Here’s a cite. It’s a long but interesting read. The rehabilitation reference is about 3/4 of the way down.
Actually, if Cartooniverse is planning to protest right outside this guy’s house, I DON’T think that’s allowed-that would be considered harassment.
Interesting stuff. This astounded me:
This is insane. Violent sexual predators – people like Ted Bundy or Roy Norris – enjoy this stuff. Their brains pump lots of pleasurable chemicals through their synapses when they see people in pain and feel themselves in control.
Keep in mind that Norris and his pal Larry Bittaker taped their torture sessions so they could enjoy them again later. At their trial, the jury was forced to endure listening to a tape of one victim who repeatedly begged to be killed. She was, eventually, by an icepick through her ear, but not til they’d had a couple hours of fun.
In interviews, many of these guys have described that feeling of godlike power as the ultimate high for them.
People like this cannot be rehabbed. And their violence tends to escalate.
** Cartooniverse ** , I would wager there are far more convicted drunk drivers in your neighborhood than sex offenders, yet I don’t see you working yourself into a lather about the danger they expose your children to. Aren’t you afraid one of them will run down your children in the crosswalk after a three martini lunch? My point is, there are many convicted criminals walking our streets, and some present a real threat to society. I just don’t see why one class of potential threat is singled out for special treatment by imposing onerous requirements on them indefinitely, even after they have served their time. Perhaps we would be safer if all thouse convicted of violent or dangerous crimes were never released from prison, but we as a society have decided that that level of security is not worth the loss of liberty. At some point you have to just let go, and accept that life is never going to be perfectly safe for your children, and there is nothing you can do about it.
An astonishing claim from a seasoned Doper who does not know A) What municipality I reside in, and so therefore B) Cannot possibly know what the law states.
Cite?
mhendo, we’re obviously not getting anywhere fast. But to enter a “quoted from” block and then write your own prattle insulting me instead of obeying the rules of the board and actually quoting my own words, is a bit much. I will respectfully ask you to re-post that portion of your last post, using the words you should have used in conjunction with a quote box, instead of using my name and then writing your own insults. That is not how posters post in the Straight Dope, and you well know it.
As for my concerns regarding recidivism and the immense likelihood that this particular man will indeed commit another sexual assault, this is G.D. and I am glad to provide some cite.
This fairly in-depth study shows that 52% of molesters will commit another act within 25 years. While mhendo seems to think I am stretching his sentence unreasonably beyond his parole period, the facts prove out that there is slightly more than a 1:2 chance that this man will rape again- and, since he got out in 1998 more or less, in the next 20 years. There are other graphs within that study that show varying percentages, depending on how the data is viewed- I freely admit that some of the graphs show lower rates depending on certain variables.
Some Myths and Facts concerning sexual crimes. These are helpful in this discussion- some support my feelings, some directly disprove some of my fears. Still, they come from an excellent cite source.
Then wouldn’t it be more efficient for all parties involved, Cartooniverse if you petitioned to have the law changed such that people like him never got released from prison? If he’s out of prison, he’s done- according to the law, he’s served his time, and should be allowed to live his life.
If you are really, truly concerned, then work to get the laws changed. Taking the matter into your own hands by striving to have his civil rights repressed because of something the law says he’s already paid for is only so much vigilanteism.
Yeah, if I had a daughter and lived right next door to the guy, I’d be seriously skeeved… but, dammit, the guy’s got to live somewhere! Who would you foist him off onto?
“Respectfully?” You “respectfully” ask me to repost? Excuse me while i pick myself up from the floor. I was down there rolling with laughter.
You’ve spent this whole thread basically arguing that my own position is based on some sort of support for the child molestor. Hell, less than 24 hours ago, you called me an apologist for, and a supporter of child kidnappers and rapists. Yet now you pretend that you have been and are conducting this debate respectfully. Your hubris is unbelievable.
Well, this part of your post at least has the virtue of demonstrating that you can, finally, consider debating this issue rationally. Unfortunately, it also confirms how hysterical and irrational you’ve been for the last five pages.
For the rest of this thread, you’ve made it very clear that you think it’s basically 100% likely that this guy will reoffend. You said: “People who rape kids do it again and again and again and again.” Not “52% of people…” Not “Some people…” Hell, even if this post you still use the term “immense likelihood.” Well, where i come from, a tiny bit over 50% is not considered an “immense likelihood,” it’s considered “about equally likely and not-likely.”
Grrrrrrrr.
Parent of a 13 year old child checking in here. With an RSO living down the street. I discovered this through conventional means, I know who he is and where he lives. I have discussed this situation with all of my daughters (13, 16, 18), but I have not told them who it is. I have also NOT told my neighbors, because they cannot be trusted to respect this man’s privacy. Too many of them are of the “torches and picth-fork” mentality that, once the word is out, they will launch hysterical attacks and protests. He did the crime, he did his time. Awareness is called for, but attacking him in an attempt to force him out of the neighborhood is just wrong!
Attacking him in an attempt to force him out of the neighborhood is just wrong. Well, thanks for the tip but if you have read my last few posts, I am making it painfully clear that I am not interested in breaking the law in any way. Last time I checked, running someone out on a rail was kinda illegal.
Speaking of legal. I spent some time about an hour ago with the Chief of Police in the Village. I asked him specifically about protests, and how they would be handled. Were they legal? Could we protest? He informed me that any gathering over 25 requires a permit to gather. He informed me that since the street is kinda an average suburban side street, with barely room for two cars at the same time, any protest staged on his street would create two situations. A) We’d be trespassing upon people’s lawns. B) We’d be blocking traffic and creating a public nuisance ( inability to allow emergency vehicles through ). The issue of harassment was not touched upon.
He made it clear that if a group wished to go to the park, get a permit and hold a rally, they were well within their rights to do so. Attempting to protest in front of his home would lead to legal problems for the reasons outlined above.
mhendo, you make the mistake of thinking that I take a survey as gospel truth. They are statistics- ones that may well disprove my conceptions but in no way change my mind. You refused to even consider what this would feel like were it your family member involved. No, no and no I am in no way saying I am a victim here. It’s really tiresome to hear you accuse me of same. My concern is for my children, before it is for this …this… gosh, what exactly do you call a man who does what he did? This… thing’s rights.
The survey information was enlightening. It does not change my emotional response to a real life situation, which is that this thing…this…animal is absolutely capable of doing this again. And, again and again.
One wonders what you are going to say when this man is arrested and clearly identified by a living witness and DNA evidence of having committed similar crimes again. One wonders… cause, more than fifty percent of these animals do indeed repeat. Some more than twice. I suppose you’d tell me it doesn’t matter, and doesn’t mean shit. :rolleyes:
TwoTrouts, may I ask a question? Why did not identify the man to your daughters. They are obviously old enough to understand that information. Lacking that, ever single male they ever see or encounter is to be treated with the same level of complete fear and mistrust. I am not sure I would want to embed that level of nonstop fear into my children. Despite my clear views on this kind of situation, my children to not live in abject fear of every single man in the Village.
Good point. The girls are not aware of him. He is quiet, keeps to himself, and is on the other side of our neighborhood. Therefore, he falls into the “don’t talk to strange men” category. If he was a known neighbor I would tell them, but try my damndest to keep them from spreading the gossip.
Well, this isn’t going to help my argument any!!!
thanx for the Play-by-Play, Team-Coverage Updates on how you plan to harrass your neighbor. Who’s the drama-Queen here? You are OBSESSED. If you applied your Obsession to other well known causes: Anti-Abortionists, PETA, KKK. You would easily be labled “Future Murderer”. You are a psycho-path waiting to happen.
What will you post next? A live Web-Cam of your neighbors house? Then we can watch as he re-offends as you’ve stated over and over he most assuredly will?
Actually, i hope he does re-offend. And since you will be there, to see it happen… I hope it is YOU who is his next victim.
To me, standing outside someone’s house holding a protest about what scum that person is certainly counts as harassment! Jesus, Cartooniverse, just what DO you want to happen?
jester21
[Moderator Hat ON]
jester21, this is incredibly out of line. Do NOT post a desire for your fellow posters to be raped on this board. Calm down.
[Moderator Hat OFF]
While I certainly don’t sympathize with that sentiment, I agree with Jester and Guin that the singlemindedness with which Cartoon pursues the cause speaks more to the state of the poster than of the convict.
Now, granted, I might want to protest myself, as a message to authorities, if the proper information had not been divulged against an offender of the stature Cartoon describes. But it appears the proper steps are being taken to warn the community. What else can a protest accomplish? To make a statement against child rape? And if you don’t protest, you must be pro-rape?
If you want to further punish the convict, push for laws such as confinement to halfway houses, further prison sentences, or better information divulgement laws that specifically warn about non factually consensual offenders in the area.
Please do NOT lump me in with Jester-his comments were certainly out of line.
I think Cartooniverse is bordering on obsession here, but I don’t wish harm on him.
Preface: This post pertains to the thread topic, but is not intended to refer specifically to Cartooniverse’s posts.
Something else to keep in mind, for those in favor of putting all “convicted sex offenders” on databases and spreading the word about them to the neighborhood…
A lot of sex offenders are going to re-offend anyway. But I can’t think of a better way to ensure that an offender (any offender) re-offends than pushing him to the point where he believes he has nothing to lose, and inspiring in him a grudge against humanity in general and American society in particular.
And a great way to do that is to make sure he has no peace, and can find no place to live where he’s not hounded.
Personally, I think TwoTrouts’ approach is sane and admirable.
But I also feel it’s wise to distinguish between nonviolent sex offenders and people who kidnap, rape, torture, and murder.
Interesting. So you’re saying that you won’t let any facts get in the way of your preconceptions?
Say the statistics you quoted are, in fact, correct? What would you have us do with the 48% who will not reoffend? Lock them up? Drive them out of any community that they happen to end up in?
Apparently you not only have trouble grasping the arguments in this thread; you have trouble even reading them. I said quite clearly:
And you know what else? I stated earlier in this thread that there are, according to the Maryland Sex Offender Registry, 84 sex offenders living in my neighbourhood alone, 22 of whom are listed as “sexually violent” offenders.
Well, it may surprise you to know this, but the presence of these people concerns me even though i don’t have kids. I do have a partner. She is 5’3" tall, and doesn’t weight a whole hell of a lot. I sometimes get a little nervous if she’s out alone. She walks home from campus quite often after dark, and while most of the way is well-lighted, we’re both still well aware that Baltimore is a rather dangerous city, and that she needs to be careful.
The idea that there are more than 20 sexually violent offenders in the neighbourhood is a little worrying at times, but it has always seemed to me that the best way to deal with this is to use caution, to be aware of what are risky and non-risky situations, to be smart instead of hysterial. And the same goes for kids. As others have said, making sure your kids know about personal safety, and who they should and shouldn’t talk to, is essential. I’ll bet that, in a majority of cases where kids are taken, the opportunity arises because the child either doesn’t know or doesn’t follow some basic rule like “Don’t talk to strangers,” or “Never get in a car with someone you don’t know.”
And before you accuse me again of blaming the victim, i’m not saying that this makes it the child’s fault. I’m just saying that if kids are taught proper safety measures, then very often the opportunity will not even arise for some sicko to abduct them.
See, you continue to prove that you can’t be rational about this. Also, the reason i spoke of you as the victim is that you kept accusing me of “blaming the victim,” without ever saying exactly who you meant. What victim were you talking about?
No, i won’t tell you it doesn’t mean shit. I’ll tell you that it means that this guy is obviously a recidivist who should be locked up, and probably should have been kept locked up in the first place
You know, i was waiting for you to come up with this line of attack, the idea that if he does it again then everything you said is obviously correct.
Yet you’ve already made it quite clear that, even if he never commits another crime in his life, you won’t change your mind about anything.
Why is it that, if he reoffends then it’s proof that you are right, but if he doesn’t reoffend then it means nothing?
I fully concede that there’s a chance he’ll reoffend. And i completely understand that the problem of sexual offenders released into the community is a difficult one to deal with, and that there are no conclusive solutions, no easy answer. And i’m aware that sex offenders have higher recidivisim rates than many other groups of criminals. And i’m aware that some people really probably are irredeemable. And i also agree that’s it’s tragic when some nutcase is let out and he does reoffend and ruin someone else’s life.
And if you were willing to address the whole situation with even a modicum of the rationality and integrity of, say, Two Trouts or Sample_the_Dog, we might have had an interesting discussion about the matter. But, by your own admission, your emotional response predominates in this issue. I’d go so far as to say it rules altogether, pushing aside any possibility that you can carry on a sane and reasoned conversation.
Now i really am done. I’ll leave you alone with your rage and hysteria.