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Jed: If it were true that pedophiles have a nearly 100% recidivism rate, then it wouldn't really matter if Hulett were released in 60 days or 20 years, since he'd be all but guaranteed to prey on another kid. Indeed, getting him on easy-to-break parole, making it possible to impose a life sentence without him actually hurting another child, would be ideal. Fortunately, that's not true at all.

Here's some data on the subject. The most pessimistic study cited shows a 53% recidivism rate for child molesters. And while the data isn't quite conclusive, there is indeed some evidence that treatment makes a significant difference.