Reader comments
Report: Funding for sex offender treatment lacking

California Andy | 6:09 a.m. Nov. 18, 2008

Socialist baloney and a waste of money -- Sexual predators should never be released from prison. If I was locked up for loving my wife and "treated" to follow the No on 8 lovers, I can assure you as soon as I was treated and released from prison. I am headed back to my wife and no other.

Hacking at the branches | 6:12 a.m. Nov. 18, 2008

When will anyone ever finally admit that all the extra funding and treatment in the world is only hacking at the branches of the problem?? Until they go for chopping down the tree, and then digging out the roots, this problem will only continue to grow.

And the tree is???????????

Well duh.

(If you can't figure that out, you've got A LOT of COMPANY--A whole nation and a whole world with its head buried in the sand.)

arc | 7:21 a.m. Nov. 18, 2008

Having visited the prison for a couple of years, and looking at the stats showing the success rate for those in the program not re-offending, this is one area we should spend money.

Comments continue below

To: Hacking a the brances | 7:38 a.m. Nov. 18, 2008

You didn't read the part about the 17% reoffending rate for offenders who get treatment. But hey why let facts get in the way of a cute little comment.

Kevin Owens | 7:39 a.m. Nov. 18, 2008

Sex offender treatment programs are not a waste of money. Sex offenders are people just like you and me, who make mistakes. They are living, breathing human beings with families.

Treatment programs work. Many sex offenders are not hard-core perverts, but commit crimes of opportunity. Counseling will help get them back on track, so they can repent of their sins and become productive members of society again.

Society would be a better place if we could rehabilitate these people.

File lawsuit against... | 7:54 a.m. Nov. 18, 2008

Pornographers, just as the states file lawsuit against the tabacco companies. Porno peddlers deal harmful substances that tax payers end up picking up the devastation and treatment costs. States should file law suit

Roger S. | 8:53 a.m. Nov. 18, 2008

Who says that pornography is a "victimless crime"? Clearly, it is a leading cause for the increase in sexual deviancy. That's just common sense.

But in our country, with the First Amendment standing as the big hurdle for law enforcement, any attempts to stop it completely will fail. It's a tough situation for the prisons and other correctional facilities.

Given the legal difficulties in stopping pornography, perhaps the only thing we can do is put more money into the system to train those who have become its victims to leave it alone.

In the cases of... | 9:12 a.m. Nov. 18, 2008

Sexual offenses against children, only surgical procedures should be used to be confident that a re-offense will never occur again.

Zippy | 9:18 a.m. Nov. 18, 2008

I agree with the not putting any more money towards this. Why are these people not being executed? They are not going to change, so why fund them? When are we going to be more merciful to society than criminals?

Chloe | 9:56 a.m. Nov. 18, 2008

As a child abuse victim, I feel it is a lost cause. No amount of therapy or treatment is going to change the way perpetrators are wired. The damage they do is longitudinal. My relationships, my education, my home life, they are all messed up. I think HE should give up his life so that I may have a new one.

Robert Olsen | 11:00 a.m. Nov. 18, 2008

The last statistis that I have known of was the prision number are about 60 per cent sexual offenders. The only way to stop this surgical castration. This should be done and then turn them lose and make them work. I know that this will work as I have worked on a farm and when the male animals were unruly and hard to handle they were surgically castrated and then they were good boys and behaved decently. So the problem of money is solved.

Facts, not rhetoric | 12:25 p.m. Nov. 18, 2008

For you lynch mobbers clambering for castration and execution, you need to learn how to read and understand what numbers before posting your useless rhetoric. 17% is not good, but it's also not that high of a number. These offenders - especially the one-timers have every right to treatment and help.

California Andy | 12:48 p.m. Nov. 18, 2008

Those of you unctously touting the 17% recidivism rate as a super success rate should stop and think. Do you want your boy or girl child or wife molested by the 1 out of 6 sex offenders that did not have a sucessful "treatment" while incarcerated? Get your heads out of the sand, folks. No chemical castration, either. Knife only.

Mary rickysmom | 1:05 p.m. Nov. 18, 2008

Search for Rickys LIfe and read this story..kids like this are on the registry as predators so how ca we tell who are the real dangers? Educate yourself folks and realize the truth cause it can be your sixteen year old for teen consensual sex:) Thanks

Open your eyes | 4:01 p.m. Nov. 18, 2008

The comments here show how in the dark most people are about sex offenders. There is a good article at the site Once Fallen dot com entitled, "You might be RSO if..." I'd go check it out if I were you. Pray none of you are ever accused of a sex crime. It is way too easy to pick up a bogus case these days. Need I remind you that Utah is the state who prosecuted a 12 year old girl and 13 year old boy for having sex with each other?

Steve - Re: Andy & Hacking | 4:22 p.m. Nov. 18, 2008

Andy: Why should they be locked up forever (especially when professionals have shown only a small percentage of those who complete therapy treatment re-offend)? Shouldn't those who have changed and learned to control their urges be allowed another chance at a crime free life like every other person charged with a crime?

You point out we should be afraid of the low 17% bunch. Well unless one of them are related to you or are good friends with you or your child, chances are your kids have no reason to fear... almost all are abused by those they know. Abuse by strangers is quite rare.

Hacking: Are you insinuating castration? Castration alone won't stop the problem. Why? Because the problem lies in the person's mind, it's a mental issue... thought patterns need to be corrected. You can castrate them but they'll still have the same thoughts and desires. Castration of the abuser doesn't eliminate all the ways a person can be sexually abused.

Steve - Re: Zippy | 4:29 p.m. Nov. 18, 2008

Why aren't they executed? Because it's not, nor should it be, a capital offense. Only those who murder should wind up on death row.

You're wrong about them not changing. Many can and do indeed change and go on to lead normal productive lives, never commiting this crime again. Only a small percentage of those who successfully complete a therapy program re-peat their crimes.

We do need greater funding for these programs as it's proven that they work. These people, like anyone else, deserve another chance.

Do you also call for a death sentence for those who commit DUI's? Or do you just reserve it for sex offenders? Oh and keep in mind that not every sex offender is a child abuser, it also applies to crimes against adults.

To Ricky's Mom, and Steve | 10:03 p.m. Nov. 18, 2008

I look at your website and signed your petition. I also sent you an email from your website. There are far too many persons on the sex offender registry who simply are not sex offenders, like your son. Teens who engage in premarital sex, especially if one is under the "age of consent" are technically committing a crime. But they do not deserve to be on the registry at all, ever. There are people on the registry who did not committ any offense of any kind, but could not prove their innocence when accused, such as my husband, who served 6 months in jail, wrongfully accused.

True sex offenders do not offend just for the sensual pleasure. It is more a control issue--lack of control on their part, and a need to control someone else they deem to be weaker. Some are violent rapists. But as Steve said, most offenders are family members, friends or acquaintences, especially the fondling, improper touching kind of offenses.

Counseling is very effective for those who complete it successfully, and want to change their lives. I would worry far more about the offenders who haven't been caught and haven't received counseling.

bill | 11:50 a.m. Nov. 19, 2008

#1. Hating sex offenders is easy. Screaming loudly shows your concern about your children. No action is required on the part of the parents except an opinion that is acceptable in society.

Dealing with a runaway or unruly child takes a lot of hard work. A suicidal or addicted child can tear your heart out. A drink now and then saves your sanity. And kids know how to push your buttons and make you mad enough to kill but, of course, you would never do such a thing.

Adults no longer have a vested interest in their children and everyone in the family goes their own direction. Ignoring is much simpler than arguing and disciplining. They are going to do what they want anyway so why bother with a ruckus. Right?

Anonymous | 11:55 a.m. Nov. 19, 2008

Out of 1,315,600 missing kids 115 were snatched in the sense that everybody is worried about. And that includes kids that were snatched for ransom, and kids that were snatched by a disturbed or distraught person who wanted a child of their own, so how many are left that were snatched and killed by the sex offenders that are hiding behind every tree? That's what we're really worried about, right? Actually, the report tells us that number is 40 but letï¿½s be generous and use the entire 115 who were snatched out of the 1.3 million who went missing.

You will find that less than 1/100th of 1% were snatched but the number that people care about and are willing to spend our resources on is much lower. To qualify for an outcry there must be a combination of sex, violence and death.

Page 11 of the report states that "ï¿½40 missing children who were stereotypically kidnapped and killed (an estimated 35) or were still missing (approximately 5) at the time of the study." Yes, that is too many. But are we going to ignore all the others to concentrate on less than 1/200th of 1%?

bill | 11:59 a.m. Nov. 19, 2008

Of those:

1296 were shot to death by someone,

145 were stabbed to death,

89 were strangled,

37 were burned alive,

17 were poisoned,

603 shot themselves,

559 hung themselves, and

6132 were killed in traffic accidents.

This tells us that in 2002:

Your child was 1400% more likely to hang themselves than be snatched and killed by a sex offender.

Your child was 1500% more likely to shoot themselves than be snatched and killed by a sex offender

Your child was 3200% more likely to be murdered by firearm by someone besides a sex offender.

Your child was 4000% more likely to be shot, stabbed, strangled, burned alive or poisoned than snatched and killed by a sex offender.

Your child was 15300% more likely to be killed in a car crash than snatched and killed by a sex offender.

bill cont | 12:03 p.m. Nov. 19, 2008

"The majority of drivers in these crashes survived, suggesting that certain children killed in alcohol-related crashes might have survived had they been restrained properly"

Your child is 2600% more likely to be killed by you because you couldnï¿½t be bothered to put their seatbelt on when you felt like driving drunk with your kid in the car. Are these the same parents who scream for tougher laws to protect their children against sex offenders??

These are huge numbers of children being killed in brutal ways - it's like a war zone out there. Or is that an exaggeration?

Anonymous | 12:06 p.m. Nov. 19, 2008

When next you rail against sex offenders ask yourself why you arenï¿½t taking on the big risk issues? The reason, in many cases, is that it would draw negative attention to lifestyles that are counter-productive to a childï¿½s safety. By trying to divert attention elsewhere you expose yourself as a phony and it will come full circle. Count on it.

The public is blind and being manipulated, do some research before making comment. when the prison says RE-OFFEND that includes every kind of offence out there. lets see them print RE-OFFENDS SEXUALLY. Unfortunatly some do, but not 17%. The prison is an industry, some peoples income comes from those who offend. What do you think they want you to believe???

lds man | 6:26 p.m. Nov. 21, 2008

the funny thing here is most of these aggressive comments were made by people who are members of the LDS church. Im glad that you think that you are already a God and can execute judgement upon your brothers and sisters. Nothing good comes from hate.
plus you people should read your constitution!

EX OFFENDER | 8:18 p.m. Nov. 21, 2008

WHEN I READ WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY IT SCARES ME. ALL PEOPLE HAVE FAMILIES. JUST BECAUSE YOU DONT HAVE CRIME EFFECT YOU PERSONALLY OR ONE OF YOUR MEMBERS DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN JUSTIFY WANTING TO KILL MAIM OR BETTER YET IMPRISON FOR LIFE SOMEONE WHO MADE A MISTAKE.. IF IT WERE YOUR FAMILY YOU WOULD WISH FOR SOME SENSE AND COMPASSION TOWARDS YOUR LOVED ONE..I WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT SOMEONE WHO SETS UP A METH LAB AND GOES TO PRISON AND GETS OUT AND GETS CAUGHT AGAIN... HOW ABOUT THE GUY WHO HELD UP YOUR MOM FOR MONEY TO BUY DRUGS BECAUSE HE GOT GIVEN METH AND NOW THEY ARE HOOKED FOR LIFE.. WHAT ABOUT OXY COTIN ADDICT WHO KILLED SOMEONE FOR THE DRUG.. WOW DEATH. THATS BAD I'SNT IT??? LETS ALL PU BLINDERS ON AND JUMP ON SEX OFFENDERS BECAUSE THEY ARE AN EASY TARGET AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.. COME ON GET REAL LETS LOOK AT CRIME AS A WHOLE. NOT JUST SOMETHING EASY TO PICK ON.....

Anonymous | 9:40 a.m. Nov. 24, 2008

What everyone is forgetting is the victims. Where is the funding for the single mother who is trying to protect their children? Yes the sex offender has a family, now not only is the familys whole life turned upside down because of some "mistake" but they have no assistace either. The government money goes to rehabilitating these offenders who will procreate their next victims. I think the 17% stat is low. The reason it is low is because we are including some offenses that need to be classified as something else. Don't minimize sex crimes as just a mistake! You are mimimizing the vicitim as not being a person when you do that!

Nasty Old Grandfather | 12:19 p.m. Nov. 24, 2008

Mess with one of my grandchildren and if the pathetic court system doesn't solve the problem I might not be so Christian towards you.

ANONYMOUS | 10:26 p.m. Dec. 17, 2008

THIS IS AN APOLOGY FOR THE WRONG WAY MY STATEMENT SOUNDED WHEN I SAID MISTAKE...I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU HAVE SAID. WHAT I SAID IN NO WAY WAS IT TO SOUND LIKE IT WAS NOT PRE MEDITATED.. I WAS A VICTIM ALSO...

Add your comment

Comments are monitored. Any comments found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, more than 200 words or containing URLs will not be posted.

Words Remaining

E-mail address: For internal use only. We may want to contact you to publish your comment (not your e-mail address) in the newspaper or for a separate story idea.