I am a big true crime buff, a.k.a. a Death Hag. I have a few pet cases I have followed for years. Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo are one. Christa Worthington is another. I followed the Laci Peterson case from nearly the day she went missing. I have a few Michigan cases I follow, even though there is really no news, like Kellie Marie Brownlee and Paige Renkoski. I follow Kellie and Paige because those girls could have been me.
Although I must add the cavet that some progress does seem to be being made in Paige's case.
NOTE: After I wrote the tribute to commemorate Paige's disappearance, I received a very nice email from Paige's mother that made me cry.
I can't do a lot of the child abduction/abuse/molestation stuff and listen to a lot of the details, though. I just can't stomach it. So sick and depraved and why don't we put these people to death? They don't get better insomuch as they stop abusing children, they just get smarter at not getting caught.
I'm sick of hearing about it. It makes me physically sick and emotionally sick and sick for my country and state. My state has locked up people who sell pot longer than they lock up sexual predators. (Any questions, do a Google search on Gary Fannon, poor guy was locked up for years for being entrapped by a cop for selling dope. Did he molest any children? No.)
Anyway. I did a little research on recidivism rates of sexual predators, particularly those who prey on children. Actually, I did a lot of research and I could quote lots of articles, scholarly journals and the like but that's not how we operate here so once again, you just need to trust me. I also read a lot about how the escalation of abuse begins. A sexual predator, rather they prey on adults or children, starts out with seemingly "childhood harmless" things like window peeping. It's get worse from there.
Peeping in windows as a hobby is not normal, my friends.
A couple big studies were done in 1998 regarding child sexual abuse and the numbers varied widely. However, the biggest conclusion both groups could make was that these sexual predators never got to the stage where they never re-offended, i.e. were "healed." Indeed, the two studies found that 13.4% re-offended within a five year period and whopping 52% of abusers, including 39% of rapists, re-offended within 25 years.
These are only the times they were caught and a victim pressed charges.
Okay, so you have to add in all the predators that are not caught or evaluated or who lied during the evaluation. I think these statistics are not a close representation at all. Not only are they not in the game, these statistics aren't even on the bus getting ready to go to the game.
This doesn't count the many times they may have gotten away with it and didn't tell the people who were conducting the survery. Because you know, all sexual predators are so truthful and upfront.
Shocking, isn't it? This all pertains to sexual crimes involving children.
Deep breath. Keep going.
I'm sick of it. Recently in the news, we've heard of the Groene case in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. We've heard of Carlie Brucia in Sarasota, Florida, and we've heard of Dru Sjodin in Minnesota, although she was not a child. Her abductor and alleged murderer was a convicted sex killer who had just gotten out of prison after serving a 23 year term for a knife point rape and attempted kidnapping. Dru was not a child, but she was a very young person and he was a sexual predator. Close enough for me.
Let's also not forget Jessica Lunsford, who had a registered sex offender living 150 yards away from her home. Her molester and murderer held her, in the place he was squatting with his crackhead shirttale relatives, alive, while police searched the area. He certainly hadn't checked in and registered his address anytime lately.
These sexual predators do not "heal". Instead, they get bolder and smarter. They learn how to avoid being caught. If they are never out of prison after the first time, we wouldn't have such a problem, now would we?
Letters are going off to all the levels of government. I'm so sick of this and the SRO is a joke. If the RSOs choose not to inform the authorities of their whereabouts, oh well. No cops go and look for them, do they?
In the meantime, authorities keep locking people up for smoking a couple of joints. That's real harmful to society, you know. You might get stoned and eat too much ice cream or fall asleep on your couch watching the Cartoon Network. Right on par. In the meantime, there is no room in the prison for the sexual predator because all the prison space is taken up by nonviolent drug offenders.
Doesn't seem right, does it?
I urge you to take a few moments and write to your local government. It is inexcusable, the lackadaisical enforcement of registered sex offenders in so many state.
Child sex offenders don't get over wanting sex with children. They just get better at hiding it.
People, it's up to us to do something about this.
My friend Vero had a good point. What is the point of putting them to death? Then they would have nothing to lose if they killed the child. Well, I respect Vero's opionion very much and I agree with her. The only deterent to that would be the first time a violent sexual act occured with a child, the sentence is death. You do it, you die.
None of this mollycoddling life in prison where all the skinners (derogatory prison term for child sex fiends) can get together and do whatever they like to do. You get convicted of a violent sex crime against a child, you die.
That's not a great solution either. I know this. I think the perfect solution would be to subject these deviant pieces of worm shit to the same sort of treatment their victims were subjected to. I think we should let the parents of the victims carry out this treatment, without the sexual elements, just with the fear and the pain.
(folds up soapbox and goes off to another night of fitless sleep)
Excellent post, Lisa. Very true and very sad.
Posted by: justin | July 07, 2005 at 10:50 AM
Right on, Lisa!
Except that, if we have the death penalty for perverts, what incentive do they have NOT to kill the victims?
Posted by: vero | July 07, 2005 at 11:09 AM
You Go Gurl!!!!!! I second ALL of that. My sentiments exactly. Sickening.
Posted by: Christie | July 07, 2005 at 01:45 PM
Excellent entry Lisa,it is shattering stuff, and it is very hard to stomach.Let's hope something improves on this front.
Posted by: Cutie Matutie | July 07, 2005 at 07:17 PM
Many cultures have had the rule that the offender becomes the property of the victim's family, to do with what they will. That sounds good to me! But, sadly, I know it's a fantasy--if we can't even get judges to withhold bail from level 3 sex offenders, we are sure going to have to come up with something a bit more politically correct. I like your idea of giving them the death penalty the first time they cross the line from fantasy to fulfilment. We have to get these guys out of the gene pool.
Posted by: vero | July 07, 2005 at 09:55 PM
Lis--you took the words right out of my mouth. What a great perspective, and wonderful blog entry. Now, go run for office. We need more people like you as legislators!
Posted by: Michelle | July 08, 2005 at 11:25 AM
i lived in livingston county when this young women went missing, it could also have been me. could you direct me to the pyshic and drawings that she provide for who she thought was involved, keep up the good work, these monsters should never be allow out among the human beings of this world.
Posted by: jeanne | May 14, 2007 at 04:51 PM