The Time is Now to Address Sex Crimes and their Offenders

It is important to study sex offenders and their crimes in order to get a better understanding of the type of people who commit these crimes, who they are affected by, and what the future holds for these crimes and their predators.

Sex crimes have a tremendous impact on their victims, and even their families. Rape, an often violent and terrifying sex crime, is something that a woman (or man) can never fully recover from. Victims of rape or other sexual assault do not forgot about what has happened to them, and moving on with life can often seem impossible. Victims are scarred with a crime like sexual assault for the rest of their lives. Families and close friends of sex crime victims are almost always affected by these unimaginable crimes. Imagine how hard it might be for you to try to comfort your daughter, or even best friend, after being the victim of sexual assault. There may not be anything that you can say to make that individual feel comforted, or even safe, again.

Sexual predators have been around for many years, and are not a threat that will be disappearing anytime soon. While the future of this area is unclear, various policies and laws have been enacted in many states. California, for example, has Megan’s Law, an online database which requires sex offenders to register every year on their birthday. Some states also have housing restrictions as to where sex offenders can and cannot live, like in certain proximity to schools or community parks. I will address possible solutions in rehabilitation in prisons, and even alternatives to incarceration, like half-way houses.

It is important also to note that not all sex offenders are the same, and not all sex offenders should be treated the same. A case of an 18 year old having consensual sex with his 17 year old girlfriend can turn into a statutory rape charge, therefore forcing the 18 year old to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. In a case like the one of Jaycee Lee Dugard, however, the suspect, Phillip Garrido had numerous previous violent sexual assault convictions, and was on probation when Dugard was found. Again, not all sex offenders can be treated the same. In both of these cases, the two have to register as offenders under California’s Megan’s Law for the rest of their lives. While most would agree that Phillip Garrido deserves this punishment, and much more In the case of the 18 year old, however, his entire future may be altered due to an act he committed as a teenager.

Crimes like these are ones that desperately need to be addressed. Change needs to be made, and without the discussion and addressing of these issues in sex crimes and there predators, these issues will not be brought to light.

References:
The Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers http://www.atsa.com/ppOffenderFacts.html

ABC News 10
The Associated Press and News10/KXTV –C. Johnson
Copyright 2009
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=66366