NEWS: Sex Offenders Violated for Reading in Florida

Originally posted by intrepid
I don't think I even came close to saying execute theives.

I know you didnt advocate executing theives. I was extrapolating what would happen if we allowed those directly affected by crime to dish out punishment. An old lady that has her home invaded and trashed with all her jewelry stolen would probably want them dead. I wasnt trying to put words in your mouth, merely extrapolating why victims of a crime are not really capable of acting judiciously

Originally posted by intrepid
I'm not talking about people that take property, I'm talking about monsters that make peoples lives a living hell. Literally. It's a pain that I don't understand, you can't understand, unless you've been through it. If a person experiences this type of invasion and survives, they suffer with it for the rest of their lives.

I understand your point but I have my reasons for not jumping on the "kill em all bandwagon". My cousin was accused of rape when he was 18, the girl was 15. He never even laid a finger on her but the girl pressed charges any way. He was remanded in custody and spent new years eve 2000 in detention. When his court case came around it was dismissed on the very first day and he was acquitted. It wsa his word against her's but the girl had confided in a friend that my cousin had not touched her. The friend testified and it was thrown out of court.

Before the trial my cousin was named in the local paper and branded a child rapist. My cousin is now 24 and he is still harrassed by the local police and there are a few vigilantes that target him when he goes on nights out.

He was totally innocent of any crime yet he has to face this treatment. This happens more than you would care to know and it should be unnacceptable to good hearted people. His life was almost ruined by an immature pain in the ass and this kind of thinking could of had him killed.

Originally posted by intrepid
I think our high ideals dwindle compared to the suffering of the victims AND future victims.

The high ideals of our passionless judiciary saved my cousin from certain death at the hands of vigilantes. It gave him a chance to prove his innocence without facing biased and unsurmountable public perception. This is the higher functions of our society that we would forever miss if it was to be bypassed.

Originally posted by intrepid
Am I not making sense? I don't see the probem here.

Your coming through loud and clear to me. Im just trying to give you food for thought

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
It does make sense Intrepid, that's sort of the problem.

It's an admittedly effective solution at punishing offenders.

But it does nothing to stop the problem.

I think we really need to do extensive studies and figure out just what isn't clicking about not molesting kids. It seems simple enough to 90% of people.

I maintain they're just using the same mate selection software as everyone else, but there's something else going on too, maybe something to do with failed societal interactions, failed inter-personal relationships, or an inability to regulate impulses.

Whatever it is, we should find it and figure out some way of treating it.

I quoted this in whole because it should be looked at.

"Punishing" is NOT what I'm concerned about. I'm concered about a child, male/female that will suffer, EVERY NIGHT, in their dreams. In their interpersonal relationships. Collateral damage there to. Guy's thinking, "What did I do"? All he did was express his attraction to someone. Is that wrong? NO. But it's defiled by what some individual, if you have to use that word, did.

Let's think about the victims, not the perps.

When did we get SO screwed up that we think more about people that shouldn't be alive than those that we hold dear?

I don't get that. As basic animals that we are, we're supposed to take care of our own, and we're going to allow predators to walk amongst us?

Darwin would laugh at us.

Like I said, it's not about blaming the victim, it's about trying to make sure there are no more victims. I think the best way to do that is to understand the problem.

Kill one offender, kill a hundred, it doesn't PREVENT more kids from becoming victims.

Although I will say that the situation just described, about an innocent person, should not be neglected. We're inclined, right off the bat, to kill anyone even ACCUSED of such a crime, because you just don't mess with other people's kids in a civilized society. I understand this, and I agree with it. If it was my kid, you know how I'd feel. That doesn't enter into it, because I wouldn't be THINKING, I'd be FEELING.

Justice should insulate itself against emotion to prevent bad judgement.

Anyway, that's not really the issue. We're talking about preventing the crime here. The state of Florida thinks it can prevent crimes by denying sex offenders access to newstand publication and other literature. I think the state of Florida may need a reality check.

As has been mentioned, our imagination is a far more potent aphrodisiac than Maxim magazine. Until they're willing to lobotomize every sex offender, it will be impossible to prevent them from wanting to hurt children. Even castration and chemical neutering don't work!

There's got to be a way, I just don't know what it is.

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
Like I said, it's not about blaming the victim, it's about trying to make sure there are no more victims. I think the best way to do that is to understand the problem.

Kill one offender, kill a hundred, it doesn't PREVENT more kids from becoming victims.

Oh yes it does.

Although I will say that the situation just described, about an innocent person, should not be neglected. We're inclined, right off the bat, to kill anyone even ACCUSED of such a crime, because you just don't mess with other people's kids in a civilized society. I understand this, and I agree with it. If it was my kid, you know how I'd feel. That doesn't enter into it, because I wouldn't be THINKING, I'd be FEELING.

Justice should insulate itself against emotion to prevent bad judgement.

Anyway, that's not really the issue. We're talking about preventing the crime here. The state of Florida thinks it can prevent crimes by denying sex offenders access to newstand publication and other literature. I think the state of Florida may need a reality check.

As has been mentioned, our imagination is a far more potent aphrodisiac than Maxim magazine. Until they're willing to lobotomize every sex offender, it will be impossible to prevent them from wanting to hurt children. Even castration and chemical neutering don't work!

There's got to be a way, I just don't know what it is.

I already told you the solution. Why is it so hard to accept?

One question: Is a life of pain, misery worth letting a predator to live? Will it be only one person? Answer these questions, think of your family. Seems like there's some that haven't experienced enough of life to actually understand this.

Think about this folks.

Originally posted by intrepid
I already told you the solution. Why is it so hard to accept?

Yeah and my cousin would be dead because of that solution.

The reason we cannot be so heavy handed in our punishment for sexual predators is mainly because the courts are not 100% accurate. There will always be many instances of false accusation and for crimes such as molestation it invariably comes down to one word against another. Its such a minefield, but for those that admit to molesting a child I am not really inclined to argue with your solution.

Locking them in jail for life until a "treatment" can be researched would be the first choice for this liberal But if society decided, as a whole, to execute admitted child molesters I would bat no eyelid or shed no tear.

[edit on 19/7/05 by subz]

You still aren't getting it. I'm not talking about an oops, your "supposed cousin", I'm talking about the Benardo's of the world. Those that really exist and prey on society. Chair them.

You haven't answered my question though. How does killing one sex offender stop another from hurting kids? It doesn't, it can't.

Even in the countries where the laws are incredibly harsh, sex offenders still commit crimes, even knowing the punishment.

So even if society does choose to kill every sex offender, it still has to deal with the problem of preventing new offenses.

Plus, we should make a distinction in the law between predators and other less offensive offenses. heh. For example, the case sited where the guy just grabbed some girls arm. I wouldn't have done that personally, because I know how I would react if someone grabbed on my kid. However, it's pretty clear the guy isn't a raging sicko, so he doesn't need to be executed.

And as far as cost Intrepid, because of the extensive appeals process in America, it costs the taxpayers more to kill them than it does to incarcerate them for life.

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
You haven't answered my question though. How does killing one sex offender stop another from hurting kids? It doesn't, it can't.

What? That is totally convoluted. Do you think that if you kill THE pedophile you'll solve the problem? This isn't a "vampire/pedophile existance.

This isn't a sci-fi or horror topic. It's life, why can't you guys deal with it accordingly?

You're still not getting it, it's harsher than you think. I'm saying kill them ALL(pedophiles/rapists).

Protection for your offspring. Darwin would be OK with this. Survival of the fittest.

What the hell do you think got us to this point? "Oh, don't kill that Raptor, he's just eating". As he's devouring a human.

Jeez, can't you see the difference AND simillarities?

You're totally missing my point. Killing every registered predator, killing every new predator upon conviction, still doesn't solve the problem.

Unless of course you have a master list of sexual predators and a list of the people who, upon having sex, will create more.

All that about sci-fi and vampires, I have no idea what you're talking about.

Sex offender 'A' touches a kid. We kill him. How does that stop sex offender'B'? It doesn't. You have to wait until they're caught, and repeat. Children still get victimized.

Some parents simply have to change the way they behave if they want their kids to be safe.

It would be better to incarcerate them for life anyway, as I've said, because it's cheaper.

Fahrenheit 451 is not a Kurt Vonnegut book, it was written by Ray Bradbury.

We all agree that there are different "classes" of sexual criminals. Sexual criminals that are released from incarceration are closely monitored, and although there is the occasional story about a person who re-offends and is again arrested, there are also those who maintain normal lives (including normal sex lives). This includes all classes of criminal, including people convicted of homocide. Stoning-across-the-board is obviously not the best solution. I think the system we currently have in place is suitable.

Which brings me to the topic - the system that we have in place and its suitability. The parole officers are "offending" the parolees for the slightest things, but the judges are denying these minute offenses from having a real effect on the parolee. In effect, I believe that in time the judges will have the probation officers relax a little damn bit so their courtrooms will not be flooded with essentially extraneous complaints.

Zip

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
Sex offender 'A' touches a kid. We kill him. How does that stop sex offender'B'? It doesn't. You have to wait until they're caught, and repeat. Children still get victimized.

Exactly. But not by offender "A", he's toast. Now we have offender "B". Gone, no more kids being harmed by that one. On to offender "C".

I agree with you about training your kids but we can't be with them 24/7. These are predators, do you think they'll try anything when you're around?

BTW Zip, I did say I read that book almost 30 years ago. ;

Forgive my failing memory.