Study offers new take on sex offenders (less likely to be arrested for new crimes)

Minneapolis (Red) Star Tribune ^ | May 3, 2004 | Randy Furst

[presidio9]

Last month, state Rep. Kurt Zellers hailed the House of Representatives' passage of legislation he authored that will lock up sex offenders for life without parole when they commit first-degree rape.

"It was time for us to send a message to these predators that we will no longer allow them to repeatedly victimize our families and communities," the Maple Grove Republican declared.

Fear about sex offenders committing new crimes after being released into the community has haunted the State Capitol this year.

However, a major U.S. government study, the largest of its kind ever conducted, indicates that sex offenders, as a group, including violent sex offenders, are less likely to be arrested for new crimes than other released criminals.

[goldstategop]

The U.S government study is bunk. The damage to the victims was already done and it needs to be done only once to affect their well-being. That's why sex offenders should be kept locked up - so other innocent people don't suffer the same fate.

[GailA]

Considering when the BJS does rape stats, they only count female rapes and rapes of those over TWELVE.

Samenow (I forget his first name) studies concluded that men who rape children rape about 50 female children, and 350 male children. So much for this gov't study. We have a serial rapist here in Memphis they are trying to catch.

[ClearCase_guy]

I'm guessing that those who are repeat offenders, repeat with great frequency until they get caught. So, that's a lot of victims. I think of the clergy who raped dozens or hundreds of boys. What's the solution? If only a few of these offenders will repeat, how can we identify which offenders deserve to be taken out of circulation permanently?

I think the solution is obvious: life without parole for every offender. Play it safe. Prevent future acts of violence. And send a message, that people should be real cautious in their activities, because if you screw up, you don't get a second chance. Works for me.

[GailA]

That's 155 new sex offenses for the 3115 early released rapist, and 362 for the over 6,000 sexual assaulters.

[presidio9]

I think of the clergy who raped dozens or hundreds of boys.

Make that dozens. Most of the incidences that the liberal media has termed "pedophilia" were actually gay priests having sex with willing teenagers who later had regrets. That behavior is not acceptable, but most people are not aware of the true nature of these transgressions. It was not "priests raping little boys."

[Imal]

There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.

[MainFrame65]

These criminals need to have an ID chip implanted, and if they ever get out should be required to carry a GPS tracking, recording, and reporting device at all times. The device contains a cell phone system that downloads the track on command or at random intervals, if out of proximity to the ID chip, or if the wearer enters an exclusion zone at a prohibited time.