Quote - By extension, where is the moral high ground if a person imprisoned for assault is released and goes on to commit murder?  Obviously assault should be legalized!

That line of reasoning breaks down in every other category of criminal law too.  And it's all moot - it IS ILLEGAL to trade in images of children being raped by animals, whether it is a poopy dumb stinky law or whatever you might think.  Write your legislators if you want different law.

 
Your extension of my reasoning is incorrect. Let me explain why. Firstly, going from assault to murder is a choice that the criminal is making. Nobody took anything away from the criminal which left him no choice other than to commit murder, he just chose to do so. Someone who is sexually deviant does not have a choice to begin with. Those are the urges they experience, period.

Secondly, in your example both assault and murder are physical crimes against other people. In my instance it's being jailed for a moral crime which has no victim which may in fact result in the criminal turning to physical crimes through feeling that there is no other way to satisfy his urges without being prosecuted.

Lastly, I didn't say that anything should be legalised. I merely put my thoughts up for comment.

UA

PS. I do not live in the US of A, I am a South African. In my country things are similar but have their nuances. If I was living in the USA I may consider writing to legislators however.