Yuma, Arizona’s KYMA and reporter Jenny Day have now taken their third crack at an article that garnered strong reaction from the advocacy community and from experts in sex offender treatment and research.
This third try (which can be read here) still bears the title “Released to Reoffend” implying persons on the registry are being released to inevitably reoffend and also still contains the false statistic attributed to “Amberly’s Place”, only now it includes a walk-back of the 99% statistic and some additional (more accurate) sources.
Still, the article cherry picks statistics from offenses that have a higher rate of recidivism than average as well as people diagnosed with pedophelia, but fails to concede that most on the registry do not fall into those categories and the OVERALL rate of recidivism for ALL people on the registry is definitively less than their original claim of 99%, still less than their cited current rates for the most serious offenses and actually in the single digits.
It’s still not good enough and it does not undo the damage caused by their first version which implied that all on the registry (aside from 1%) will inevitably re-offend.
What we want are two things; first an apology for the article and a retraction – whether Umphress was misquoted or editors didn’t fact check the story before going to broadcast, this was irresponsible journalism; second, another article based on information taken from actual experts. not anecdotal opinion. KYMA needs to look no farther than ATSA for a referral to one.
The overwhelming majority of those on the registry were not “released to reoffend”. MOST were released to live lives as good citizens in their communities, productive members of society and valued family members. It’s what we all should want them to do. Articles like KYMA impede that.
My response to those advocating the registry, restrictions on places of residency and the many other supervision requirements being imposed on free man is simply this. The unregistered pedophile larking within your family or circle of friends is by far the greatest threat to your child. This is an undeniable fact.
As for me, I am a free man living in a free society. My success and failures are mind and mind alone. I am unbound except for my self-imposed limitations. As a free man I am guided by my conscious and the understanding between Right and Wrong. No Government imposed regulation will prevent a free man in a free society from doing wrong.
Absolutely correct.
Further, Registries are of no use at all. It doesn’t do me any good in any way to know that one of my neighbors is listed on the Registries and another is not. I don’t know which of them has committed more $EX crimes. I don’t know which of them is more dangerous to my family TODAY. I certainly don’t know which of them might shoot my child with a gun! Or drive drunk with my children in their car and murder them.
I can’t treat either of those two people differently. Just because one of them is not listed, I’m not going to let my children hang out with him. And I could let either of those people babysit my children without issue and with the risk not being significantly different. Because I just don’t know who has or could do what. The end.
If Registries were used ONLY so that people were “informed”, and ALL other Registries that must exist did (e.g. Gun Offender Registries, Impaired Driver Registries, etc.), then maybe/possibly/conceivably we good Americans could consider if it is worth it to waste piles and piles of limited resources on them. Maybe.
But we’ve all proven that we can’t responsibly have and use Registries. No American will ever think they are acceptable.
What about the people that are on that registry and have spent time in prison through a plea deal because of the fear that was put in them by the police and others in power. All because of someone getting pissed off and pointing a finger…That is all it takes. there is no such thing as being innocent until proven guilty. It is guilty with no chance of proving innocence. No DNA no physical evidence. you are just guilty and you are sentenced to a life sentence.. Even though it was a specified number of years. It is a lifetime sentence and don’t ever forget it.
I have taken them to task as well and have sent them many stats that prove they are wrong. Glad I’m not the only one taking them o task.Wish I had the money to go to Arizona, I’d go to the station in person.
hummm several cracks at it and still did not get it correct and use a headline opener that would open eyes from incorrect false statements. this company knows wtf they are doing i hope they or their kids end up on the hit list!!!
Pedophilia cannot be cured because it is not a disease! It is a thought process. This is actually taught in group therapy that is require by the State!!! Again she gets it wrong! Point this out to this idiot!!!
As far as pedophilia being a thought process rather than disease empowers the individual to change that thought process which, if successful, is the cure.
The cure then is found in ones conscious.
It’s not just them. Look at what another media source is reporting:
https://www.wesh.com/article/fighting-sextortion-technology-opens-kids-to-world-of-twisted-people/29868194
Meanwhile, another Florida politician (not Lauren Book this time) is pushing for more laws to increase felonies that will require sex offender registration.
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/311850-linda-stewart-amy-mercado-seek-to-make-flashing-a-felony
The bill is about flashing. That hasn’t required registration?
Prosecutors will use this law to go after those who forgot to close their window while getting dressed. I’m not familiar, though, what the implications are of changing a first-degree misdemeanor to third-degree felony. I thought some misdemeanors required registration in FL, but I could be wrong.
In the town where I live, the local flasher thought about retiring, but he’s decided to stick it out for another year.
This article combined legit info about protecting your kids from sextortion, with free advertising for the sheriff and the “Innocent Lives Foundation” (?).
At least it was not dumb enough to target persons required to register, the way KYMA is doing.
I know that all I want to do is live my life and be left alone. I live in fear everyday of being accused of something that I didn’t do. Fear that I have overlooked something to do with registration and being locked away again for no real reason. I pray every day that god would just take me. Living like this in fear is just not living. I’m not suicidal and have no thoughts of harming myself. But there is nothing wrong with asking.
Not only are the statistics wrong but the article reads like it was written by a seven year old. How does something like that even get published?
“…the article reads like it was written by a seven year old. ”
Maybe this is a silver lining. People will be more likely to dismiss it if it appears amateurish :).
Can we as a group file a defamation of character civil suit againest them. Yes we are registered sex offenders but we are still human beings. We made a mistake that follows most of us for life. A very large percentage do not recommit any crimes either sexual or criminal in nature. Drug dealers and murders have a higher recidivism rate but it’s ok for them to live next door to you. Get your facts right you have defamed a group of people who have nothing to lose in fighting back in court.
They still state “Again, Amberly’s place statistics have stayed the same for 20 years, showing 99% of child sex offenders cannot be cured and often re-offend.” That simply is not true. If they can’t be cured, the recidivism rate would be much higher. And what exactly does “cure” mean? “Often re-offend”…. for what. a technical violation?
These idiots still have no clue.
Maybe it is true? What is there to be cured of? People treat $EX like idiots.
Are we worried about “curing” people who break into people’s homes and stick guns in their faces? Why not? Because that is not as dangerous as a person who looks at illegal pictures?
It makes no sense at all that a person who commits a $EX crime needs “therapy” and yet people who do other, even more anti-social behavior do not. And I think the hang up about it is only because it involves $EX. Only.
We don’t need for people to be “cured”. We need for them to not commit crimes. I guarantee you that there are a LOT more people who think like people who have committed child molestation crimes than these Registry Nazis want to believe. Guarantee it. How are they going to be “cured”? They don’t have to be. For the same reason that we don’t have to cure people who have thought about gunning down their neighbors. We need for them to not do it. The end.
Registries make people want to commit crimes. Registries encourage and promote it and yet do nothing to hinder it. Pure stupidity.
But big government specializes in stupidity. Look at their War on Drugs. Total failure. Don’t they care? Of course not. Results aren’t important at all. The point of the war is to create a business for them, make them feel better, and grow big government. They love the games. Same with the Registries.