Greetings and Felicitations,

After reading several post in relation to this matter I wanted to post the question: What do you consider a legally acceptable form of punishment for pedophiles? It is a common tactic to consider other criminal sex offenders as equivalent to pedophiles.I would like to focus this question on child molesters.

As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse I find myself at odds. I do not believe in the death penalty so I cannot condone killing such people. However, I do not think that pedophiles are curable considering our current treatment methods. I have no problem with long term confinement and tracking because they need to be kept away from their chosen victims. What is an acceptable prison term for such crimes. There are many parts of Jessica's Law that I find acceptable. With one notable exception -- tacking prison terms on top of prison terms. How many times can you sentence someone to life in prison with seeeming like an idiot.

Please keep in mind that I do not agree with releasing them into GP because that is nothing more than a death sentence with the objective of keeping your hands clean.

Sincerely Yours,
C. David Neely


P.S. I thought the Judicial area was the best choice for this question but it may need moved.

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Your title does not ask what is an acceptable method of dealing with pedophiles, it asks "what is an acceptable method of punishment?". If this is what you meant, then the answer is subjective to the victim only.

Incarceration would be the only acceptable method of dealing with criminals or categories of crime which show high rates of recidivism, if you do not support the death penalty.

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...the government...is caving in...with their specious arguments couched in the...language of civil rights law, and that the churches ... likewise crumbling to...rhetoric which is nothing but heretical sophistry -- ~F Phelps
Platitudes like the one you offer are no different - and no less incorrect - than the jackass part-time Christian who says, "I'm going to heaven because I'm nice to people." It so misses the point.~Impugn

It's hard to acknowledge an acceptable punishment of any sort when you are not directly affected. Therefore the law considers humane precautions based on the individual and his crimes.

One thing for sure, I would kill the person if my child was involved. So there you go, the law is more lenient.

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If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts.
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Everyone takes the limits of his own vision for the limits of the world
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I think that money should be spent on evaluating these people. Incarceration is all fine and good, but if these people have a mental health problem that makes them unfortunately attracted to minors, it's good to study them along with keeping them incarcerated for life. Seriously.

On one hand, if you can be a productive member of society than we shouldn't stop them from achieving things that make society stronger, but on the other hand, if they simply have "urges" towards minors than they have to be segregated from society.

Pediphiles, or Child molesters/abusers? there is a difference, and the government has to do a better job of distinguishing what is and what is not.

I'd vote for life in prison for them (but not other barbaric methods of punishment which have been suggested by others before). Study these people? Sure ... but I'm not sure what good it would do ... would it help prevent other such crimes? Not sure it would ...

I agree. If they can be treated and their tendencies somehow "removed", then I'm all for it. I just dont know if that's possible or worth the risk though.

I know people say that a lot, but how true is it really? I mean the parents don't often hunt down the assualter and kill him/her. It's not that common.

EDIT: Changed murder to kill.

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"I think—tide turning—see, as I remember—I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of—it's easy to see a tide turn—did I say those words?"—Washington, D.C., June 14, 2006

"[T]he illiteracy level of our children are appalling."—Washington, D.C., Jan. 23, 2004

There is a very real matter of practicality for society in this mix in which matters of debatable morality need to take a back seat.

For instance, we may think it inhuman or degrading to experiment on a prisoner but if we think we could learn to alter or "fix" the behavior of highly recidivist and dangerous crime, shouldn't we be allowed to at least have some special exceptions here?

Second, and meanwhile, if we can show that we are incapable of even diminishing the rate of recidivism, then isn't death a far more safe alternative to society than anything else? (Considering of course that the system is fair and just). I would think that even for opponents of the death "penalty", if we could prove the system to be functional, that pedophilia is the perfect case for capital "punishment".

Notice I'm using quotation marks around the words "punishment" and "penalty". That's because, in the case of this specific argument I'm talking about practical solutions to protect society and not punishment/penalty to make some emotional or material restitution to a victim(s). I don't believe it is possible to measure someone elses suffering.

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...the government...is caving in...with their specious arguments couched in the...language of civil rights law, and that the churches ... likewise crumbling to...rhetoric which is nothing but heretical sophistry -- ~F Phelps
Platitudes like the one you offer are no different - and no less incorrect - than the jackass part-time Christian who says, "I'm going to heaven because I'm nice to people." It so misses the point.~Impugn

I think they should be put to death. I am a STRONG supporter of the death penalty.

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Greetings and Felicitations,

What do you define as the difference? I always considered pedophile the correct terminology for someone who has sex with children.

Sincerely Yours,
C. David Neely

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I don't know of a difference between pedophiles and child molestors either.

I think they should be removed from society for the rest of their lives to protect children from them. I am against the death penalty so, live with no parole is my opinion of acceptable punishment. And C David Neely, I am sorry that happened to you when you were a child. I hope your abuser is out of society and out of your life.

There's no difference. Whatever you choose to call them, they're vile and disgusting scum.

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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, What a Ride!"

Just remember who's saying there's a difference.

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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, What a Ride!"

And on this we agree Mrs M.

Perhaps he's referring to the difference between those who choose to act on their impulses and those who are successful at fighting the urge. To me, there's no distinction because it is a sickness and a compulsion to which they all will give in eventually, in the right circumstances.

On the subject at hand, I think that 'punishing' the pedophile is less important than removing the possibility for him/her ever to strike again. That is to say, it might be gratifying to talk about horrible retribution for them, but removing them from children, one way or another, is paramount.

I personally have complicated feelings on the death penalty, but I feel that if there is a use for it, then the most useful application would be against serial predators and child molesters who are beyond help. These people are incapable of living a happy and healthy life and constitute a danger to society. I believe that, on average, it makes more sense to destroy them than it does murderers (since most murders are not serial, predatory crimes).

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