(NECN: Ally Donnelly) - One of the state's few psychiatrists who treats sex offenders says 13 children may not have been hurt had authorities simply screened the man at the center of one of the most horrific child abuse cases prosecutors have ever seen.
"All sex offenders should have evaluation, that doesn't mean that they all need treatment, but there should be an evaluation that identifies risk and has specific recommendations," said Dr. Sorrentino.
Dr. Renee Sorrentino is an instructor at Harvard Medical School and runs the for-profit Institute for Sexual Wellness in Quincy. She says investigators missed the opportunity to more accurately classify John Burbine's status as a sex offender when he was convicted of indecent assault and battery in 1989. He was classified as a level one sex offender, at little risk to re-offend and not considered dangerous enough to have his status publicized.
But last week, the 49-year-old Wakefield man was charged with more than 100 criminal counts for allegedly assaulting children and infants as young as eight days old at his wife's unlicensed day care center over the last two years.
"The Sex Offender Board, like many states, spends millions of dollars on leveling and community notification -- it does not indicate or infer the scientific risk of dangerousness," said Sorrentino.
Sorrentino says research shows that treatment of sex offenders works, but the general public wants to punish, not spend money on expensive therapies. She says people are quick to blame the sex offender registry board for not flagging Burbine when he was convicted in '89 or when additional allegations followed in 2005 and 2009 -- but she says that attitude misses the bigger picture.
"What I'm recommending is prevention before that, that the organization would do some screening to identify individuals who had such propensities to commit sexual acts, so we would know that information before the person was leveled," said Sorrentino.
Local
Sorrentino says businesses or organizations could easily screen anyone who works or volunteers with children with low cost computer programs.
"Easy to use, quick assessments usually one to two hours and it would indicate whether or not there should be some follow up for that individual," said Sorrentino.
Burbine is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Woburn District Court.
