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> How about vs. the average prisoner? Figures from other threads show that re-offend rates for other crimes are anywhere from 15x to 35x more likely to re-offen

> How about vs. the average prisoner? Figures from other threads show that re-offend rates for other crimes are anywhere from 15x to 35x more likely to re-offend. This is a silly comparison. Most crimes are much less serious than sexual assault, and so they simply happen more often period. (The recidivism rate for parking tickets is almost 100%!) The number of crimes which are at least as serious as sexual assault is much smaller. And all we know from this author is that one of them, murder, has a lower recidivism rate.

Vraxx 10y ago
If we're comparing to the average prisoner then it filters out a lot of the chaff that you were suggesting (like parking tickets, which you do not go to prison for). I agree it's not a perfect metric, but it makes more sense than comparing to an average citizen who may or may not have even committed a crime.
- jessriedel 10y ago
  When we are deciding who's rights to infringe outside of prison to prevent future crimes, it is absolutely pertinent to compare the average citizen to the ex-con, in addition to many other factors like the severity of the future crime. This is especially true because the author isn't arguing that we should be making other ex-cons register (inviting the comparison between the recitivism of sexual ex-cons and non-sexual ex-cons), he's arguing that we shouldn't make sexual ex-cons register because it's ineffective and cruel. The other types of criminals are basically orthogonal to this argument.
falcolas 10y ago
Again, using references from other threads, there are degrees of severity for "sex crimes" - everything from urinating in public, to consensual statutory rape (i.e. Romeo and Juliet), viewing child pornography, making child pornography, to actual assault and rape. Which causes a greater public harm: urinating in public or robbing someone's home? Is being beaten into unconsciousness obviously worse than being groped? Is being killed kinder than living with rape? There are shades of grey that the sexual offender list does not capture - offenders are simply punished for life if their crime involves genitals.
- jessriedel 10y ago
  I'm not arguing in favor of the current laws. I'm arguing against the this particular misleading statement.

Vraxx 10y ago

If we're comparing to the average prisoner then it filters out a lot of the chaff that you were suggesting (like parking tickets, which you do not go to prison for). I agree it's not a perfect metric, but it makes more sense than comparing to an average citizen who may or may not have even committed a crime.

jessriedel 10y ago
When we are deciding who's rights to infringe outside of prison to prevent future crimes, it is absolutely pertinent to compare the average citizen to the ex-con, in addition to many other factors like the severity of the future crime. This is especially true because the author isn't arguing that we should be making other ex-cons register (inviting the comparison between the recitivism of sexual ex-cons and non-sexual ex-cons), he's arguing that we shouldn't make sexual ex-cons register because it's ineffective and cruel. The other types of criminals are basically orthogonal to this argument.

falcolas 10y ago

Again, using references from other threads, there are degrees of severity for "sex crimes" - everything from urinating in public, to consensual statutory rape (i.e. Romeo and Juliet), viewing child pornography, making child pornography, to actual assault and rape. Which causes a greater public harm: urinating in public or robbing someone's home? Is being beaten into unconsciousness obviously worse than being groped? Is being killed kinder than living with rape? There are shades of grey that the sexual offender list does not capture - offenders are simply punished for life if their crime involves genitals.

jessriedel 10y ago
I'm not arguing in favor of the current laws. I'm arguing against the this particular misleading statement.