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Comment on iPhone’s Latest Hit App: A Sex Offender Locator

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This kind of thing is just horrible in my opinion. If you are a known sex offender, you've been convicted and also served your time. You've payed your debt. How the heck does it help you to get back to a normal life if people in your neighborhood are able to alienate you for something that you've already served your sentence for?

I think the publics opinion is that sex offenders can never change/be cured, whereas say a murderer can.

It'd be interesting to see repeat offense rates for sex offenders compared with other crimes.

Isn't trying to 'cure' say a pedophile, a similar task to trying to turn a homosexual straight? (Serious question, I don't know the answer).

It's not a good idea for anyone to witch hunt and obsess about such a small threat.

The US Department of Justice has puts out reports on recidivism rates. Some information from the last report:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/rpr94.htm

Those most likely to be rearrested within 3 years of release from prison committed these crimes: robbers (70.2%), burglars (74.0%), larcenists (74.6%), and motor vehicle thieves (78.8%).

Those least likely to be rearrested within 3 years committed these crimes: homicide (40.7%), rapists (46.0%), other sexual assaulters (41.4%), other violent offenders (51.7%).

If you look at the sex offender recidivism report, you find that 5.3% of sex offenders are rearrested for another sex crime:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/rsorp94.htm

Unfortunately, being caught e.g. urinating in public may also put you on the sex offender's registry.

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