Should the Community Know Where Pedophiles Live?
September 3rd 2006 08:54
It's a topical issue at the moment, should the community know where pedophiles live?
I find it interesting that the media is pushing for details of pedophiles and their locations to be publicly known. Yes, you have to feel for the victims and no-one wants any child to be sexually abused, but how come the same publicity is not given to murderers or other serious criminals when they are released from prison. Surely, if the community should know the whereabouts of pedophiles, this same approach should be adopted to murderers, people who commit serious assaults, rapists etc.
How far do we go? For a drink driver who kills a number of people in a car accident, do we take their licence away for life or make sure they never drink again? If sentenced to jail, does the community get told every time he or she drives a vehicle after being released from prison?
Don't we need some faith in our legal system? If they have served their time, who says they will re-commit. Maybe being in prison has changed their ways.
By releasing details and whereabouts of pedophiles, this could cause violence against them. Violence does not solve violence.
We need a system that provides justice, giving criminals appropriate punishment but giving them a chance to show that they have learnt from their mistake and won't re-commit. We need to do everything possible in prison to make sure serious criminals don't re-commit if they are released back into the community. We need to protect the community but we also need to make sure we don't encourage further violence. This is a real possibility if families of victims want revenge against the pedophile.
Surely, if victims are told that pedophiles are walking around on the streets, doesn't this just cause more pain for them and make them scared for maybe no reason at all. There needs to be a focus on trying to get the victims to somehow overcome their ordeal and live a normal life.
I find it interesting that the media is pushing for details of pedophiles and their locations to be publicly known. Yes, you have to feel for the victims and no-one wants any child to be sexually abused, but how come the same publicity is not given to murderers or other serious criminals when they are released from prison. Surely, if the community should know the whereabouts of pedophiles, this same approach should be adopted to murderers, people who commit serious assaults, rapists etc.
How far do we go? For a drink driver who kills a number of people in a car accident, do we take their licence away for life or make sure they never drink again? If sentenced to jail, does the community get told every time he or she drives a vehicle after being released from prison?
Don't we need some faith in our legal system? If they have served their time, who says they will re-commit. Maybe being in prison has changed their ways.
By releasing details and whereabouts of pedophiles, this could cause violence against them. Violence does not solve violence.
We need a system that provides justice, giving criminals appropriate punishment but giving them a chance to show that they have learnt from their mistake and won't re-commit. We need to do everything possible in prison to make sure serious criminals don't re-commit if they are released back into the community. We need to protect the community but we also need to make sure we don't encourage further violence. This is a real possibility if families of victims want revenge against the pedophile.
Surely, if victims are told that pedophiles are walking around on the streets, doesn't this just cause more pain for them and make them scared for maybe no reason at all. There needs to be a focus on trying to get the victims to somehow overcome their ordeal and live a normal life.
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Comment by anonymous