Revealing Incarceration's Powerlessness

Just today, a national sex offender registry was launched. The concept of publicly identifying those who have committed crimes has a long history. In fact Hawthorne wrote a book about the idea called the Scarlet Letter. My interest however is not history but in the possibly of change in wicked people.
Why is a sex offender registry needed? It's needed because no one - well almost no one, more on that in a minute - believes sex offenders can change. All the proof you need is the recent case in Coeur d' Alene to prove that. Making sex offenders register allows those around them to see their Scarlet "O" and keep their distance. But is this enough?
Modern penology avoids attempting to embody any spiritual understanding of humans and as such treats them as animals. Supposedly scaled back versions of re-education camps (read prisons) are the answer to people who cause others harm. Avoiding the possibility that people are at the core sinful, modern penology assumes that people can be released when the recognize that what they did is wrong and have a desire to not do it again. "Did you learn your lesson? If so, return to public life. But wait there's more ... you do need to sign this registry because we don't actually think you've changed but we'll set you free anyhow." Hopeless!
The existence of a national sex offender registry reveals that incarceration can't accomplish its goal, the rehabilitation of prisoners. Never can someone be said to "have been" a sex offender but instead will always "be" a sex offender. Sounds strangely like the modern assumptions regarding abuse of alcohol in that someone remains an alcoholic but may not be practicing now.
Into this hopelessness the Bible's perspective comes as a breath of fresh air. Hear what God says in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, " Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were . But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Notice the bolded text. Some of the Corinthians were sexually immoral (sex offender fits here) but now they are not. Why? Becuse the Spirit of God came to reside in them effecting real change at the heart level permanently changing behaviors and tendencies making possible substantive change in life.
Incarceration can't change people where they need it, at the heart level. But the incarnate Son of God's Spirit can and does. He did it to the Corinthians and He can do it today.