The Salt Lake Tribune in Utah has a great op-ed piece pointing out that corrections reform advocates are (in typical cowardly fashion) paying no attention to the fact that it is stupid to fatten sex-offender websites and cram more non-dangerous people into our prisons.
Points made about Utah apply to Nebraska as well, where the subject of our current REFUGEES USA series is being held on a technicality in prison, away from his wife and 2-year-old daughter.
Here is an excerpt from The Tribune:
Contrary to popular belief, research shows that repeat offenses are less common among people convicted of sex offenses than for those convicted of other crimes. However, we still treat all types of sex offenders as if they will re-offend as soon as they can, regardless of intervention. Operating the system this way results in low-risk offenders consuming limited correction resources, while dangerous offenders get far less correctional attention than we would be wise to provide. It doesn’t help that the State Legislature has not increased funding for prison and community-based treatment for this population since 1996.