Even were I not a free-range and Lenore fan, I would find trouble with at least some of Mr. Lowery's analysis. On what does he base his statement that the reduction in child abduction is due in part to the sex offender registry? That indicates that there was a measurable problem with registrants abducting random children and his having some evidence that the public registry helped lower that. Three cases come to mind: that of Jessica Lunsford, Jaycee Duggart, and Cherish Periwinkle. Even though you cannot prove a negative, it is inconceivable to me how the registry prevents this from occurring more frequently than what can be considered rare, isolated acts. The Lunsfords knew their neighbor was a registered offender; their knowledge did not help Jessica. Jaycee was held for many years with her abductor being on the registry and checked on by law enforcement many times over those years, and Cherish's abductor took advantage of a sudden, spontaneous opportunity.
Lowery's statement is in disagreement with FBI statements: "RSOs contribute to a minuscule part of the child abduction problem....In addition to the FBI reporting, NCMEC has revealed that there were no RSOs involved in AMBER Alert cases in 2009..... Moreover, despite media reporting, the FBI confidently assesses that the majority of child abductions are committed by persons with a relationship to the child they abduct.”
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Lowery's statement is in disagreement with FBI statements: "RSOs contribute to a minuscule part of the child abduction problem....In addition to the FBI reporting, NCMEC has revealed that there were no RSOs involved in AMBER Alert cases in 2009..... Moreover, despite media reporting, the FBI confidently assesses that the majority of child abductions are committed by persons with a relationship to the child they abduct.”
This is overall a very good article. Thank you.