Given all the popular panic about sex offenders, it may surprise you
to know that violent offenders are more likely to commit a sex crime
on release from prison than sexual offenders. Weird.
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Ben
Lecturing
About Me
- prisonerben
- United Kingdom
- Previously known as "one of Britain's best known prisoners...he constantly questions authority and exposes the futility of the system" The Times, Ben was finally released from prison after 32 years in August 2012. Pleading guilty to the murder of a friend when he was 14 years old, he renounced violence and fought for the recognition of the inherent dignity of all human beings. As a result of speaking truth to power, he served far longer than the recommended 10 years, leading Education Secretary Michael Gove to argue that he had "been punished excessively for a crime committed as a child". One of the more intellectual of prisoner-campaigners, Ben chose to educate himself from schoolboy level to having both undergraduate and post graduate degrees. He is currently one of very few prisoners in Britain ever to attempt a Doctorate. Ben's speciality is non-violent action and the Human Needs Theory. Now on Life Licence, He is forging a career as a CJ policy consultant, writer and - as ever - campaigner.
The question this poses is: what percentage of violent offenders have committed sexual offenses before incarceration? This might be more connected to the conviction rate for sexual offenses than differing rates of rehabilitation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ben above. What springs to my mind is that it is is easier for a victim of 'plain' assault to go to the police than for a victim of sexual assault.
ReplyDeleteI agree, stuff like this always relies on the official categorisation of offences. Since murder is higher up the scale than sex offences and much harder to detect and prosecute someone is more likely to be jailed for murder than a sex offence despite their offending profile so those likely to commit sex offences will be spread across both categories.
ReplyDeleteThis demonstrates the mistake of assuming that the boxes we try and put nature into actually reflect nature accurately when nature often does not have the joints we try and carve her at. This applies to humans as much as the rest of nature despite how much we try and pretend we are outside nature instead of being part of it.
So ben, what do you propose happends to sex offenders after they leave jail? You may go on about their human rights, but no-one wants to live near them, Kids are innocent too. I raise this question, as you debate if you should campaign for reform or abolition????
ReplyDeleteToo much panic about sex offenders - there are other things that are just as bad. Socety's scapegoats I guess - but I would not want to live near several other types of offenders either! The re-offending rate for sex offenders is quite low - let them be punished for their offences and then be left to get on with their lives.
ReplyDeleteOne thing is clear to me: everyone in the world is entitled to, but does not recieve, basic human rights.
ReplyDeleteWell, that wasn't clear at all, was it? I meant everyone is entitled to, but not everyone is in receipt of basic human rights.
ReplyDelete@anonymous #1
ReplyDeleteBen has said previously that he believes in Circles of Support. They were initially started in Canada specifically for sex offenders and have been shown to work very well.
The re-offending rate for sex offenders is quite low - let them be punished for their offences and then be left to get on with their lives.
ReplyDeleteA sex offenders are high risk especially where children are concerned they should always be monitored.