Another false, inflated, misleading statistic.We should be used to them by now.
The most infamous, of course, is the “frightening and high” recidivism risk assigned to those on the registry every time a politician opens his mouth to justify a new law or restriction targeting registrants. RSOL has dealt with that one in re-printing Steve Yoder’s excellent piece on the subject not long ago.
With “rape culture” proponents coming out of the woodwork, this statistic continues to show up: one in five women in college will be raped during her time there. This too has been debunked for the nonsense that it is, but it, like “frightening and high,” continues to be repeated and is often “rounded down” to one in four. What parent would send a daughter off to college if she stood a 20 – 25% chance of being raped while there?
Every time the Super Bowl rolls around, or any other venue drawing a large national audience, we are inundated by announcements of vast numbers of “trafficked sex workers” converging on the city where the event is being hosted. The numbers generally hover somewhere around the 50,000 mark, give or take a few thousand. That also has been exposed as massively over inflated, to the point of being called a myth, but it hasn’t slowed the funds being apportioned to law enforcement and anti-trafficking agencies to fight this scourge.
Now the number-inflators have managed to converge two high-interest topics – sex and children – into one guaranteed to terrify every parent in Ohio and, by extension, every other state as well. U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio has just announced that, each year in that state, 1000 children are sold into sex slavery and over 3000 more are “at risk.” A very thorough explanation of the faulty calculations and reasoning that produced these numbers is given here and here.
The disparity between these numbers, which appear on many Ohio government websites, and the reality is startling. The most recent report of the Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force shows “181 potential victims of trafficking were identified statewide in 2014 after almost 100 stings to bust sex traffickers — and this tally is not limited just to children.”
Whether it be the percentage of young women assaulted in college, the true re-offense risk of registrants living in the community, or the actual degree to which sex trafficking poses a threat to our children or our football games, inflating numbers for political, sensational, or financial gain is not in the public’s interest. These tactics divert focus and resources away from measures and strategies that would actually serve public safety and better protect children and all citizens. We need truth in facts, and when something is presented as a fact, we need to be able to trust it is true.
This should not be too much to ask.
Why can’t RSO’s make a class action suite against such lies. It is defamation of character to the worst degree. Laws were based on it and it is false. I say sue the heck out of them till they start telling the truth.
Dave
Couldnt agree more
What is defamation of character is when the government sends a green notice when an RC travels internationally. With no due process, without any specific cause, the receiving country is told that this individual ” is likely to likely to commit an offense again.” This is total speculation which has led to severe costs and consequences.
They take away your dignity to live as a member of a society by restricting your source of income and a place to live, including your social associations, and thus pushing you to eventual homelessness and utter dependency, and they make sure that you cannot go and live in some other country and start your life over again. What kind of sick and twisted logic is that?
Yes this is another good example.
David you try to tell others that court systems are wrong and that those who made the man made constitution is right. In other words the constitution is so worded and devious that people even with an ounce of brains can’t figure out the constitutional puzzle delusion.
These who sex sting operations are man made lies to con others. The court systems are unjust, even the bible tells you that.
Yep. I was arrested in an online “bait and switch” sex sting. The cops reported it as “busting a child sex trafficking ring”. Totally absurd.The agency that conducted the sting has never, as far as I can tell from online research, actually caught anyone doing anything to a real child/minor, ever. Aren’t stings supposed to “be tools to stop ongoing criminal activity”? Nope…But they’re great for inflating numbers, keeping federal dollars rolling in, and paying these task force guys six figure salaries. Crime DOES pay…..
It would be great to sue…how can this agency get away with blatantly lying? Yes, what i did was wrong. I admit it and see errors in my thinking. But to call me a child sex trafficker? To put my picture and where i live on the television and internet? Before even being charged? I mean….within hours of my arrest the chief of police was posing and beating his chest for the cameras.
As my probation officer told me in his office one day. You don’t have the money to fight this thing. Well, were there’s a will there’s a way. And truth, Truth is what its all about and when it comes to something like this that is so sensitive an issue that ways a lot and mark my words when the American public knows the truth, the whole truth this BS will grind to a holt.
There is something more stronger than the sex angle and that is the truth and that will set you free. Setting up one and making one feel stupid just so they can get their glory is no way to treat others.
James Townsend,
What your P.O. said to you is what they say to all of us and the sad reality of it is that they LIKE that we’re all so displaced that we cannot afford to fight it. Probation is a waste of tax payer money and should be abolished completely along with the registry.
I’ve had probation officers tell me they agree with me about how ridiculous we’re treated and I have said to them “Then why do you remain a probation officer getting paid to bully people’s lives?” They have no answer because they’d never admit they do it for the money they earn in doing it.
You know I like the title of this “False sex offense industry” write up. Yes a lot of this is false and misleading. Now we as American Citizen’s need to expose all of this but it seems it is what it is for right now.
I think I have said it before on here, two wrongs don’t make a right”. It is my opinion that a lot of people are intimidated by the very people that intimidated them in the first place.
Sure a lot of this sex offender stuff is misleading. People seem to be able to solve all this by their logic. Anyway you cut it deception is deception and that is of the devil’s doing. Sure it would get people mad but not the one’s that were to smart to fall for this. Excuse me we are all victims to the system if you really want to think about it. They say move we move. Sure I would love for everyone on this RSOL site to be off the registry that have been caught up in this scheme and only you can make a difference.
Of course all my writing is just idle writings and comments but there is hope for all.
I listen to Dr. Phil a lot. He has many misleading statements regarding sex offense recidivism. He also says that the law says you are innocent until proven guilty in all cases EXCEPT sex offense cases where you are guilty until it can be proven that you are not. I do not see how this can be constitutional. How can they change the law for only certain crimes. I am assuming this is the reasoning that he and others like law enforcement and judges use to convict people. Lives are ruined because of it. Since they paint everyone with the same brush how would anyone know who to really be leery of and which just got caught up in an underage romance.
My son has a hearing the end of July for failure to reg for a adult class for electrician and also for driving his girlfriends car when she had to much to drink.he also.His lawyer said he might get 2-4. He is going to try to get him work release. Also now he will be a lifetime reg. with a tier 2. This is so unfair . He is just getting his feet on the ground. Working a new job going to school to help improve himself . I can’t believe this is happening. Help!