No, I don’t think there is any evidence that disgust for sex offenders causes them to rape kids again. Does being rejected by society cause them to lust after kids? Or does it cause them to give into their lust? The first seems very unlikely–that sexual desire could be affected by pressures. At least, as I said, there is no evidence at all of this. And if it the second, then it shouldn’t matter–the offender still lusts after children and has shown propensity in the past to assault them. After all, these people committed their assaults in the first place, before being despised by society.
It is clear that these kind of laws are not cruel and unusual punishment, because they are not punishment at all. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled these to be prophylactic in measure, like locking up a mentally dangerous person, or quarantining someone with a dangerous communicable disease.
It is indeed an unfortunate situation, but I think many people under-estimate the recidivism rates involved. Raping a child is not the kind of crime one can “do the time” and be done, like stealing a car. People who steal cars can reeducated, taught a new trade, and lead a new life free from most or all of the motivators of the original crime. Science still has no good method of therapy for sexual aggressors. I don’t think this is an issue of forgiveness–we ought to forgive them even before they are taken to trial–it is an issue of protecting us and our children. It is not unloving to keep a dangerous person away from his potential victims. And frankly, science strongly indicates that sex offenders are dangerous even after serving extended periods, even after finding God, even after learning new trades… asking them to stop their behavior is often like asking a homosexual to start finding the opposite sex attractive, or a straight person to start lusting after people of the same sex. Some claim its possible, but on a large scale, it is highly uncertain to work.
Btw, I do not mean to address people who unknowingly have sex with people slightly under the age of consent. It is a terrible thing that such people are grouped with those who rape and fondle kids.
Imagine if this person was CERTAIN to commit a similar crime again. Would you be as comfortable with letting him into the setting with families and Sunday School? Of course not. And I would submit that anyone who is comfortable with this is underestimating the likelihood of a sex offender repeating his offense.
What we ought to do is create a special, adults-only service or location for people in this and other positions which make it prudent to have only adults around.
