Finding the Jekyll in Hyde

Rehabilitating men with sexual convictions could be the way forward to combat sexual violence

- MADHUMITA PANDEY

Sexual violence and the fear of sexual abuse has a profound and devastating effect on not only individuals, but entire communities. According to the 2019 annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 32,033 rape cases were registered across India; that is an average of 88 cases every day. Since the Nirbhaya gang rape in 2012, public outrage has led to more punitive measures to combat sexual violence, and keeping convicted sex offenders in prison for longer seems like an appealing resolve. However, in reality, this does not contribute towards reducing the risk of future reoffending and harm.

There are many factors associated with reoffending such as social and emotional isolation, unemployment or not having something meaningful to do in life. India has 134 central jails, and at the time of my prison research of convicted rapists, Tihar alone had around 400 convicted male rapists serving sentences that ranged from five years to life. While it is a bitter pill to swallow for the public when it comes to rehabilitating sex offenders, the hardest fact that we must face is that the vast majority of sex offenders will one day be released and we need to provide support for their reintegration to avoid reoffending and to reduce future victimisation.

Research has shown that rehabilitation of sex offenders is more effective in the community than in prisons, and programmes like Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) have been quite effective. In Minnesota, the risk of reoffending and rearrests had reduced by 88 per cent for those who were a part of the CoSA programme.