Selected Preventive Measures in the Sexual Abuse of Children: Alghoritmic Assessment, Online Tools and Public Registry

Abstract

Sexual offenses against children have a high level of occurrence and certain measures are necessary to prevent them. In this article, algorithmic assessment of recidivism, and tools for detecting online grooming and public registry of sex offenders are presented. Studies abroad have shown that algorithmic assessments are an efficient tool in the criminal justice system as they are more accurate and objective than those of judges. However, an holistic approach is necessary to avoid homogenization of child sex offenders and biased data that can lead to false positives. The same applies to the technology for detecting online child sexual abuse, which can improve its validity and efficacy by following certain guidelines and through appropriate legislation. Contrary to that, public registry of sex offenders shows negative effects, such as homelessness, vigilantism and recidivism. In the future, more research is needed, as recidivism in sexual crimes is hard to measure. Besides, good practices of post-penal treatment need to be studied as they indicate positive results regarding rehabilitation of sex offenders and their reintegration into the community in some countries.