The Sexual Recidivism Rates of Women Are Still Low: An Updated Meta‐Analysis

ABSTRACT

Background

Compared to men, women are less likely to sexual offend. Previous reviews found low rates of sexual recidivism among women. The last published meta-analysis was based on studies from before 2010.

Aims

Conduct an updated meta-analysis of the sexual recidivism rates of women returned to the community. We expected the rates to be low and to decline the longer they remained sexual offence free in the community.

Methods

Fourteen studies met selection criteria. Their publication/presentation dates ranged from 1998 to 2023. Results were presented as raw proportions as well as meta-analytic averages.

Results

Of the 4208 women, 3.1% (131) were known to have sexually reoffended. The rate was 2.4% during the first 5 years (64/2642, k = 8) and 1.1% between years 5 and 10 (6/535, k = 2). There was large and significant variability across studies (prediction intervals: < 0.001%–11%). The rates of violent recidivism (7.8%) and general (any) recidivism (30.1%) were substantially higher than the rate of sexual recidivism.

Conclusions

This review confirms previous findings that the sexual recidivism rate of women is very low. Their risk is so low that it is unlikely to be reduced by sexual crime specific treatment or public protection measures (e.g., registration and notification). Instead, gender-responsive interventions should focus on the women’s risk for general criminal recidivism and strive to promote successful reintegration.