208. Making Sex Offenders Pay -- and Pay and Pay and Pay

Being a convicted sex offender in the U.S. carries massive ongoing financial burdens, including mandatory psychosexual evaluations costing $1,000–$2,000 and monthly treatment costs averaging $275 for years. Treatment is often required for 1–3 years despite being deemed 'uncurable' by official guidelines, and failure to pay violates probation. The episode frames these costs within broader societal questions about punishment, deterrence, and whether lifelong financial penalties align with justice principles.

It reveals how financial penalties extend far beyond prison time for sex offenders, forcing a reckoning with what society believes punishment should achieve.

1. 01Convicted sex offenders in Colorado face mandatory, long-term treatment averaging 1–3 years, with monthly costs around $275, plus initial evaluations costing $1,000–$2,000.
2. 02Sex offender treatment is considered lifelong because sexual offending is officially classified as a 'behavioral disorder which cannot be cured,' leading to sustained financial and legal obligations.
3. 03The societal cost of a single sexual assault is estimated at $142,000 (2014 dollars), mostly from lost quality of life, though few victims receive civil compensation, raising questions about who bears the cost of harm.