Why do child molesters get off light?

[Sean Smith]

I can't speak for the national statistics' validity.  

I can speak for the fact that when I looked up sex offenders in my area with the Texas DPS online database (which includes all "sex offenders"), the largest single group was child molesters with victims <12 years old.  That's just a couple zip codes I checked in Dallas, Richardson and Allen, Texas, so it isn't a big sample by any stretch.  But it was very consistent: a large chunk of the total sex offenders tracked in that database in each area were child molesters, with victims <12 years old, and they all got piddling prison sentences.  Almost nobody was listed as a "sex offender" for an offense against a 15-17 year old.

[aguyindallas]

I am not sure why this is the case. It is sad to say the least. My hope is that when these scumbags get to jail, they, well, get, you know what I mean.

I have heard this to be the case that child predators get what they have coming to them when beind bars, and I truly hope thats the case.

Ugh, makes me sick!

[telewinz]

I think alot of this "molesters get it in prison" line is over-stated and not backed up by much evidence.

In my experience with  DOC, I don't think it's over-stated at all,  it's very much a fact of life.  Put 10 rapists or child molesters in with the general prison population and within 90 days, most if not all would be dead.

[Jason]

For child molsters and rapists, there is only one option, and that is execution.

I view that type of crime right up there with murder.

[telewinz]

Our system of justice is lawsuit driven.  Most of our DOC policies stem from one lost lawsuit or another.  An inmate dressed in a shirt and tie pretty much looks like a "normal" person to a jury.  Law enforcement by and large our excluded from most juries.  Who's left to "wisen-up" the bleeding hearts during the jury's deliberations?

[p35]

The "SOs get it in prison" thing is absolutely no joke. Many will go to great lengths to hide the fact that they're in for a sex offense, just in hopes of surviving. As someone pointed out to me once, many inmates were abused as kids themselves, and many others have kids of their own. They HATE molesters!

[CGofMP]

1/2 OUNCE OF PREVENTION

The online databases are only full of those who have been CONVICTED so this is not a perfect solution, BUT - I strongly encourage you to look and see if your state has a registration where you can look up and see if your nice ol next door neighbor is a &#^$% perv.

In some states (like California) SOME of the convicts do not have to register a street address so do a scan using a ziopcode or city name that way you also pick up the pictures and descriptions of the ones that do not have to do a street address.

We went to the California site http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/
and found that we had taken our car to one of these jackals - he happened to not have to register his street name.

Do look em up folks... you may get a surprise.

Charles

[roo_ster]

Sean:

Why?  I have no good answers, only speculation.  My bit od speculation is that a phenomenon similar to that of the mothers who kill their own children effects the jury.  Those mothers generally get off light in comparson to a stranger who would have killed those children.

*****

I did a similar search a while back.  It is one of the reasons I am looking for housing elsewhere, despite the fact I live in a nice neighborhood with nearly ideal access to the major highways.

When someone attempts to snatch a kid 100 yards form your home, within spitting distance of the elementary school, it propmpts some no-bull research and analysis of your neighborhood.

******

WRT the databases of non-convicted sex offenders, keep in mind that greater than 50% of accusations are bogus.  The accused gets arrested, but after investigation, the charge is determined to be hooey.  Most states keep them in the database, however.

[Sean Smith]

WRT the databases of non-convicted sex offenders, keep in mind that greater than 50% of accusations are bogus.  The accused gets arrested, but after investigation, the charge is determined to be hooey.  Most states keep them in the database, however.

I don't doubt that may be true.  I only saw actual convicted offenders in the Texas DPS database.

It is one of the reasons I am looking for housing elsewhere, despite the fact I live in a nice neighborhood with nearly ideal access to the major highways.

They seem to be all over the place.  Good luck finding a place without paroled child rapists nearby... apparently you'll need it.  

[Holly76201]

Based on my experience as a Social Worker who worked for the Parole Office in Texas and Handled Sex Offenders for 3 years I will share my experience,knowledge and observations with you.
The low sentences for child abuse and child sexual abuse are because children don't vote and it is the lawmakers who set the punishment parameters.
Jurors, who are not familiar with how the justice system really works, think a sentence of 10 years means 10 years. They don't know that an inmate earns good time credits for county jail time while they wait for trial if they can't make bail.
Jurors also don't trust children's testimony. And they tend to identify with the adult on trial. They make all kinds of rationalizations in their mind for giving them a lite sentence.
A lot of regular folks, from whom jury pools are selected, think Pedophiles can be "cured". And they think that a light sentence or even probation with mandated counseling will help them.

As for S/O being molested, attacked, killed in prison...It depends on the prison. If they are just thrown into General Population, yeah, they're in for a world of hurt. They are at the bottom of the Prison pecking order. However more and more prisons are placing incoming inmates in isolation for the first 6 weeks for evaluation. If they have a child S/o rap they will be in a special unit with others of their kind along with transvestites, transexuals and others thought to be not a threat.

Now, why do Prisons release offenders early? Overcrowding. 14 yrs. ago, before TX went on a gigantic Prison spending spree, the Prisons were overcrowded and there was a federal court order in place with sanctions for continuing to cram inmates together. They were refusing new admissions , so the prisoners were backing up in the county jails. In the County Jails the inmates received a 10:1 or sometimes 12:1 credit. If a paroled offender violated parole with anything other than a new conviction, they did what came to be derisively know as a 90 day turnaround. I had several Paroless tell me they'd rather be a parolee than be on probation, since with overcrowding and the revolving door they sometimes didn't even go to Huntsville before being paroled, and the parole fees and restitution orders were lower.

It is a complex problem, and it requires complex solutions that include a massive public education campaign to make folks aware that pedophiles are uncurable predators. We allow them to roam in society at our peril. They need to be monitored for the rest of their lives, if not incarcerated.  And while it is true that almost all molesters were molested, not all molested children go on to become molesters. So it seems that preventing molestation would be a key to lowering the numbers. Watch your children, believe them when they tell you someone makes them feel creepy, trust your own gut instincts. Better to offend someone and keep your kids safe. If you do an internet search or check with the PD and discover SOs are in your neighborhood, watch the offender. Check with their Parole officer or Probation officer, it may be that one of the conditions of release or probation is that they not reside within a certain distance of  children.  This circumstance may force them to move. It doesn't solve the problem, but at least they are out of your way. And, since most POs make their home visits in the daytime or early evening, children won't be out and about b/c of school or dinner time. By notifying the PO, they may be able to violate the offender's release and arrange to have them sent to or back to prison.
That's all the suggestions I have for now. If I think of anything else I post again.

[Fjolnirsson]

Here's a nasty little tidbit...

Millionaire Cuts Plea Deal On Child Rape Charges

KITSAP COUNTY - A Bainbridge Island millionaire is free after cutting a plea deal with prosecutors over child rape charges.

David Nusbaum walked out of jail a free man after spending less than a year behind bars.

In April of 2004, Nusbaum was charged with repeatedly raping and molesting a 13-year-old girl at his Bainbridge home. Detectives say the assaults began when the girl was just 6-years-old. She and her mother lived with Nusbaum for about nine years.

To read the rest of the article, go here:sick puppy

[Chris]

He's the view of this issue from a prosecutor's office.  Actually written in the office, for what that is worth (hey I don't smoke, so this is my "smoke" break).

Ever seen a child testify in a sex case?  I call it rape a second time.  Imagine as an adult describing your sex life to a group of people you don't know.  Now, imagine having to recall a sex act that happened at least six months ago, if not longer, and describe the details of the act.  What color were the sheets?  What was the other person wearing?  What did you last eat before the act occurred?  What did you do immediately afterwards?  Now, imagine being a child in that same position, having to talk about a sex act with those kind of details, and then being subjected to cross examination about each of those details.  And, if it was a homosexual molestation, add to the other problems the stigma of "gay" on top of all of it.  Imagine being a 14 year old boy talking about being molested, only to have other kids tease you about being gay.

For these kids of reasons, even in my county where there is a general rule against plea bargaining by the Court, the Court will allow it in child sex cases.  You do the best you can, depending on the strength of the child victim, the other evidence available, and make the best case possible.  Sometimes, you make a deal, just to get the pervert off the streets for a while.

On the other hand, our sex crimes unit prosecuted a guy named Scott Wagner for 89 counts of different sex crimes, all involving young boys.  After he was convicted off all counts, he was sentenced to 89 years total.  Not too bad, I'd say.

[grampster]

Scum bag lives near me spent a couple of years in jail for molesting relatives and neighbor kids about 15 years ago.  He was 17 at the time.  Poor baby, need to "rehablitate" him..  Well he just plead Nolo contendere to two charges of child molestation and they dismissed 6 other charges.  There are those around here that believe there are many more kids over the last few years that he preyed upon.  He even molested a young man in the county jail while he was awaiting trial, protesting his innocence all the time.

  He will be sentenced next month and we hear he'll get 30 years on each charge, served concurrent.  In Michigan, he'll serve 1/3 of 30.  So the creature will get out in 10 years and be free to molest again.  I hope they put him in general population.    At least those guys know what to do with "short eyes" predators.

Child molestors should get death or life with no parole as their crimes continue generation after generation.  When will we get serious about crime and punishment in this country?  Imho, we have too many folks trying to excuse the monsters that do deeds that are despicable.  We need to throw up our hands and say enough, let's stop this stuff finally.

I'm 61 years old and I still remember the teacher who stood behind me and put his hands in my pockets when I, as a grade school kid, was helping sell high school football tickets.  I stomped on his foot and ran out of the booth.  I don't know if what he did screwed me up or not.  I don't think so, but I wonder sometimes.  Later the bastard molested a girl in high school.  All that happened to him is that he lost his job at that school.  He probably moved on to another school somewhere.

[telewinz]

"he'll get 30 years on each charge, served concurrent.  In Michigan, he'll serve 1/3 of 30.  So the creature will get out in 10 years and be free to molest again."

Nationally, according to the United States Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the number of substantiated cases of sexual
abuse of children declined 40% from 1992 to 2000. Victim-reported sex offenses
involving children declined by 56%.

On average sex offenders serve longer terms in prison and jail than persons
convicted of other felony offenses. In fiscal year 2003, the average sentence length
for all felonies was 37.3 months, compared to 90.8 months for sex offenses.

Sex offenders re-offend at lower rates than those convicted of other felonies. After
five years, 15% of sex offenders return to prison for new offenses compared to 43%
of offenders convicted of property crimes

[Sean Smith]

Victim-reported sex offenses involving children declined by 56%.

Why report it?  Every damn zip code in Texas I punch in brings up a pile of molesters of single-digit-age children who got served single-digit time.  Seems like the whole system is a colossal waste of time, and those figures you quoted seem fabricated (not by you, obviously, but by the gov) to create an illusion of progress where there is none.  Give "sex crimes" a sloppy/convenient enough definition and you can make the numbers say anything you want.

[Guest]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/25/iowa.missing.ap/index.html

[RevDisk]

Why do they get off lightly?  

It's a very general question with an answer that would take up many books to fill.   In my mind, child molestation and rape (of any kind, not just child) are worse than murder.  With murder, the person is gone on to the other side.  Molestation, incest, rape, every day is fresh pain and suffering.  

I have no doubt that many people that commit these crimes had similiar crimes done to them.  Or they have mental issues.  The recidivism rate of child sex offenders is insane.  Many of these people choose to continue committing the most hideous crime imaginable.  This is no way signifies that they should be absolved of guilt, rather that they are even more dangerous and scary than most run of the mill criminals.

This also balances with how intelligent and clever some of these sick individuals are.  A popular trend amoung organized rings is to engage in "Satanic abuse".  In other words, they wear costumes and dress up sex crimes in so-called Satanic ritual.  When the kid testifies before the court, he or she sounds insane.  Chemical castration is a joke.  These freaks know that Depo-Provera chemical castration can be countered with regular testosterone.  Testosterone is not a narcotic, and the Feds don't monitor it like they do narcotics.  More than a few "specialized" docs are willing to write up a script for testosterone for enough cash.

These freaks are organized, and evil in a way many people cannot, literally cannot, understand.  They don't wish to think other humans are capable of the evil that some commit.  Read up on Franklin case to see an example of an extremely well connected network.  A very well connected Republican politician named Larry King organized a child molestation ring that went rather high up into government.  By blackmailing his clients, he bought a large amount of protection.

You can download the documentary at http://www.vote.org/silence/  , be warned.  While nothing graphic is shown or really meantioned in detail, some of the stories are enough to make one physical ill.


Marc Dutroux has been arrested and got life of murder, child abuse, child porn, as well as many other crimes.  He ran a child porn ring in Europe, out of Belgium.  He was convicted of murdering several of his victims.  No one likely knows how many children he murdered or sold to be murdered.   Many of his clients were the rich and powerful of Europe.  His trial brought down a significant part of the Belgian government in resignations of many high ranking officials.  

It's became apparent that Marc Dutroux is planning on spilling everything he knows about the European and American sides of his network.  It will likely implicate a lot of well connected people, if he's not murdered or commits 'suicide' under suspicious circumstances.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Dutroux


The Franklin case, the Dutroux case and many others show that a number of politicians, judges and 'well connected' people commit child molestation themselves.  They have no vested interest in making lengthy prison sentences for crimes they themselves commit.

[Strings]

Yes, the bad guys are legion. However, there are a few of us (not counting cops, proecuters, and therapists) on the other side: www.bacausa.com

[Guest]

Maybe, just maybe he was innocent? After all the girl had NO physical evidence [torn hymen] and the mother had enormous financial incentive to make the allegations. I doubt the prosecutors would have let him go if there was any physical evidence or any way of proving the case. Many false police reports are filed daily. If she was indeed raped, there would be SOME evidence, no?

[RevDisk]

Maybe, just maybe he was innocent? After all the girl had NO physical evidence [torn hymen] and the mother had enormous financial incentive to make the allegations. I doubt the prosecutors would have let him go if there was any physical evidence or any way of proving the case. Many false police reports are filed daily. If she was indeed raped, there would be SOME evidence, no?

Usually medical information on child rape victims is not released.  Unless you have some special access to the girl's medical records, you have no way of knowing.   What is the "enormous financial incentive"?

john schythmore, I take it you have never seen a child molestation victim on cross-exam.  There is a reason why it's called "being raped a second time".   I swear, sometimes I wonder if the SO's lawyer is more inhuman than his client.

[Stetson]

Yes, the bad guys are legion. However, there are a few of us (not counting cops, proecuters, and therapists) on the other side: www.bacausa.com

And www.perverted-justice.com