BishopAccountability.org
	Executing Child Molesters Shouldn't Be Our Top Priority By Barbara Dorris Sun Herald March 15, 2008 http://www.sunherald.com/205/story/432747.html I was sexually abused as a child. I work for a support group for abuse victims. So you might think I support Mississippi lawmakers who want to see some child molesters be executed. You'd be wrong. Legislation to send some child predators to their death passed the Mississippi State Senate last week. It may sound like a good move at first glance. But I'm convinced it is at best a distraction and at worst a step backward. Only 10 percent of all child molesters are ever brought to court. Ninety percent of sex offenders walk free among unsuspecting neighbors, family, friends and co-workers. So draconian measures fixating on this 10 percent miss the boat. They ignore the vast majority of child molesters who are the most dangerous - those who have yet to be caught. That's what lawmakers should focus on - making it easier to expose, remove, suspend, fire, charge, prosecute, convict, jail and sue molesters who are "beneath the radar" hurting kids right now. The best way to do that is to reform archaic, arbitrary and dangerously restrictive statutes of limitations, both criminal and civil. These outdated, predator-friendly laws give predators and their employers incentive to "run out the clock" by intimidating victims, threatening witnesses, destroying evidence, and hiding the truth, until the "deadline" for justice expires. Tight statutes of limitations are a child molester's best friend. They must be repealed or reformed. Debating whether to put a handful of predators to death, on the other hand, does little or nothing to protect the vulnerable today. It distracts us from what really needs to be done: catching more predators. Capital punishment for molesters, in fact, might actually be counter-productive. Keep in mind that most molesters are close relatives or friends of their victims. They lavish attention and gifts and "love" on often needy, trusting kids, and molest them gently, not brutally. Many victims end up with very mixed feelings toward the adult who victimized them. This often leaves abused kids trapped in silence and self-blame. So I fear that the possibility of the death penalty for some predators will only compound these feelings of guilt in some kids. The death penalty may deter some victims from reporting their abuser. And when victims stay silent, molesters keep assaulting kids. Imagine, if you will, a 13-year-old girl being molested by her stepfather. He tells her "If you say a word, I'll be arrested and killed." She wants the abuse to stop. But she's afraid of what will happen to her family if he's executed. Locked in confusion and fear, she stays quiet. The bottom line is that kids are safe when child molesters are jailed. But torturing jailed molesters doesn't help. Killing jailed molesters doesn't help. Getting more molesters hauled before a judge, behind bars or just publicly exposed does help. Every politician, it seems, wants to "beat up" on child molesters. Many just want to posture as tough crime-fighters. Few, however, want to deal with real solutions. I hope that Mississippi legislators will pass truly effective reforms that will allow victims to prosecute and expose their predators, warn others, and seek justice through the time-honored judicial system.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.