Why haven't we done a better job protecting our kids from pedophiles?
By CNN's Jack Cafferty:
(CNN) - Periodically we are reminded of the horrible national disgrace of child sexual abuse.
A few years ago, it was the systemic abuse of children by some priests in the Catholic Church.
The sins of the church and these priests were covered up for years as the offending pastors were simply transferred from one parish to another when their deviant behavior was discovered.
Little or no thought was given to the children who were scarred for life by these violations at the hands of people they were taught to trust and respect.
Now the eyes of the country are focused on a place called Happy Valley, Pennsylvania. For a lot of kids, not so much.
It's the home of Penn State University, the late legendary coach Joe Paterno and another far-reaching child sex abuse scandal. This time allegedly at the hands of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.
The testimony of what happened to his alleged victims is stomach-turning.
Again a large, trusted institution became a breeding ground for this most horrendous behavior, and it was allowed to continue even though a lot of people who should have known better did.
There is also a child sex abuse scandal being uncovered at a prestigious private school in New York, Horace Mann.
The New York Times detailed horror stories about three former teachers - all dead now - who allegedly abused male students decades ago. The report also questions whether the former head of the school knowingly allowed this behavior to continue.
Since the piece came out, additional students - male and female - have come forward with allegations of abuse, some naming teachers not mentioned in the original report.
But it's not just Horace Mann, Penn State or the Catholic Church. This stuff goes on all the time at every level of society.
And because children can't vote, don't have any money and can be easily ignored, not enough is done to prevent it.
Here’s my question to you: Why haven't we done a better job protecting our kids from pedophiles?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
@jackcafferty on Twitter
In this case just one word. DENIAL!
I think it is simple Jack we all need to start holding our judges responsible for the lack of stiff sentences for the worthless slugs.
Perhaps it's because many, many young parents today haven't a clue what their kids are up to or where they spend their time.
When you live the life of "being cool" and insist that you are your kids best buddies and NOT their parents, there'e usually a price to pay.
Reality has a way of rearing it's ugly head sometimes.
Because most people, like we parents, love kids and these monsters are so different from the rest of us we can't even conceive of them much less spot them. I don't have the best answer, but one answer is to raise the stakes for them so high that they never crawl out from under their rocks and are never heard from again if they do.
Because the Big Institutions like Penn State and the Catholic Church that have this problem occur, seem to think that their success is far more important that protecting the young who basically do not have a voice. It is a problem that does not have a good resolution, either, our criminal system only keeps registered offenders for the most part a few years and they are released into society and society is so afraid of them even though they served their sentence that they can't find work, can't find a place to live unless it is outside of populated areas (these places are rare and my guess is they can't afford them either). How fair is it to release them into a society that won't accept them. They are basically set up to fail. It's just a bad problem all around.
Jack: We do not know what to do with them once they get out of prison for the crime pedophilia. They stay in prison for 10, 15, and 20 years, but their desire to abuse children is still present, and given a chance they will commit this crime again, and again. There is no cure for this type of behavior, except death of the individual. Pedophiles are not put to death until they abuse a child to death, which rarely happens, because pedophiles want the same child until they get in the late teens. Sickos for sure, but what can society do. We could turn them over to the parents of the victims for a day, and I'll bet you the individual would not bother society, again.
Well, now, Jack, if the Republicans keep cutting, or blocking, the funding of child protective services, child welfare agencies and juvenile law enforcement, in every state, we'll not be able to better protect our children.More education on this topic is essential for communities, let's hire more teachers and more law enforcement personnel !
Because we demonize homosexuality, which causes victims to not want to come forward. Also, we don't make sure victims are followed up on and warned that their experience may make them pedophiles. One wonders if someone got to Sandusky when he was young.
Young children are very easily persuaded by pedophiles. Even the parents don't expect a family member or famous football coach until it is too late. The only thing I think can be done is to have young children attend a class in school on what to do when some conning pedophile makes their move. But with all the cuts to teachers and policeman the job will be a lot harder because there's fewer people to teach the children and watch over them.
That’s because we only pay lip service to children. We use them as pawns to promote our own selfish desires, usually heralded by the phrase, “It’s for the children.” But we don’t really care about them as soon as it gets to be inconvenient. Instead of parenting and disciplining them, we take the easy way out and buy them whatever they want, just to shut them up. I can go on, but you get the picture. And it all falls under the heading of “child abuse.”
Hi Jack, as a children's lawyer I sometimes wonder why our laws and courts do not do a better job protecting children but then I remember that children are poor and our laws and courts are established to protect the rich.
We haven't taught our children to run.
To run and to report immediately on such crime.
We haven't taught our children about "crime & punishment."
We haven't taught our children to suspect their elders.
Truth is that our country does not care about children for if we did the academic progress of our children would be much improved, fewer children would live in poverty, fewer would be obese, and we would not pass on our debts to them.
Matt
Rockford
We don't dare violate their rights. They hide behind liberalism.
This foolish war on drugs takes priority over anything sensible.
I think it's because most of us have trouble believing anyone could actually be a pedophile. It's very hard to comprehend let alone defend against. Then there are the legal issues associated with a child accuser of an adult with no proof. Do we really want to setup pedophile awareness and education programs or should we just exterminate them when we catch them?
Because this problem is bigger than we can ever imagine. Who do we trust with our kids? No one, that's who! The man in Texas (I believe) who killed his daughters attacker is a national hero!! I want him as a US Judge of carring out sentances in these cases. Look at that sleezeball coach in Penn. He's trying to say it was consensual? Jack, its a bigger atrocity then we all can ever imagine. We need a Justice system that works for the victims not the attacker.
What a great question, Jack. A lot of people aren't going to like hearing this. One big reason for sexual abuse of children is because families like to keep little embarrassing secrets hidden. Sometimes they burst forth anyway, and everyone finds out that a circle of family members didn't want Uncle Elmo's or Grandpa's "little quirk" to be made
public. Years later an adult may reveal the truth.
From a senior citizen, I learned that her mother slapped her as a child for trying to reveal Uncle So-and-So's nasty advances. Far from an isolated instance,
this has gone on through the years and stories are hushed up. There are even traditions in certain families of a grandfather and uncles sexually abusing children
in the family, as if it is their right.
Encourage children to tell about any inappropriate behavior. Listen to children who talk to you about it. The behavior won't stop unless we all LISTEN and take action. Forget any embarrassment to adults - the children are helpless unless
we all will help.
Poor parenting, and parents who don't want to take responsibility for their own kids.
Why were the parents leaving their kids alone with this guy?
Well, Jack, and I say this as one who was born and raised in rural NW Pennsylvanit and actually attended PSU, in the case of the Sandusky trial, it's because folks in that part of the country have elevated the Nittany Lion football program, Paterno and the entire lot of coaches and players to a god-like status...football is a religion to folks in that part of the country and the sad fact is that all the parents of those children probably felt something akin to a celebrity status because their children were being accepted into the Second Mile program and actually got to touch the robe of a PSU coach...unfortunately, those kids were forced to touch a lot more than that and for that Sandusky should spend the rest of his life in prison and the civil suit against the PSU officials complicit in the cover-up should total in the tens millions...All that to say, I think the Sandusky case is unique in that it is only those simple people's devotion to football that made them close their eyes to the atrocities committed by Sandusky.
Ask our righeous government. Their is filth everywhere. On the internet, on tv, in the movies and on and on. Not only have we done little but this country is making things worse. We need stronger laws and better enforcement in catching them. Their are things being done now but maybe their is just not enough manpower to do the job that needs to be done. I think most people with kids, and they know the world we live in is bad and getting worse, are keeping an eagle eye on their kids. When I was 6, I walked 3/4 of a mile to elementary school and it was safe. Now it's not safe for a teenage girl to walk down the street. More needs to be done because this evil sickness is spreading. Parents have to inform their kids and continue to be involved in their lives.
The problem with Pedophiles Jack is that they do not walk around with a sign around their neck that say's "Pedophile". Pedophiles can be male or female and they can be family members, neighbors, school teachers or strangers. Sometimes even priests and preachers. The first problem we have is educating our children in what is appropriate behavior and what is not. We have to teach children to speak out about it without fear of rejection or embarrassment or ridicule or shame. That is the only way to stop it from happening to others.
I don't know Jack why haven't we? It's a trick question right?
What do you mean "we". Some of us have.
Those idiots in Pennsylvania that think that coach was God and that Sandusky was St. Pete just sent their lambs to the slaughter because no one involved in football would do any harm. Give them school books and take away their bibles.
Jack, if pedophiles were punished in an "appropriate" manner, we would drastically reduce the number of children who are molested by these monsters. In the world of pedophiles, we owe it to our children to make sure there is NO SUCH THING as a "repeat" offender!
Three (3) words Jack. Denial, Denial, Denial!!
Why haven't we done a better job protecting our kids from pedophiles?
Parents should let their children know how serious it is to disobey God's
order in Genesis 2: 24. Disobedience by Eve brought death on humanity,
placed Jonah inside a whale, King Saul lost his throne (1st Samuel 15: 23),
and all homosexuals go to "the vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude verse 7)
unless they repent (Romans 3: 23).
Unfortunately pedophiles are not the man in dark shades and a baseball hat mixed in among the crowd at the little league baseball games, or the park, they're hidden in plain sight. They are the coaches or teachers or people that parents and communities have placed a significant amount of trust and faith in their character and ability to keep their children safe. I think outside of community ties, pedophiles are instantly connected via the internet (93% of 12-17 year olds according to Pew Internet and American Life). The anonymity of the internet only makes it all the more effortless for pedophiles to prey, condition, and abuse their victims. We can tell children not to talk to strangers, don't go with people you don't know but these types of signs and warnings are not available online. And lastly I think there needs to be some sort of public campaign (much like what Oprah did a couple years back) to remove the shame involved in abuse (especially with young boys). A campaign to encourage children and adults to advocate for themselves and one another in order to counteract the manipulation and victimization pedophiles try to use on children.
In my area the answer is simple; it's not my child so I don't care.
Youth sports are a big part of it. Go to any youth sporting event, anytime,, anywhere in the country, and you will see a coach with his, or her, arm around a young player at some point before, during, or after the game. This was not the case in the sixties and early 70's when I was involved in youth sports. Coaches have a lot more power now because of the college scholarships, especially the extension given to woman athletes for College scholarships. Another thing is back in the sixties, we were allowed to roam free, and thumb around the roads, and I never once worried about anyone one taking advantage of me in any way. I did get a comical offer once while thumbing alone, and when I was alone in Mexico City for a week in 69, a guy walked up to me in a record store and offered me 40 pesos to spend some time with me. 40 pesos was like 4 bucks back then. Doug, Pepperell, MA.
Pedophiles have an evil devining-rod ability to ferret out the weakest children of needy, neglectful, or absent parents. Priests, camp counselors, coaches choose vocations that give them access. A parent who is indebted to the predator in some way is afraid to 'out' them. As families become more fractured, opportunities increase.
Carol in Ma.
It is possible we are too shy about punishing people who break laws that threaten us with mental and bodily harm.. We have distracted driving, like texting for an example. Drivers are killed for one who cares less about the la\w because the penalty is a fine of few bucks if caught.
Using Sandusky as an example, it's obvious pedofiles operate on 2 separate wave lengths - their public image being upstanding while their private lives are in the shadows. Beyond that, people, in general, are pretty gullible when it comes to such matters. Good ol' boy Jerry's trial is still in progress but the evidence is mounting and I hope they throw the book at this pervert.
Gary in Scottsdale, Arizona
Why haven't we done a better job protecting our kids from pedophiles?
That's like asking : Why hasn't the Catholic Church done a better Job in getting Rid of the pedophile priests ?
(or having the priests answer for their actions)
I don't KNOW, Jack. maybe you should go ask the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church or the Boy Scouts of America?
I don't know, maybe you should ask the Pope. This should be familiar territory for him.
Our legal system is pathetic and doesn't provide for swift justice in many areas let alone this sick behavior. Look at the trial for the killer in Killeen, Texas and how many delays for an obvious guilty person let alone the costs to the taxpayer. Our society is becoming more and more morally bankrupt, just look at TV.
One reason may be that our suspicions are focused on the wrong type of person, one who may look or act like what we perceive as a "criminal." We naturally trust the kindly Priest or community leader/philanthropist. Kids pick up on this quickly and are therefore afraid to accuse someone whom their parents and teachers look up to. They fear being called a liar or worse. I know this from personal experience...having had a minister at my Mom's church accost me at age 14. I ran.
Martha, Rew, PA
Because we're too trusting of "authority" figures like coaches, teachers, priests, etcetera. Parents, you should be at least a little bit suspicious of ANY adult male that "likes" working with children; there should be close monitoring of all their "together" time, and there should NEVER be any "private and alone" time between your child and an adult male.
The majority of people cannot fathom such egregious abuse of power and cannot believe the depravity that permits an adult to sexually abuse a child, so they do not think about the possibilities. In addition, pedophiles are canny in picking the most vulnerable who are least likely to have protection or an adult who will believe them and intervene.
This is an impossible problem. Pedophiles do not walk around with signs or printed T-shirts stating "I'm a pedophile" or "I'm only interested in your body." And, if they did, most 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 year olds can't read. To my knowledge, there is no psychiatric examination which can unerringly identify who is or will be a pedophile, and in many cases the pedophile is a trusted member of the child's family, even a parent. Also, young children's responses to questions attempting to identify what actually has occurred are questionable under the best of circumstances. In some cases, children have been found to falsely accuse others of these activities. Given these facts, the only possible way to prevent exposure to such persons is to keep the child tied to their stay at home mom's apron strings 24 hours a day. The only reasonable means we have available for decreasing the risk of pedophilia is continual education in the home and schools informing the child of what they should do when inappropriate actions are attempted.
Stop covering this up! Go to the cops. Not some protective or counseling organization, not the CPS or the principal - take this to the cops. So there will be a record. These offenders are usually not rehabilitated - ask the inmates in prison - they would do it again.
Better some embarrassment than multiple rapes and abuses. These people
will not stop - ask your law enforcement, they know. The offenders are of
every race, both genders and varied ages -- take a look at the websites where they
have to be registered.
We have spent most of our time on rape charges against boy friends, gay rights, same sex marriage, prostitution, etc. Who is left to have sex with???
This is a serious thing that is and has happened to the children. The men and women supposedly serving Christ and abusing His children is the biggest sin that there is. I always say a sin is a sin no matter how you look at it, but these kids do not choose to let this happen. How can any Priest, Teacher, etc. abuse a child? All they have to do is pay a prostitute for their wierd desires.
Because the pedophiles usually are of a certain hue and gender. And the "good ol' boys" usually protect each other from laws that infringe on their privilege. When you hear crap like "personal responsibility", "liberty", and "individual freedoms", they're from the same ranks as the pedophiles themselves.
First of all, "we" can't protect everyone since there are so many children living in single parent households, living in homes where the parent or parents don't give a damn and trusting their kids with adults who get too close in more ways than one. It wasn't that long ago that we would have been slapped across the face had we told our parents that our priest molested us.
I think we do a pretty good job protecting our youth from the usual suspects - you know the candy in the back of the van group. But, as a society, we place a high level of implicit trust on people based on who they purport to be. Teachers, coaches, priests and the like are held in high esteeme. Used car salesmen are not and are generally not trusted at all. (Put lawyers and politicians where you like.) When this kind of stuff hits the fan from one of the trusted ones, we feel particularly violated - we just never thought there would be this problem from these folks. The only good-ish news here is that nost of this is comping to light from years ago. Since then, we're likely a lot more wary although lessened in our innocence. and perhaps diminished for the experience..
Jack: We have lost our "values"-–and if you are a religious person-their souls belong to God--their asses belong to me--and I would be providing a lot of souls to God.
Jack, of all the institutes, secular or religious, the reforms to combat sexual abuse by the Catholic Church in Dallas ten years ago have produced excellent results. The incidence of abuse has almost been eliminated in that time from an assessment presented by the Bishops at a recent Dallas conference. To date, other sectors where similar abuse has occurred do not seem to have taken the necessary steps to bring about reform. Maybe an investigative team of CNN reporters might want to do a series on why others have not developed programs similar to the Catholic Church to deal with what is mostly a gay issue. It would be a worthwhile project for future programs.
America has become a very sick society which is ignored by those in authority and with power. They can be bribed into sweeping everything under the rug, so to speak. Isn't funny with all these crimes against children and the poor NO ONE goes to jail. It's always about power and money. Just as it is concerning the poor, elderly, disabled, veterans and the stranger in our strange country. We all know the United States is in trouble but we have been told it is UN-American to say so...
Why do we have such a huge pedophile problem? Because we as a society are squeamish about talking about sex. When we do convict pedophiles we don't have a way to keep them from ever touching other kids again. Megan's law identifies some folks as sex offenders who did nothing more sinister then exposing themselves to urinate, or date a girl a year too young for them. We need to only have those rapists who are likely to re-offend again on Sex registries.
For the same reason that they didn't back in the 50's and 60's, because the youth do not understand what is or has happened when it comes to dealing with individuals holding everyone’s respect and authority. When I was a Boy Scout and we went on a weeklong retreat to a summer camp in Michigan. The scout master looked at all of us and said the one with the biggest eyes could sleep in his cabin, which had 4 walls to shelter them from the weather and not open like ours were. Well thankfully I was not the chosen one, but since then I have come to understand what it meant. There are predators everywhere you go and they come in the strangest packages. I stop and wonder today what a sad world this is and know why I’ve always been so protective of my children.
until we stop "paroling" these people, there will continue to be assaults on children. the minimum sentence should be 50 years, no chance of early out, no chance of parole. protecting our children is not very high in the eyes of most lawmakers. they seem to be busy doing nothing.. danville, nh.
our society protects pedophiles because of shame and fear of "making waves" against those in power. its the same shame and fear that keeps children from speaking up...
if there is any good to come of this sandusky and penn state mess – its the voice of the brave and strong boys and young men who have come forward to publicly denounce their (alleged) perpetrator. i am so proud of them!!
From the Catholic Church, Penn State University, the late legendary coach Joe Paterno, Boy Scott of america, our schools have all first cover it up for the pedophiles instead of protecting our kid. Jerry Sandusky has been abusing a certain age kids for many years, why did Penn State protect him for so long they knew about it in 2000 to 2012?
My question is, if Sandusky was raping kid at home in the basement, his wife did not wondering what her husband and the young men, was doing for hours in the basement in stead of he being in her bed, she also covered up for him all dose years, Why?
A parent will believe the adult Priest, Coach, Uncle, Educator before they'll believe the child.
They can't accept a person in a trusted position would do such a thing.
@ Pete in Georgia, it has nothing to do with the age of your parents. I remember back in the day molestation was going on in families and mothers, aunts, uncles, and grandmothers turn a blind eye. We must change this unacceptable behavior but until we do, children will forever be scared. Scared children are often not trusting of anyone, what does that tell you about our future generation? It's a sad world.
Jack, it's because the institutions who protect these animals are allowed to continue to exist. If Penn State is shut down (and by Penn State, I mean the university, not the football program–the silence clearly went above Paterno), I assure you that for the rest of eternity, these animals will only damage one child before they are put where they belong.
Because the subject is "icky" and people don't want to hear it. Kids are easily intimidated by these predators and don't usually speak up for years, which is too bad because kids are some of the best bullshit detectors know to man. Parents need to tell their kids that no one is to touch them. Parents must always refer to private parts as either penis or vagina, once a child refers to their privates by another name, the parents must ask where the kid learned that word and that will lead to a sexual predator, but there must be open, honest communication between parent and child. Maybe that's why its called "parenting".
Bleeding heart liberals and ridiculous supreme court decisions prevent punishment that suits the crime. If you're accused of a pedophile crime, you get monitored, closely. If your convicted, complete surgical gelding.
What, you think pedophilia is a choice? It should be against the law? You probably said the same thing about homosexuality, as well.......where does it stop?
I read in one of the articles that one of the victims in the Sadusky trial went to his school guidance counselor who didn't believe him. Maybe this is the problem, that people aren't listening when they're being told the truth.
I think the father down in Shiner, Texas showed exactly how to deal with a pedophile! It is know FACT that a pedophile cannot be cured EVER! Almost all physiologist agree on that point
Because at the end of the day, the only thing that really matters in The United $tate$ is Money. Kill the child, but don't hurt the revenue stream.
The father down in Shiner, Texas shows how all pedophiles should be dealt with! Psychologists agree there is no cure or rehab for pedophiles.
We can start by adjusting the ridiculous statute of limitations laws around the country.
Everyone in this country seems to say what all we NEED to do, but NOTHING EVER gets done for the better. This is the way of life on this planet now. Frankly, about all I see anyone doing is talking nonsense on cellphones in addition to any activity they are engaged in other than sleeping!
There is no money in preventing pedophilia. In America we no longer solve problems, we treat them. Treatment equals $$, cures don't pay so well. Sad but true.
Everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon. The fact is that we are doing a good job –why doesn't Jake and the others fault the media for some of the trash that they have been flooding the american mind with for years? It is easy to blame and sit back in judgment and then when something happens get on with all the media hype...CNN is a good one for running things into the ground –remember how long we had to endure the oil spill...well, they will bleed this Sandusky thing for all that it is worth and create whatever to keep their ratings going...nice try, Jack.
We don't do a better job because we are more afraid of betraying an adult than we are of betraying a child. Pedophiles don't just manipulate children they manipulate the adults in the lives of the children.
Because there is a continuing state of denial! My own grandchildren were abused by a sexual predator, causing quite a stir in our small community. When I went to my pastor and asked that this be put on the prayer list, she replied that she would be happy to pray herself for them, but she declined to present this need to the congregation. Too hot a topic, I guess. With such a striking head-in-the-sand reaction when faced with truly tough life circumstances – by our leaders – it's no wonder these things continue to happen in such great numbers.
There are many pedophiles now in prison. The cases you point out each involve cover ups and essentially turning a blind eye. In Penn State, as disgusting and disturbing as it is, it was all for dominance on the football field. Upon witnessing Sandusky's abhorrent and deviant sexual assult on a child McQueary went and told his dad. I wonder how that conversation went. It probably started with the words, "Daddy, daddy I saw Mr. Sandusky......." This guy CHOSE to drop the ball instead of a bombshell. My point is that those involved in the cover up including McQueary, should suffer a consequence such as having to wear a scarlet letter around their neck for many years to come. After all, pedophiles don't exactly advertise, but those who are found to have aided and abetted these monsters should be forced to advertise their lack of shame.
This is PennState because of all the people who defend this guy and his accessory and enabler Paterno. Sacrifice children for a winning record?-Penn State 'fans' say YES!!
I think what we need is more education in the schools about the subject. Let kids know that they need to report those people. Perhaps even allow them to report someone anonymously. I see no problem with getting the names of the accused into the hands of law enforcement. Too often these people are never even investigated. We still need to make sure there is proper proof, to make sure innocent people don't get convicted by the words of a child that is mad at a teacher or a parent or something. But most of the time the police are never even aware. If the police see a series of accusations against someone, and then they know it's not a fluke. And once you are sure someone is guilty, 100%, then they need to be put away for a much longer period of time.
Jack, it's very simple. In our country and our wonderful criminal justice system, the criminals have more rights than the victims, and in the cases of sexual assault and sexual abuse, the victim is treated as the suspect – not the other way around. For child victims of these crimes, most people will believe the adult long before they will believe the child, so what are these children supposed to do? Pedophiles are sly and deceptive creatures who will take months if not years to groom their victims before they strike, and they are very, very careful to make sure that they are seen as upstanding citizens and well respected individuals – just like Jerry Sandusky. We need to start seeing these people for what they truly are, believe our children when they tell us about them, and punish these perps appropriately. When they commit these types of crimes, they should lose all their rights as citizens and should be treated as the despicable low-life creatures that they are.
I am one who is not well versed on such things, I wonder if the difference between a pedophile and a homosexual is one of degree, or direction, or is there only a very slight similarity. Of course one is illegal, the other legal unless they foist there attention aggressively against a non-homosexual. As things go these days maybe this is legal as well.. But I do not recall ever reading or hearing any comparisons of the two. Could it be like which came first the chicken or the egg?
There needs to be a law passed that gives a convicted pedophile an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole. Pedophiles are, and will always be, repeat offenders. There is no therapy, counseling, medication, or monitoring that reduces the pedophile from searching out new victims. Parent's need to be aware of where, and with whom their children are spending their time with. As a mother it is my obligation to do everything within my power to keep my child safe...If that means I need to view other people with a suspicious eye then so be it... I will not be careless with his well being.
Our children aren't protected from pedophiles because we think everybody loves our children like we do therefore we trust them.
Because some people consider some of the deturantsas inhumain. besides we have our nose in other coutries business so much there isn't any resources for the US.
Carla from MN. Jack, the man in TX knew what to do when he saw his daughter getting molested. One less pedophile.
We seemed to have made "crime" an excusable violation due to the criminals personal history. Understanding and punishment must work together or we will continue to degrade as a society.
Those victims have said it all....afraid, ashamed, he threatened them, no one would believe them...they feel all alone in this and are powerless to stop it. I hope all parents now teach their children to tell them if anyone touches their privates, no matter what. This has to stop. It is a heinous crime. He should admit his guilt and take his medicine, which will be the rest of his life in prison.
Correction Mr. Cafferty...homosexual child abuse in both instances you covered here (i.e. Catholic priests and Penn State).
"What kind of respect do kids get when they fight back?? If three kid's beat up some adult, they're automatically guilty, and get no reasonable defence. Kids are going to have to learn to look after kids, and ignore the law. "
Kids don't really have the means or maturity to defend themselves against predators like Sandusky. He preyed on them and confused them and then threatened them if they told. He is truly a monster, and there are many more monsters out there just like him. This incident should be a wake up call to all of us – there are people out there who like having sex with children. if you see something say something. And even if you suspect something, follow it up. And most of all, have open talks with your kids so that they are aware of people like Sandusky.
Kate
Tampa, FLA
Why, Jack? I don't know the easy answer to that one. What I do know, however, is that those same folks that scream about Sandusky are the same that eagerly flip their TV dials to the shows offering 6 year old girls strutting down runways in tiaras and bikinis. The sexualization of children, Jack, is a VERY profitable industry.
Jack, why...for those who heard about it or directly wtinessed Jerry Sandusky's actions, their careers and Penn State were more important to them than those boys...call them selfish, immoral, Godless , . And that is sad commentary for those folks. Thank goodness there are those in society who do step forward...why none did forcefully enough in the Jerry Sandusky case will haunt them the rest of their lives...probably more than those boys (men now) who hopefully will heal with time and Jerry Sandusky's guilty verdict.
Jack, it's really more of the old school mentality, it seems to me the the police are doing a better job today finding and prosecuting the dirt bags, only tougher laws can put them away for longer. I have a police detective friend on the cyber unit here locally who does nothing but surf the net for these people. It's the old schoolers like the church and people in roles of authority who have a good name that pick on the poor and defensless. Years ago it was seen as being weak for the victims, wipe it under the rug, today the up and comers in this sick mind surf the web.
Jack,
As a law enforcement professional and a career polygraph examiner, I can tell you that many states have taken very aggressive moves during the last 20 years to corral pedophiles. In my state, we have a system of cooperation between the court, the probation or parole officer, the sexual counselor, and the polygraph examiner and we routinely examine these people to break through issues of denial, to disclose their full sexual histories, and to verify that no new offenses are taking place. If a person being tested fails the exam and confesses to a new violations, a revocation hearing takes place and invariably these individuals are sentenced to long prison terms. So to answer your question, most states are more aggressive in monitoring pedophile activities than you might believe. In the case of Sandusky, he was not on probation or parole, so it's a different story here. He appears to be penitentiary bound.....
BOTTOM LINE- The parents are just as much to blame- Alarms should go off when an "ADULT" is so interested in your child and they spend time with them in unsupervised activities- such as "overnights", They are your children- don't be so quick to pass them off to someone else especially if they start "buying" gifts etc- They are really buying what they want to do with your child. We are the protectors of our children- they look to us for that. Wake up parents- If a "new friend" with gifts, favors etc sounds to good to be true- they most likely are. Please let your children know they can come to you at anytime if they are having problems and that you will stand by them and not be mad at them. Love the children.
Pat- Bucks County, Pa
Mr. Cafferty:
Who exactly is....."we"?
This happens on every walk of life. Bad doctors quietly resign hospitals as long as the disciplinary process stops which allows them to move on elsewhere and keep on messing up people. Same with teachers, lawyers etc etc. We see someone screwing up and we turn our head the other way and pretend we didn't see it. Maybe we are afraid of getting sued, violent reprisal or whatever. Stronger laws and law enforcement won't make a difference until each one of us is willing is willing to denounce and turn in any individual engaging in this kind of activity. Think of all tragedies of this kind that would have been avoided if the alarm had been sounded early enough.
Because in more court of laws, child molestation has to be physically proven... which in most cases the molester first has to groom the child by first testing them, with touching,feeling, hugging.. etc. then it progressess.. if they child is the age of 4 or younger, they can't express what's being done to them, much less as a parent to prove that it was done to them after the child makes an outcry. CHILDREN especially at that age cannot and do not lie about graphic sexual acts.
Why haven't we done a better job protecting our kids from pedophiles?
Because people are more concern with RELIGION than CHILDREN.
Jenna
Roseville CA
Day by day america is changing. Day by day the parenting of our children is getting worse. Parents are supposed to protect their children in all ways. Since we cant be with our child 24\7 we have to teach them to stand up for themselves. The times of having good parents is gone. Not all parents are bad but some just need to take parenting classes.
Because there's no way to know who is a pedophile and who isn't. You can't protect your children from an undetectable threat. Most of these people come off as normal people and you'd never guess. They keep their private life private and nobody is the wiser. You can't stop it from happening, you can only do damage control after the fact.
The Father in Texas knew how to handle the situation...shame on those who witnessed or knew of Jerry Sandusky's crime and did not take action...they protected themselves and Penn State and not the boys...they will live with that for a very long time. Shame on all of them. They should receive the same guilty verdict as Jerry Sandusky and I believe they will.
It will only get worse once gay marriage is legalized. These deviants will be shacking up to adopt as many boys as they can to abuse.
Just put a law that says you commit these crimes you get put to death. Case closed. Or justcut off their manhood for good measures
I have a surefire cure for pedefiles. It's called castration.
Sounds like more overly dramatic stories...
The Catholic Church is more concerned with preventing contraception than preventing pedophillia.
Maybe if weren't so busy wasting money on saving our kids from drug use. I would rather have my kid smokr grass or take lsd than get raped
Though many do not want to accept the truth, our society is in decay because "man's heart is deceitful and desperately wicked" as God's word, the Bible, declares. Without the heart change that only God can offer through Jesus we are left to our own wickedness. And since pornography is so staunchly supported as free speech, is it really surprising that perversion and victimization of innocent people, especially children, is so rampant? California
Perhaps its because we are concentrating too much on protecting kids, instead of empowering kids to protect themselves. We've created a environment where at school a kid isn't allowed to say not to a teacher without risking suspension, a mentality that any parents who is not 100 percent supervising their kids at all times is negligent, and a society where if someone is assaulting them, instead of retaliating (either verbally or physically) they are just supposed to take it and then tell an adult. What is it making? A generation of adults who won't even be able to take care of themselves. Don't protect kids, empower them.
People convicted of these crimes are the only ones jailed for life or near life in many cases for a crime that didn't involve a threat to life. They're the only people released from prison who have to live under bridges, even murderers get it better than that. As much as some may wish to just execute them, that is not going to fly, so what exactly do people want done that isn't already done? How many personal freedoms are non-pedophiles willing to surrender to catch/prevent people from abusing kids?
It seems to me that we rely too much on our government to do anything selfless. We have politicians that are just as bad or worse than the pedophiles we need to treat and/or punish. What needs to happen is the parents need to be vigilant about who their child is interacting with and what their child is doing.
I personally decided for myself to solve this problem with the best efforts I can. I wrote a book called 'Catch Me If You Know How – Internet Edition" that helps parents, spouses, family and friends to help others who may be inflicting this harm on children online, or the parent discovers their child may be subject to a pedophile pursuing and grooming them online.
I was a victim of several pedophiles before I even reached puberty. My situation was caused by parents who didn't think things like this happen to them.
I like what the father of the 4 year old did when he caught the guy abusing his child..
THAT'S HOW TO TAKE CARE OF IT~!!!
The problem seems to have 3 parts. One, the child is virtually powerless. Two, the perpetrator believes that he/she can threaten the child and keep him/her silent. Three, and most importantly, many people in power do not understand the extent of the damage which is done to a child in such circumstances and tend to avoid action to prevent embarrassment to themselves or an institution. So they look the other way or transfer the perpetrator to another location, as was done repeatedly within the Catholic Church. I believe that this third part will change in current and future generations and the problem should begin to mitigate, as more people are educated with regard to the severity of the damages done and their ramifications. The state, however, must be very careful now not to exert undo power, as in the surveillance of innocent people, thus threatening the civil rights of its citizens. It is a slippery slope.
An adult pedophile was very often a child who was sexual abused in his/her youth. The issue is not protecting children from pedophiles, but rather how to provide the mental care pedophiles need before they become sexual offenders. Don't take me wrong, protecting the children is important, but the focus should be on how to prevent pedophiles from become offenders, rather than to wait for them to be dangerous and then worry on protecting the victims. By that time, the damage is done and it will be only a matter of time before the abused becomes abuser. I think the level of sexual offenses in the US speaks a lot about how the mental health care in the US is failing to provide care such that deviant behavior is prevented rather than punished after the facts.
I think you just named two of the main reasons: they can't vote and have no money. But there is another, even more important reason. Reasonable, intelligent, well-adjusted adults don't engage in such behavior and are a necessary barrier against such sickos. This country is suffering a serious shortage of reasonable, intelligent, well-adjusted adults.
Close down all Catholic churches. That will be the biggest positive step towards protecting children.
Hardest to prove is when the molester is the child's own father. How do you protect him from the very person that you should trust second to you. and then to prove it in court??? how without pyshical proof!? Especially when his image is squeeky clean?!?!
It's a difficult thing to deal with so people go into denial or much worse, blame the victim and it's a lot more common problem that people want to even think about. I
absolutely – stop those creeps
One tragic issue is our unwillingness to research the aparent link between homosexuality and pedophillia.
We attempt to be "PC" while denying the obvious, because it is easier to pretend it dosen't exist.
First off, the assertion that because children don't vote people don't try to protect them is patently ridiculous. "Somebody think of the children!" is one of the most common political rallying cries there IS. The problem is the laws that are adopted aren't made to actually protect children, they're made to make parents feel better and get politicians elected. It's called the ratcheting effect. Someone wants to be elected, so they need to appear tough on sex crimes. Then the next guy that comes along, HE wants to appear tough on sex crimes too. So he makes even more stringent laws. And while they look good, they do nothing to look at the truth of who sex offenders are, and what can be done to help the community. If you want to help law enforcement to be able to do its job better, the first thing that needs to happen is a repeal or change of most sex offender laws. They don't work and they create a mob mentality. Read Human Rights Watch's report 'No Easy Answers'. It will tell you everything that needs to be done. Backed up by actual facts, not what politicians trying to get elected want you to think.
When I was abused by a family member 30 some years ago, the only thing the psychologist said was "I am not going to give you any pills". I did not even ask for them. It was confusing and hurtful that he thought I only wanted some pills. Plus my abuser was never arrested. The situation is a lot different now but still not perfect. At least people are more aware now than back then.
No quick and easy answers but as a child abuse investigator I can tell you one thing that drives many of us to other careers besides low pay–paperwork. In an attempt to see that child protective workers do effective investigations local, state and federal mandates keep us behind our desks for about 70% of our time. Time that could and should be used to properly investigate child abuse allegations, to see children and attempt to ensure their safety.
Why don't you ask this question to the Penn State officials that covered it up? If these criminals had reported him like they should have he would have been stopped sooner.
The same reason people like John Edwards don't go to jail. Money...Football brings in money. The Catholic Church has money. Follow the money Jack.
We need a mandatory life sentence for pedophiles. Kids that have been abused will never be the same again, and for that, the person responsible should never see the light of day again. It sickens me that some of these people ruin the lives of kids and can return to their normal lifestyle once they have completed a sentence.
Our society denies children even the most basic of health care unless parents are able to pay for it. Our society promotes film stars and athletes over education. Our society was once proud, but has fallen into being the world's police force rather than taking care of Americans first. It is easy for predators to fall through the cracks when our politicians worry more about Roger Clemens than they do about children going hungry. Sandusky is big news, but what happens to this issue when he fades from the front page? These unfortunate young men have to live the nightmare caused by this vile character. There really is no alternative to deviant behavior other than a lifetime sentence to remove them from society. Too bad that his prison sentence will be more like a candy shop than a punishment.
2 reasons Jack
…
1. Slashing the public employees like (social workers) whose job is to protect children. There are just not enough Social workers to take care of the population… and with the GOP’s agenda continuing to shrink public workers… will result in a deteriorating situation . I worked as a social worker in child abuse sex crimes. I was working 18-22 hours a day. Who the heck can keep that up and do a good job? For my own health and sanity, I transferred back to mental health
2. Denial! Americans just do not want to look at the “dirt” in their own back yard and continues to point fingers at other countries around the world.
Nina Fox – California
The root cuase for such deviant...as a metter of fact any deviant behavior, be it pedophilia, homosexuality other morbid and un-natural activities is a lack of fear of God and afterlife. Any human being who recognizes the fact that he or she will be dead in a few years and will be asked about what they did and how they behaved on this earth, will have a radically different approach towards his or her desires and conduct. Such humans are disappearing at a rapid pace from our societies.
I really hate it when people want to believe that a parent trying to be a child's friend has anything to do with why we aren't doing more about pedophiles. The key is communicating with your children. My son is 5 and knows what his penis is, his scrotum, and his anus is. Pedophiles are uncomfortable when a child uses the correct medical terms. ALL parents should be teaching their children the proper medical terms for their private parts. I talked to a mom of a 5-year-old, and she told me her son didn't know what his penis is. I was shocked. I have read my son lots of books on touching and have told him about how no one is to touch his penis, scrotum, or anus and no one should have him touch their penis, etc. He understand that, and I think he would tell me if someone ever tried to do something to him. I keep an open line of communication. These are steps that all parents should take.
I would like to see the same punishment used is Saudi. I believe it will curtail allot of pedophiles!
We need a greater deterent for abusing children. I believe in the case of abuse of a minor child the person should be subject to capital punishment. In the case of Sandusky he allegedly abused the weakest in our society, the very children who were most at need of society's support.
Castrate them! or at least let them all ( including women) wear a shirt in public saying: I'm a pedophile.... everyone will know and parents have to teach their kids to tell them if anyone, including family members, touch or molest them.... And believe them when they tell you !!!
Unfortunately we as a society put TOO much importance on NON Important items, figure heads and or etc. Like, Priests, Officials and Coaches are treated like they are Gods of some sort... where in fact whats in front of us the most precious and valuable creature (our children) who are completely help-less are given to these MONSTERS why, because we feel they are above and beyond..... at the end of the day, they are human like everyone else, make mistakes like everyone else, and in some cases are MONSTERS like every other Monster......
Law enforcement would rather chase pot smokers because it's easier than routing out pedophiles.
The only way to protect us from violent criminals is to exterminate them publicly when they are caught and less will be apt to follow their fate
perry jones council bluffs iowa
The number of pedophiles or potential pedophiles is huge. People don't understand that more than half the people they know would, if legal, with someone between 14-18.
Proof of this is the amount of underage porn on the internet and anonymous boards etc. Its one of those taboo secrets that no one admits but a huge amount of the world population is attracted to.
Change the war on drugs to the war on pedophiles.
The dad here in Texas did a pretty good job...
Sometimes people do not want to accept that abuse is going on, not in their family anyway. I don't understand how people do this but it happens. The prime example is how the Catholic church refuses to address sexual abuse of young boys by its priests. When that is the standard abuse gets swept under the rug.
Being they are the same when released from prison as they were when they entered, castration may be the most sensible 'rehabilitation' for these less than honorable, sick people.
The answer is very simple Jack, the Liberal judges place the blame on "society" for all the sex-offenders, and in stead of incarcerating the criminal, they keep releasing the repeat-offenders back into "society" over and over again hoping to teach "society" a lesson.
Execute the scum like they deserve. Maybe they'll think twice if they know that the death penalty awaits them once caught.
": Why haven't we done a better job protecting our kids from pedophiles?"
Because this isnt the Minority Report? I mean come on, its just about impossible to predict who will commit such a crime.
Now if the question was ": Why haven't we done a better job at punishing pedophiles?"
Thats a whole other issue but it doesnt help when you have the Catholic Church covering-up for them.
Matthew 18:6 Jesus said:
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
Jack
im thinking the best way to Help out the communities all around the country is to Tattoo their Foreheads
similar to "Lisbeth the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" except no something they can coverup
and the country would handle the rest
Sorry – Jack. There is no easy answer to this one. These things are not easily discovered. People do not take it seriously outside of being appalled when it happens. Most people feel it couldn't happen to someone they love, or that the individuals were at fault somehow. You can't tell someone is a pediphile by looking at them. I feel the pediphile has an illness (it has to be that way because there can be no other explanation for wanting to hurt someone like that). How can you fix an illness that cannot be diagnosed until it is too late? The people who had the authority and power to help, but knowingly hid the atrocities are lower than the pediphile. Knowingly hiding these crimes is nothing more than greed and self-serving at the expense of others. Those people should be penalized most of all.
Legislators are too busy working on their own agendas rather than worry about child safety; there’s no profit in catching pedophiles.
Simple solution, anyone that rapes, traffics, or sexually assaults a child should be crucified, literally nailed to a cross and put to death for all to see. This horrific crime needs to be punished brutally and publicly, so that anyone else considering these actions will think twice. It won't fly in the US because we are too soft on criminals that are a threat to our children, but those countries that cut your hand off for stealing don't have repeat offenders. And it is the repeat child molesters that do so much damage.
Well, that just isn't going to happen, Jack! Romney wants to cut educators, Police, Firemen, on and on and cut or gut everything else that makes this country great! Kinda like Bain is buying the country to break up and sell! All social programs to help Protect Children, that'll go first!
We can blame everyone else, but it is you and me. We have lost the instinct to protect our children at any cost. Look at little birds who will go up against hawks to save their eggs. We fear that we will get into trouble if we act. I applaud the guy in Texas who beat the pedophile to death. Not revenge, just elimination.
Because the pedophiles are REALLY GOOD AT IT. They know how to approach the weakest, most vulnerable victims and pounce effectively while showing the rest of the world the other kind, gentle face that deflects any hint of suspicion away from them. If they do get 'caught' they know how to wheedle out of it, either by using their institution (e.g., church or Penn state football mania) or the accuser's lack of understanding of what is really going on.
In America the law states that children are possessed items to be destroyed and disposed of. And if parents insist that children are people, we go to prison or get murdered.
for all these stories, its all the same. These men in high positions protect pedophiles. All they would have to do is call the cops, report them and be done with them. Why would you want to work next to, or worship next to a raper of children? It does not make sense? Report them, put them in jail and move on. Their enough good people who could use these jobs who are not pedophiles. Again, report them, lock them away and move on. So simple. Please everyone, lets start protecting our children. Julie. Larchmont, NY
CONTINUOUS OPEN COMMUNICATION between children & parents/parents & children is KEY. Some say it's due to bad parenting with parents being friends/buddies instead of parents. Child abuse of this nature has been going on since the beginning of time. In past decades, it was 'suspected' or even known, but nobody would dare speak up against the patriarch of the family, etc.
Today psychologists have provided a list of 'warning signs' parents should pick up on if they maintain close and honest and CONTINUOUS communication with their kids. There aren't more offenders out there than ever before, it's that society is more alert to them by looking for and/or noticing 'the signs'.
Why don't we punish criminals as they deserve to be? Because we are weak. We can only rid ourselves of harsh punishments when we have created a society that gives ALL people an equal chance. Because there is no hope for so many, they get the things they want any way they can. We then put those people in jail which taxes our society to the nth degree. If we actually executed people swiftly, there might not be so much crime. If there was hope of decent jobs and living through legal means, there wouldn't be so many in jail. The government doesn't seem to really care either way.
I have heard pedophiles can never truly be rehabilitated, therefore they need incentive to control their abnormal desires. I think a wonderful incentive would be the death sentence. Until STRONG measures are taken, children will continue to be hurt. Why this issue is not taken more seriously is beyond me! How do we start a petition for HARSH punishment for anyone who sexually abuses a child? Death or castration. . .something for heaven's sake. The number of cases we all continuously hear about seem to be growing, and it injures children horribly!!
We will never be able to combat pedophilia until we learn what causes it. Whether they are born this way or made this way by being abused themselves, we need to know why it happens, how to prevent it (if we can), and if we can't prevent it, how we can figure out who they are soon enough to intervene. And we need to be a compassionate enough society to allow people to admit they are attracted to children without instantly judging them. As long as we keep insisting they are just monsters, they will never come forward to get help BEFORE they abuse a child.
Ever see the commercials for "Be a Dad Today" and others like it? Stop dumping your kids off with strangers so you can do more social/productive things. Be a parent. That includes monitoring them, grilling them about their day to day activities, pay attention to mood changes and shifts in personality, and teach them that they can tell you anything. Don't put your most precious gift into someone's hands just because they work for a school, youth league, ect and then walk away.
As a senior citizen, I've watched over the years how our society worships sexuality and free expression of it in almost any form. The entertainment world, media and marketers all contribute to the false belief that sex is most important and almost anything goes if it sells a product or a person. In this environment, those who buy into this lie don't want to look too close at the ugliness that takes place on the dark side of sexuality. Wake up America and get some values and common sense about sex. Know the limits and then take a good look at what is really going on right under your noses.
Pedophiles are nice guys who like kids. Most are male. Look at Sandusky, he took kids to Bowl games, he had a foundation. And he fondled kids in the shower. Now, when he took the kids on trips and was a father figure, he was married. Anybody who saw him as a threat? Probably not. He abused the kids when he was alone. And that's the secret, he had a secret personality he kept hidden. that's how he got away with it.
A commentator on another network had an interesting question. Think anybody else did it? Was he the only one?
It's interesting to me that people take the same approach to this issue that they take to murder. Are our life sentences without parole and capital punishments getting rid of murder? Nope. Are they even reducing it? Not by the statistics I've seen. There's more to handling these issues than trying to think up more severe punishments.
The Big Problem is that the "family values" types are more interested in denying women reproductive rights because they have to protect zygotes and embryos. After the kid is born, they feel they already did their job and no longer give a crap
First thing, castrate all RC priests; then solicit the World Court to declare Pope G, an accessory to running an international ped ring.
Society allows it to happen in part because all the institutations you mentioned are so large and imbedded in our way of life. Schools and churches are building blocks for our value system and when the very institutions fundamental to our beliefs betrays us we rationalize that a few bad apples aren't a true representation of the institution. We dilude ourselves into believing the institutions will police themselves, yet time and time again we're forced to confront reality which clearly contridicts the facts. We won't make true progress in purging this vile behavior and the abhorrant institutional silence until those who commit or cover up are punished both criminally and financially. Our hope that institutions will do the right thing have been repeatedly dashed, so prosecutors should aggressively pursue legal and fiscal remedies to motivate institutional change. Strip away institutional protection and the number of abusers will shrink.
Want more to be done? Begin with mandatng that those institutions with a known history of not reporting pedophiles conduct awareness classes for the children in those institutions, instructing children to report any person directing attention to their "bathing suit area". If that has a measurable positive effect, then move the program into other institutions where adults come into contact with children. Start with the catholic church and its schools.
Until Churches stop protecting their own nothing will ever happen. The Catholic Church is more eager to deny birth control and criticize their own Nuns than they are to stop sexual abuse. One thing Churches should make it mandatory that children are never alone with Priests.
You can't do more to stop pedophiles when parents expect other people to raise their kids. The only father figure a child needs is their biological father or other male family members. Single mothers are too willing to pawn their kids off on any male in their lives hoping to find a substitute daddy. It doesn't work like that. Women need to be suspicious of any adult who's too interested in their kids.
Sandusky is a sicko who should be put down but the other people to blame in this situation are the victims parents- especially their FATHERS. The men who fathered these boys should be ashamed of themselves that they brought children in this world they didn't take care of and their sons were put into this situation to be taken advantage of by Sandusky.
given time, pedophiles will be accepted. Drunks driving is (the punishments aren't severe enough, and when their license is "suspended" or revoked they just drive without one, typically drunk...), homosexuality is, to the point of allowing them to marry, so given time, pedophilia will be. Give it 10 or 20 yrs, you'll see.
Castrate the offenders and impose huge fines on the institution for not policing itself.
look at your question to get the answer
few people always do the right thing
with the ability to see everything that happens in real time
we now see how imperfect humans are
Jack we cannot lock the children in an antiseptic room where the liars, and the cheats, and yes the perverts are just filtered out. The world is a beautiful place but parents have to let the kids know how to react and what to do when they encounter the human stains that blemish it. It's hard, because we don't want to turn our kids into paranoid basket cases, but somehow the message has to get thru to them that the world isn't always nice and there are people out there that can and will hurt them if they have a chance. It's a lesson they're gonna learn someday anyhow.
One the biggest things wrong with this country imho, is the fact you can do more time in jail in some states then a sick person like a pedifile or murderer even. We need to make laws matter to the crime or else this will be repeated all over again. Put the sickos in jail and free folks who make a choice to enjoy something safe.
How can we do anything with our children when we are now accepting GAY marriages and GAY relationships as OK.
No long answer here. Life Without Parole Automatic.
One reason could be powerful organizations protecting their well-known employees by any means necessary. History has experienced that most pedophiles continue satisfying their urges despite the threats they face and the promises they make.
For the same reason we do not talk about Corporate America's boards and executives for inequitable wages and tax dodging. Self-ish greedy competition instead of sharing drives the US while it is rapidly going down the tubes. Comparing actural behavior of leaders with all of the religious tennets looks the same way. We want to look good and make money at all costs.
Fundamentally, the answer is we have become to expect our government to protect us. Truth is, we all as individuals need to step up as parents, neighbors, members of the community to address this. This problem, like most we see today, is based on a false reality, a lie, that our elected officials will protect us. More parental involvement is crucial to solving this problem.
Are we Catholics going to be smeared every time a pedophile makes it into the news, not because it is relevant, but because it adds some heat to the headline, and gives yokels like Cafferty a few more lines for his tirade. OK, the Church made a mistake, it has tried hard to change the situation (to the extent that) Priests are subject to removal if they had anything in their past prior to becoming a Priest); it has paid the victims, the Pope has publically apologized. Catholics at the Parish level have paid for the damages done to these victims. Admitedly, nothing can be done to truly erase what has happened to these victims, but will you tell it like it is, not what sells the news!!!!!
we do a terrible job at protecting children from any/all abuse – unfit parents routinely get their kids back (and any assistance possible) even when other relatives have more stable homes. We keep secrets to prevent public shame and ridicule. We are afraid to face the truth – monsters are among us but we won't prosecute them although rehab or cure is often not possible either. We shouldn't bury our heads and then feign shock when bad things happen.
Pedophilia has been institutionalized and commercialized at the highest levels. Along with that, most pedophiles are within our own families. The problems of the Catholic Church are just the tip of it. Actually the percentage of priests that are abusers is lower than other demographics. Not that they are absolved. A while back it was revealed that Goldman-Sachs has a human trafficing fund. It's a huge business. The reason why we don't proteck our children better is because the the breath and scope of what we are up against.
Because when both parents are working we are desperately looking for someone to watch our children. We pass the buck. How many parents check the backgrounds of the teachers that interact with their children 8 hours a day and sometimes longer? We ASSUME that others have done that but we are obviously making a wrong assumption. It is not the place of the government to raise our children, it is the place of the parents. Yes, the government is in the business of punishing this behavior but by the time the punishment phase occurs, it is too late for usually multiple children.
By the way, perhaps we should all consider this: If a good friend came to you and said they were in an abusive relationship, a drug addict, an alcoholic, suffering extreme depression, etc. and asked you to help, would you? What if they said they were attracted to children and didn't want to be and needed help? How would you react? Judging by the "kill em all" remarks we see all day on the topic, I can guess.
We're not going to be serious about pedophiles because, once the legal system gets serious about the problem, we're going to start seeing more and more public and legal officials (DAs, ADAs, police, military, et. al.) caught in the investigations. Lookup Louis Conradt... his situation was a factor in why we no longer have To Catch a Predator on the air. You see, it is OK (if not cliched) to observe laity, educators, sports figures etc. arrested. However, at the point where a DA gets caught then the whole public aristocracy begins to stink and even government officials start to look for cover.
Mr. Cafferty – Thank you for this. I am a survivor of childhood sex abuse. With me it happened while in the Boy Scouts of America. There are many cases surfacing lately that shows the Boy Scouts Of America knew this has happening with many of their leaders, but did nothing about it, and even lied about the knowledge. Unfortunately, the statue of limitations has run out and there is no legal action I can take personally. It is our duty as citizens to watch out for children and their safety. Be vigilant, educate yourself and children. At the time it happened to me, I was too embarrassed to speak up and unfortunately, many other boys were molested due to my in ability to say something. I have lived with that guilt for years. These predators give children memories they never asked for. Keep it in the news! May God Bless You and All Children!
It is my understanding that pedophiles can not be "cured" and will always offend then why do we release them back into society? Should a conviction mean life in prison? The man down the street accused, found guilty and incarcerated for child sex abuse is a terrible thing but should he ever be released? Of course the worst case is the Catholic church. The church officials knew this was happening and transferred the offenders from one parish to another KNOWING they would probably offend again. Why has there not been a general uproar by Catholics to "clean-house" with the officials who covered it up for years as well as the offenders? One would think parent's first thought would be the safety of their children instead of covering up for the church. Bad things will continue to happen if good men do not stand up and say No.
The very best way to stop Pedophiles is for people to just stop breeding, so much and so often.
"We" won't have to be worried about your kids constantly if you don't have any...if you insist on having kids make them your responsibility though and not everyone elses! Thanks.
What some people seem to forget with all of this is that some kids LIE. It's these kids that make it difficult for the actual victims to come forward because they fear no one will believe them.
It's a very fine line that authorities need to walk in today's age of communication and 24/7 news. For example, let say a teacher gives a student a failing grade. In response to that, the student claims the teacher molested and/or raped him/her. That story gets out to the News Outlets and that teacher's career is over. The teacher is already assumed guilty in the media and in the eyes of the public simply because a child did not like the grade received.
If the media outlets could ever actually report an unbiased story with facts, and only facts, then maybe our world would start to turn around. But the media has to sensationalize everything. It makes it extremely difficult for real victims to come forward because the media will turn their lives upsidedown. In cases of Rape and molestation, the last thing a true victim needs is the spotlight shined right on them.
I'd like to propose a couple of new Laws. First and foremost, make Rape a Federal Crime.
If you rape a child under the age of 10, Life in jail, no parole.
If you Rape a child 11-15, Life in Prison with the possibility of Parole.
If you have witnessed said crime and choose not to report it to authorities, 10 years in prison.
If you acuse someone of one of these crimes and it comes out that you lied about the accusations, you must go on National Television, Admit that you lied, and ask for forgiveness from the person you acused. In addition, while that other person is alive, any money that child or his/her spouse makes in their lifetime, 10% goes to the victim of their lies and 5% goes to charity to support real victims of their crime.
While I completely agree that Sandusky is guilty, just image for instance if he wasn't? Imagine if McQuery had made these allegations and then a week later, retracted them? At that point in time, Sandusky had already been judge guilty by the public and his career ruined. While we need to stricter laws punishing the offenders, we also need to better protection against false accusations. A falsely accused person's life can be ruined just as quickly by the false accusation as a victim of rape's life is after their rape...
Our society has slid down into the muck of "Image" first, reality is only attended to when it is needed to protect the image. Our kids deserve the best from their educators and priests – but the institutions protected themselves – their image – then are shocked, I tell you, shocked, that this has been going on. See a connection here to our recent financial collapse? All our financial geniuses didn't have a clue their house of cards was unsustainable? That was until they bailed out Their funds and sent the economy into a tailspin. Our soldiers have been subjected to head trauma and brain injury for the past 10 years but now that they're coming home we're stunned we don't have the VA services they need. When will we as a country grow up and regain our sense of personal honor and responsibility.
We haven't done much to protect our kids because nobody wants to get involved anymore. Same reasons we don't want to get involved in Syria. The only time we get involved is when somebody has the balls to clean house or the Press decides it's time to put the pressure on the subject. Not too many men out there have big balls. Seems like Hillary at least is making some noise about Syria. Has more balls then some men. She would straighten these pedophiles out.
Oh come on. It's easy to lay a claim against someone who is dead. They can't even defend themselves. Regardless of that one fact about that one particular case, we've done plenty. I mean people are registered as sex offenders and they don't have the same rights as others. We honestly treat sex offenders worse than we do murderers other than murderers getting a little more prison time and honestly they can even get out pretty quick in many cases. I'm all up for harsh justice, but most of America would not agree with my sort of justice. I think people who commit murder without a reasonable doubt and not out of defense or any of that should be put to death within a year of them being sentenced. I think people who commit violent sexual crimes and without a doubt it not be a woman crying wolf or out of spite for a guy which has also happened should face a minimum of 10 years in prison if not death for the most heinous of crimes and simply be put on the sex offender registry for a minimum of 10 years for lesser crimes and then for more violent or repeat offenders...for life.
The biggest issue this country faces with prisoners is simply the existence of death row and how people can be there for over a decade and still be alive! Kill them all. Kill them now. Stop wasting tax dollars keeping them alive. That reminds me, we need to utilize the guillotine as the death penalty method. It's the most humane method (relatively instant death) and it saves money to not having to buy chemicals and the such.
Of course many might be appalled at how methodical and casual I feel about harsh punishment to include the death penalty, but i'm also aware of the possibility of innocent people so it would only be for those proven without a reasonable doubt to receive such hasty death. My heart goes out to the former football player who was recently in the news because of being released after the witch recanted her story about him allegedly raping her which he never did. It cost him a decade of his life. People like THAT should not be punished as there was no DNA evidence whatsoever. Women can easily put men in prison with their words by crying rape. We need to avoid that as well.
It is because US is an over-sexualized society! There's nothing, no relation that holds any sanctity. Everything is just about sex; everyone's been objectified. In eastern/vedic philosophy, the importance is in order of brain, heart, stomach, sex; in the US it's the upside down! It really is a sick, perverted society and there's no other way of putting it. What makes it worse is that there is enough money to cover all the crap!
The root of all evil is money. With the Catholic Church, Penn State, Michael Jackson, etc. if you have enough money nothing is done. And too often it's a family member, "friend" or a person of authority because they'll deliberately place themselves around children. And if you see what that assistant coach saw – forget everything else – HELP THE CHILD!And the particular ones I listed above should have to pay with prison time and their beloved money. Place sanctions, take away their tax exemptions and anything else that will let everyone know that what they've done to our children will not be tolerated.
Laziness and/or gullibility? Reluctance to accept responsibility? Adults in this country live their lives as though anything negative in their life is someone else's fault; selfishness is ok. This permeates parental behavior towards children as well. Many parents in this country let their children be spoiled rotten, give them video games from near infancy and phones not much later than that. If Americans reclaimed their brains, perhaps they would be more alert in general, less gullible and therefore not so trusting of background checks and drug tests etc which are just tests. Nearly every week we hear of a horrific crime committed but the criminal passed background and drug tests. American society has in a generation, come far too close to accepting that a society without civil liberties is ok – it's ok to treat all US citizens as criminals while the real criminals are free to continue to commit atrocities such as pedophilia. If Americans used common sense and were alert and thoughtful to the world around them and their children, perhaps such crimes would dramatically lessen and the rest of us could live in reasonable peace and freedom again one day.
Jack, It is a sad day when you read in the news constantly those who support all of the funding cuts, lack of funding or those who think that no funding is needed for treatment programs for offenders need to have "their" heads checked for sanity. Everyone wants to "round them all up", but no one wants to be a part of the solution because it is such a "taboo" to even suggest solutions.
Until society, which is its people, respect life from birth to death, we will always have abuse, some physical, some mental. To deal with abuse it must be addresses early in a perpetrater's life. Since dealing with abuse is a low priority in our society's purposes there will only be punishment for those caught and that never solves the real problem.
Cardinal Berhard Law, who transferred priests to another parish to they could prey again on innocents, now has a cushy job in the Vatican, where he is beyond American justice (such as it is). So, ask the pope.
For the same reason we aren't doing a better job at anything else. We are a nation of people doing a crappy job at EVERYTHING. Call us a failed society because that is what we are.
The sexualization of children is everywhere in the media from advertising and film to plots in best sellers. There is a stunning hipocrisy in a society that bangs on the media drums and sensationalizes specific cases while allowing child pornography to blossom on the internet where in the last ten years sites hawking sexual images of children are managed and even allowed to proliferate by the FBI in order to catch and imprison low end violators while allowing true exploiters to prosper. Massive well-publicized fear-mongering pieces in the media about lunatics like Sandusky in the end do nothing except perhaps titillate those who may have similar psychological deviance and stir up a righteous witch hunts against pedophilia. This does nothing to address the underlying problems modern society has with sexuality, imagery and the greedy pursuit of power and money.
Dear Jack – reading your article was very timely for me. I live with my wife and young kids in an upper end golf course community in Las Cruces, NM and just recently found out that a convicted pedophile purchased the home next door. He has spent the last 2+ years in prison for molesting several of his 16 grandchildren, including young ones aged 3 and 6, and is requesting a parole transfer from Arizona to New Mexico. Having learned this, I have been on the phone with the Director of the State Parole Board, the Sherrif's Office, LCPD, the Interstate Compact and Parole Board Regional Manager and NO ONE will offer to step up to keep this man out of our state and away from our neighborhood. This man obviously has a right to live, just out in the desert far away from children rather than right next store or down the street from them! How does the law protect our rights????
Common Sense made an excellent point. I think we focus so much on punishing these types of crimes that we create an environment where offenders are less likely to seek treatment for their issues (and therefore more likely to commit serious crimes) and where others aware of subtle signs of abuse committed by their friends and family are unlikely to report because they know whether or not the accusation is true the accused will be treated like garbage for the rest of his life and assumed to be guilty. It's a tragic irony-one where escalating punishments and witchhunts can make the very things we are trying to stop become worse. The one good thing I think we are doing is giving lots of attention to therapy and treatment for the abused-this will make it less likely that they will become abusers in the future.
Castration and/or death might work. Really depends on how much we value innocence and our children.
If we get any more fired up about pedophiles, it will be our national obsession! Priests aren't concerned about doing whatever they do with our kids since they're immune to any genuine legal prosecution apparently and all the people we thought were above reproach like these priests, coaches and teachers, etc. are doing nasty stuff routinely too! Interesting that the folks who yell the loudest about the pedo down the street and how we need to keep an eye (and play get even, as well) are the very ones who are messing with kids. The whole issue is a mess since it's apparently quite common and those who fuss the most are the perps in most of the recent cases.
Having come from a home in which there was physical and sexual abuse, i wholeheartedly agree that anyone that intentionally harms a child should never be allowed be allowed contact with a child ever again. if it means incarcerating them for the rest of their life, so be it.
As a society, we "claim" to love our children and then we complain about paying taxes. Taxes for police, education, assisting the poor....how can we expect to crack down on ANYTHING if we are not willing to PAY for it!
False argument to continue the "fear culture" of this country.
Statistically, children are safer now then any other time in U.S. history. Just do a little researh online to find this out.
As horrific a story as the Penn State story, or any example brought up here, children are safer from violent crimes then ever before. So yes, it was more dangerous for "us" who grew up in the 50's-90's believe it or now. And no, it's not because we don't let our kids play outside or because we have sexual preditor apps on our phone or computer. On top of that, one statistic has never changed about violent crimes against children and adults, 95-98% of all VIOLENT crimes are committed by someone the victim knows.
So please media, stop sensationalizing fear and actually report the facts. But the truth doesn't sell now does it?
The main reason is, most people have no EMPATHY. I am the founder of Safe Arms Inc. we advocate for innocent children; to protect them from sexual abuse and exploitation. I have spent countless hours- posting awareness information on my social web pages, trying to raise funds and speaking about the devastating effects of child sexual abuse.. As well as, applying for countless grants and funds-only to be DENIED and REJECTED.
The question that I ask; Is- It only important and serious to you-only until, it is CLOSE to home. We should consider; What if, we were in that dark, lonely, and helpless place of invasion.. Would we want, someone to protect us? We are so over zealous about protecting our assets-what about protecting, one's RIGHTS? Children are indeed our future.. but they have to first, make it there.
There's no short-term profit in combatting child abuse. Duh.
Either the death penalty or absolute life in prison (no pardon, ever) upon the first pedophiliac act. No insanity plea or other mental disease defense. This might not deter a budding pedophile but it would sure eliminate the possibility of a repeat offense.
That goal is right up there with the war on Poverty, Drugs, and Terror. At best, we can have guidelines for businesses and institutions as far as reporting, as well as educate our kids, but all that has truly happened has been the proliferation of the Internet and the speed at which information disseminates. The problem as always been around.
My favorite punishment is to put them in general population. The trouble is, only a fraction of pedophiles are caught, and more than half of these abusers are someone a child knows well. Wanna stop pedophiles? Start watching your closest friends & family closer. And don't be one yourself.
Are you kidding me ? You want me to squeal on somebody ? Bring a herendous charge of pedophile against someone. Especially someone whos very prominate at the place of employment, or in the community, a good family man, one of the good old boys, etc. Whos going to back me up ? My employer, the police, the community, CNN News, they going to back me up ??? Its my word against his. I'll think about it.
We are at least 3 generations from a time when morals & values mattered more than money. Besides that, loyalties to an increasing group of Fan-based organizations makes looking the other way desirable, if not compulsory.. Nobody wants the rage or contempt they get if they speak up. Our 'Peer Preasure' is to never demand better or speak out against the lowest common denominator or suffer the rath of the ignorant. In a nutshell-we are going in the wrong direction.
Why don't "we" do a better job protecting our kids? Because there's no money in it. It's much more profitable to let them be abused then put them on psychiatric drugs for the rest of their lives.
At least Mr. Cafferty is asking the question correctly. Most people are asking "Why haven't THEY done a better job protecting our kids".
Legal punishment is a good start and will stop some people but others think they will never get caught. The problem is a result of a decaying social attitude toward sexuality. Sex is everywhere we look and it is often the subject of jokes in many media such as television and movies. I see it everyday. Sex is treated as casual as dancing used to be treated. A different partner every night was not a bad thing when you are just dancing. This degrading attitude has predictable spilled over onto our children. I don’t think we can stop some people but there are things that we can do. The solution is probably for parents to give our children as much age appropriate sex education as we can and to tell them if they tell us about anything weird someone is doing to them they have a free pass and will not be punished. Teach them that only a doctor can do certain things with mom or dad present. Other than that don’t push specifics but keep the line of communications open. Also stay paranoid. If you gut tells you an adult’s attitude toward children is strange you may be wrong but take NO CHANCES.