Singular they practice

[Rich Ulrich]

[sci.stat.consult added, in case anyone still reads ssc]
On Wed, 11 Aug 2021 13:00:28 -0400, Quinn C

On Wed, 11 Aug 2021 06:25:25 +0100, Richard Heathfield

On Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at 6:50:46 PM UTC-4, Richard Heathfield

"Transgender prisoners are five times more likely to carry out sex
attacks on inmates at women’s jails than other prisoners are, official
figures show.
Male prisoners who were transferred to women’s jails during gender
reassignment and women inmates who are transitioning committed seven of
the 124 sex attacks recorded between 2010 and 2018. They occurred at HMP
Low Newton in Co Durham, Foston Hall in Derbyshire, Peterborough,
Bronzefield in Middlesex and New Hall, West Yorkshire."

Let's see. Seven versus 117. Pretty heinous!

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/seven-sex-attacks-in-womens-jails-by-transgender-convicts-cx9m8zqpg

To evaluate that, you'd have to know what proportion of the prison
population is transgender.

Numeracy might be an ask too far.

Being a statistician and data analyst, I feel compelled to point
out that the events are not "independent" and that "Mr White"
in a previous post accounted for 5 assaults. Proper statistical
testing of the most common sort assumes independence of
events.
So, yeah, a few people need to be watched with suspicion.
And that suggests to me the possibility that fair and accurate
"counting" may be hard to achieve, if some people are watched
more closely.

Wow. I thought there might be more to this if one were to look closely,
but I didn't feel I have the time and energy, so thanks.
This makes it almost a textbook case of manipulating the message by
choosing the way of presenting statistics.

I suppose it could have been intentional misrepresentation, but
I still figure Hanlon's Razor applies - "never attribute to malice
that which is adequately explained by stupidity".

[Quinn C]

Post by Rich Ulrich
[sci.stat.consult added, in case anyone still reads ssc]
On Wed, 11 Aug 2021 13:00:28 -0400, Quinn C

On Wed, 11 Aug 2021 06:25:25 +0100, Richard Heathfield

On Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at 6:50:46 PM UTC-4, Richard Heathfield

"Transgender prisoners are five times more likely to carry out sex
attacks on inmates at women’s jails than other prisoners are, official
figures show.
Male prisoners who were transferred to women’s jails during gender
reassignment and women inmates who are transitioning committed seven of
the 124 sex attacks recorded between 2010 and 2018. They occurred at HMP
Low Newton in Co Durham, Foston Hall in Derbyshire, Peterborough,
Bronzefield in Middlesex and New Hall, West Yorkshire."

Let's see. Seven versus 117. Pretty heinous!

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/seven-sex-attacks-in-womens-jails-by-transgender-convicts-cx9m8zqpg

To evaluate that, you'd have to know what proportion of the prison
population is transgender.

Numeracy might be an ask too far.

Being a statistician and data analyst, I feel compelled to point
out that the events are not "independent" and that "Mr White"
in a previous post accounted for 5 assaults. Proper statistical
testing of the most common sort assumes independence of
events.
So, yeah, a few people need to be watched with suspicion.
And that suggests to me the possibility that fair and accurate
"counting" may be hard to achieve, if some people are watched
more closely.

Wow. I thought there might be more to this if one were to look closely,
but I didn't feel I have the time and energy, so thanks.
This makes it almost a textbook case of manipulating the message by
choosing the way of presenting statistics.

I suppose it could have been intentional misrepresentation, but
I still figure Hanlon's Razor applies - "never attribute to malice
that which is adequately explained by stupidity".

In general, yes, but most of the UK press has in recent years shown a
marked tendency to gratuitously report on trans issues, and typically
with a negative bent (or with a pseudo-neutral "some say this, some
that", not clarifying that the "this" group includes 90% of the experts,
and the "that" group mostly anti-trans lobbyists), so I feel justified
to be prejudiced.