People are people, neither wholly good nor bad. None of them should be thrown on a human rubbish heap, and none of them should be given a free pass.

By that logic recidivism rates for all crimes justify never letting anyone out of prison. Unless we're willing to say reform is impossible, or its potential failure to great to risk releasing anyone, we should allow second chances in all but the most extreme cases. Not twentieth chances; there's no reason to be obstinately idealistic about it, and much reason not to do so, but, once again, if you're going to classify someone as irredeemable perhaps the kindest thing summary execution.

Personal appeals are very convenient, but they cut both ways; if you're twenty year old son or daughter was found guilty of molesting an eight year old would you be OK with them sharing a cell with a murderer for the next sixty or seventy years (unless they were murdered first)? Yes, I stand by my statement that no parent should have to be told it's wrong to write off someone the first time they do something wrong, even if it's horribly wrong.

I get that, that's why I say you don't release them over and over again. They do their time and, after a lot of counseling and quite possibly medication, both of which will continue after release, they're reintegrated with society. If that fails they're out of second chances, but the spectacle of sex offenders who serve their full sentence only to find they can't even have a roof over their heads because public sex offender lists hound them from community to community is pathetic. If we're going to take away their lives forever, let's cut to the chase.

Obviously I can't, but I sincerely hope that when you teach your kids we don't always get second chances (which is true) it should be in the sense of "if at first you don't succeed, maybe bomb disposal isn't right for you" not "if you do certain things I will disown you. "