Joey Kennedy: Child Molester Don Corley Is Right Where He Belongs: in Prison
By Joey Kennedy
There's no way child molester Charles Donald Corley will be paroled Tuesday. Right? Jason Lee and his friends are going to make sure of that, and their hard, courageous campaign is an important public service for Alabama. Don Corley is the worst kind of human being. For decades, he used his position of trust as a respected Boy Scout leader and church leader to prey on boys and sexually abuse them. Lee, now 36, is Corley's longest-abused victim, being molested for more than five years during the time Lee was a Boy Scout and Corley a Scout leader and family friend. In 1995, Corley was convicted of molesting three boys, including Lee, and sentenced to 30 years in prison. This is the second time he's come up for parole. Yet, the three boys who sent Corley to prison are fewer than 10 percent of the boys Corley abused over the years, Lee says. "I'm speaking for no less than 30 other people, all victims of Don Corley," Lee says. By working so hard to keep Corley where he belongs -- in prison -- other potential victims don't have to worry about Corley preying on them. Lee, as a few sexual-abuse victims have done, is public and is trying to turn his terrible experience into something positive, he says. "I have to make it worth something," Lee says. "Part of my healing comes from taking some kind of action. This is who I am. I can't change my past. I couldn't sleep at night knowing I didn't do everything I could to keep him in prison." Lee, other Corley victims and friends have created a website dedicated to making sure Corley serves his 30-year sentence. The website, "30 is 30" (www.30is30.com), features letters of support, including one from the Boy Scouts of America Southern Region, dated Jan. 21, in which John L. Meeks, area director, writes: "We strongly recommend that the Alabama Pardons and Parole board DENY parole for Charles Donald Corley." "That's groundbreaking," Lee says. "They have really made a personal statement toward the victims." Lee doesn't blame the Boy Scouts or the church or any institution or even Corley's family for what happened to him and the other victims. "This is due to one man," Lee says. "Don Corley." One benefit of the website, Lee says, is that other victims -- of Corley and other child predators -- and family members of victims have been able to connect. The website has become a place where parents go to ask how to talk to their children about molestation and where victims can be heard. Lee and his colleagues also are using the media (TV, radio, newspapers) and social networks (Twitter, Facebook) to shine a bright light on Corley. "A year ago, if you searched the Internet for Don Corley, he would not have shown up," Lee says. "Now he's one of the top results. "We've constructed this to make Don Corley infamous to a degree. People are going to know about him and what he did." Because of Lee's and his friends' efforts, Tuesday's parole hearing for Corley is considered a high-profile event. Gov. Robert Bentley and Attorney General Luther Strange have weighed in. Speakers include Lee and two other victims, and a Jefferson County assistant district attorney. Even if, as expected, the parole board denies Corley's parole, Lee says the "30 is 30" website and efforts to keep Corley locked up will continue. "The website will exist for as long as Don Corley is in jail," Lee says. "People are hungry for information and answers. We just wanted to keep a guy in jail." Yet, Lee already knows Corley will get out, and sooner rather than later. He's been in prison about 17 years; he's getting good-time credit. While Lee says he's prepared for Corley to get paroled, he doesn't think it'll happen Tuesday. Likely, the parole board will set another parole hearing for five years down the road. At that point, Corley could get out, or be released shortly after. "We can't prevent him from getting out if his time is up," Lee says. And when that happens, Lee says, "I just want to make him irrelevant in my mind. The best way to have power over him is to erase him." Real courage in action. Joey Kennedy, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is an editorial writer, blogger and editor of the Sunday Viewpoints section for The News. Email: jkennedy@bhamnews.com
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