I've too been researching child-molesters, -killers, amd -abusers. It does seem to me the sentences are a bit lighter than I'd impose. (Think crushing, unending, hopeless, no redemption, and so forth).
However, in my research I've determined that society is doing no favors to child-m,k,a's by sending them to prison. Seems the species is on the bottom of the social totem pole and are subject to uncomfortable lifestyles (by prison standards) and that they are targets of other prisoners who resent the fact that they can see their own children so why be nice to someone who just killed, molested, or abused a child. Matter of fact I'm hearing life in prison is downright brutal.
But then again, we are talking how the prison system deals with them, not how the judicial system disposes of them.