Don't most of the offenders who get sentenced to long prison terms just get right back out again?

A...This is simply not true. Washington sex offenders are sentenced to more time, and serve more of that time in prison than in almost any other state. In Washington, sex offenders must serve at least 80% of their sentence in prison, and then they serve the remainder of their sentence in the community, in a situation called "community supervision." They are supervised by a community corrections officer, and are required to report regularly. In addition, they must fulfill other requirements of the conditions of release in order to stay out of prison. These requirements may include, but are not limited to: no consumption of alcohol, regular attendance at AA or other help groups, holding a steady job, having no contact with the victim(s) or witnesses, no contact with minor children, and the must comply with sex offender registration.