Garth McVicar’s Claim that Paedophiles Can’t be Rehabilitated is Nonsense

Date : 11th November 2014

“Garth McVicar’s claim that there is no known cure for paedophilia, and that paedophiles cannot be either cured or rehabilitated is absolute nonsense, and he knows it”, says Rethinking spokesperson Kim Workman. McVicar, spokesperson for the Conservative Party, made these claims following the escape of Phillip John Smith. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1411/S00082/phillip-john-smith-case-exposes-depraved-justice-system.htm

“Reoffending rates for sex offenders are low compared to other offending, with untreated offenders reoffending at a rate of about 17% to 19% after 5 years. Reoffending by the general prison population for non-sexual offences can get as high as 60 –to 70%. For those sex offenders who attend a treatment programme, the reoffending rate drops to 10% to 11%, and in some studies, to as low as 3%.”

“Garth McVicar was present during the Sensible Sentencing Trust public debate on the sex offender’s register last July ,when we handed everyone a Myths and Facts sheet setting out this information.

“What then is his motive, for ignoring the evidence? This is a typical SST device, to increase public fear through misinformation. It uses occasions of this kind, to persuade the public that there are 800 Phillip John Smith’s out there, who are active predators, and who need to be totally excluded from public contact. The expert advice we have received is that the most dangerous sex offenders make up about 2 to 4% of the 800 total sex offender populationcurrently in prison. A recent American study showed that the chance of a child being abducted by a sex offender is 1 in 655,555. American children are 26 times more likely to die in a car crash, and 3 times more likely to drown in a swimming pool. The risk assessment industry considers the risk to be de minimus; that is, the risk is so low it can be treated as if it were zero.”http://www.rethinking.org.nz/assets/GeneralPDF/myth_fact.pdf

“This in no way detracts from the seriousness of Smith’s escape, nor the way in which Corrections treated Smith’s victims. But this story needs to be considered within a broader context, and not trotted out as a means to increase public fear, and to argue for a general clamp down on existing systems and procedures. The focus should be on improving the way the temporary release system works, rather than on limiting its provision. “

Links: Facts and Myths about Sex Offenders:http://www.rethinking.org.nz/assets/GeneralPDF/myth_fact.pdf
Kim Workman

ends

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