The problem is not recidivism, it is the belief there is a HIGH RATE of recidivism. Beliefs and reality are not the same...where former sex offenders are concerned. Statistics do not support the belief!8-20-2011 Alabama:
Alabama's new sex offender reporting law is designed to increase oversight of people who commit sex crimes, but two researchers warn if the laws are too restrictive, they may backfire and result in more, not fewer, sex offenses.
J.J. Prescott, University of Michigan Law School professor, and Jonah E. Rockoff, Columbia University Business School professor, tracked sexual offender data after states established sex offender registries. The duo did not study Alabama's new law but analyzed similar laws in other states for their report.
Rockoff said states passed stricter laws hoping to reduce the number of repeat sex offenses and make the public feel safer. But in a study encompassing several years, he and Prescott found that such requirements make " ‘sticking to the straight and narrow' much less attractive than just throwing up your hands and returning to crime," Prescott said.
He considers the finding significant since the purpose of most of laws is to cut down on repeat crimes.
"Put differently, living life as a convicted sex offender can be pretty miserable under these laws," Prescott said. ..Source.. by M.J. Ellington, Montgomery Bureau
