Deaf Sex Offenders in a Prison Population

Very little is known about deaf sex offenders. This descriptive study of a population of 41 deaf sex offenders incarcerated by the state of Texas provides information about the prevalence of sexual offenders in the deaf prison population, the educational achievement and IQ scores of deaf offenders, and the incidence of secondary disabilities in this population. The rate of sexual offending by deaf offenders was 4 times the rate of sexual offending by hearing offenders with 30% recidivism in the population. Sexual offending by deaf adults is discussed in relation to the sexual abuse of deaf children. Sixty-two percent of deaf sex offenders were functionally illiterate, a literacy rate considerably below the average for deaf adults who remained in school until age 18 or above. However, the performance IQs of deaf sex offenders were comparable to those of the overall prison population.