Are sexual predators the problem with Kansas?

September 30, 2005

You might be surprised to learn that the number of sexual predators in Kansas has grown dramatically recently. It’s not some freakish criminal trend, but rather, a new state official who’s responsible for evaluating who gets labeled a predator.

Meet Rex Rosenberg.

Psychologist Rex Rosenberg believes in demons.

He believes its possible to measure demonic influence with a survey he created.

Does the subject of the survey smell foul odors? Are they homosexual? Do they deny Jesus of Nazareth is God?

If the answer is yes to these or the other survey questions, that could indicate demonic possession.

If Rosenberg were just some random nut, this would hardly be worth mentioning, but he’s not; Rosenberg is Kansas’ chief evaluator of who is committed to the state’s sexual predator program.

Seriously. This story, brought to my attention by my friend Darrell, explains that Rosenberg, afer a religious conversion 20 years ago, began “research” on demonic influences on people. He even developed a test, whereby he asks people whether they’ve had any of 96 experiences that, according to Rosenberg, can be signs of demonic influence (among them is an inability to read the Bible). Part two of the test includes behaviors and activities that can make people vulnerable to demons, such as fornication and holistic health practices such as meditation.

What’s the matter with Kansas?

Rosenberg, who is nearing retirement, said he recently asked to be removed from the evaluations. It’s partly because he wants to be able to clear his caseload before he retires, but partly because he’s tired of what he considers to be abuse.

“Maybe when I’m gone, they won’t have Rex Rosenberg to kick around anymore,” he said.

  • Thanks for the comforting news, GP. Now my only question is why wasn’t this knuckle-dragger thrown out in the first place? Are we going to witness a resurgence of the Salem witch trials again, or what?

  • Maybe this guy is on to something. Has anyone asked him to
    evaluate the top leaders of the Republican party lately? I’m sure
    a cursory examination of the goings on in the White House and Congress
    would find more than a few bad smells and aversions to mirrors.
    Just going into Karl Rove’ office might require the services of an
    exorcist. Is that why they’re keeping Tom Delay’s office empty? Has anyone looked in the White House basement to see if any coffins
    are present lined with dirt? Maybe the Democrats could start bringing
    garlic to subcommittee meetings to ward off their GOP rivals. The doings
    of the current GOP monsters are sending more than a few chills down the spines of concerned citizens these days.

  • *WHACK*
    I’m hitting myself in the head with a stick to fix whatever it is that’s making me see stories like this…they just can’t be real…
    *WHACK*
    Nope…still there…
    *WHACK*

  • *WHIRRRRRRRRRRR*
    Dear CB community,
    I am now going to drill a hole in my skull to let out the demons that are making me see stories like this, but I can’t remember if demons are a right-brain or a left-brain thing…
    *WHIRRRRRRRRRRR*

  • ” (among them is an inability to read the Bible).”

    Uh oh. After a class trip in 2nd grade to the
    American Museum of Natural History I went
    home and read the first couple of chapters
    in Genesis, and concluded that the Bible
    was all wet. More importantly, though, try as
    I did, I could not get past the begats. I simply
    could not read any further.

    Uh oh.

  • Mike –

    Surprising statistics, if they’re correct, but I don’t
    know how you could do a study that would
    determine the number “cured” versus the
    number “scared straight,” or perhaps scared
    extremely careful.

    As the lowest rung on society’s ladder, doesn’t
    it seem far more plausible, as a hypothesis,
    that they are terrified of winding up in
    prison again, where even the vilest sociopaths
    consider them the scum of the earth?

  • Hark,

    I agree. You cannot measure cure. I don’t believe the data purports to measure that.

    But the point is that the data completely disputes the mythology about sexual predators, i.e. that they really can’t be allowed to be “free” because they’ll re-offend, or that they are “untreatable”. And this doesn’t even take into consideration that not all sexual offenders are the same, as I tried to point out in my blog post.

    Trust me, I’m a skeptic when it comes to sexual offenders, having treated any number of victims both young and older. But we need to craft policy based on facts, not on perceptions which may be based in our own repugnancy toward the crime.

  • Here’s something else–ever since Rosenberg came on in late 2001, the rate of patients tagged as sexual predators has skyrocketed–to 94% of everyone examined last year.

    Translation–if you’re examined by this guy, you’re just about guaranteed of being labeled a predator.

    And bear in mind–this is in a little hospital in western Kansas, literally in the middle of nowhere (the nearest place of any size is Dodge City, an hour away). So either there’s a very serious problem with sexual predators in western Kansas, or this guy’s a quack. I vote for the latter.

    And the state department that runs these hospitals gets a crapload of Medicaid patients. Paging Senators Roberts and Brownback …

  • Darrel,

    Sex Predators evaluated and placed at Larned State Security Hospital are not just from Western Kansas. They are sent there from all across the State.

    Maybe everyone shouldn’t be slamming this Rosenberg fellow so hard. Maybe we should take a good hard look at the criminal system and the length of the criminal sentences sex offenders get. Do you honestly think that 5 or 10 years is long enough for the harm and disgusting acts committed against our children?

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