In Saudi Arabia, about young people (for the most part) who have clearly been led astray.

Isn’t that how most career criminals can claim to have started out?

To date, the Saudi record has been good. I’ve seen a figure of 1% recidivism.

Given the Saudi Govt’s lack of transparency and vested interest in presenting a positive outcome, pardon my skepticism if I wait for independent confirmation.

The source said that the counseling programs, held at the women’s homes in the presence of their family members, were a resounding success.

Let me see if I get this straight. A woman willingly meets up with people who want to blow up a building and kill innumerable people, she gets counseling at home. A woman reluctantly meets her blackmailer in an attempt to get back a photograph and gets gang-raped in the process–she gets 200 lashes?

Wow! Talk about the judicial system’s strange priorities!

To date, the Saudi record has been good. I’ve seen a figure of 1% recidivism. That’s far better than the 60%-70% recidivism rate for US criminals.

But your point about the victims of even that 1% is taken. Doesn’t help the victim much at all knowing that the crime was ‘statistically improbable’.

How well are the programs in the States working insofar as “counselling” criminals? How well did it work for Nicholas Sheley? Hmmph. No one can ask his victims. They are dead! ["Public records show Sheley has multiple convictions for robbery, drugs and weapons charges and has spent three years in prison."] I have no more faith in the system here rehabilitating and/or “counselling” victims than I do in the U.S.

Sheley’s story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25475940/