[mfoy_]

I would half-disagree. There are some high level parallels like you mentioned, but the Ted mail is attacking the statistic by it's definitions, whereas this article attacks the statistic directly because it has no basis in reality and simply persists due to the nature of politics. (Publicly trying to correct this misconception would make a judge/lawyer/politician look like a rape apologist, or weak on crime, or sexual predator friendly in headlines)

[bmelton]

By my reading of this article, it is also attacking the statistic by its definition.

The implied definition is that recidivism means "repeated the crime for which they were convicted" or "relapsed into criminal behavior". When it clarifies that the highest rate of recidivism is related to merely parole violations, like going to a bar, or visiting a friend who is also an ex-con, it is attempting to clarify the definition of recidivism, or at least our perception of it.

Side note: On this matter, I'm actually somewhat torn. I think that parole can be onerous and unjust, and some parole officers can tenaciously seek out any and all infractions, while on the other hand, parole is the alternative to a longer prison term, and the parolee has agreed to abide by those extra-stringent rules in exchange for an earlier, supervised release.