Stats may show that but watch the news sometime. I'm constatly hearing of repeat offenders being realeased to commit the same crimes over and over and that includes murder. I doubt you would want to meet one such person, or have a loved one do so.
Like I said earlier, that's because the media focus on those DO reoffend.
JL, The reason most muderers do not reofffend is because of the nature of the crime. MOST murders are crimes of passion, usually a family member killing a relative. And the offenders are usually not very old. After a period behind bars, they have grown out of the impetuous period of life and are better able to control themselves. Which also brings up another aspect of the media, they don't tend to sensationalize the "common" murder.........they shove "Gang Murder" and Serial Killings in our faces....making it seem like those are the most prevelant types of killings when they are not really.
When a woman gets convicted of murdering her husband, which she did because he was abusive, and goes to prison, she will probably be a model citizen when she gets paroled.....just one example, there are many more I'm sure. A lot of people get convicted of murder under questionable circumstances.
Now.....I am not advocating releasing mass murderers or gang killers on society by any stretch of the imagination, but I am saying that a "one size fits all" approach may not really be "justice".