safety Report. A Family Safety Report can show you a list of local, registered sex offenders, including information such as their names, addresses, and pictures. With this report, you can identify people as well as streets to avoid; knowing where such dangers may be lurking can provide some peace of mind.
Protecting your family is a never-ending responsibility, so be sure to take the steps you need to take to ensure their safety — order a Family Safety Report today.***