As reported by CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer
MIAMI - A sex offender was found guilty Wednesday of kidnapping and raping a 9-year-old girl and burying her alive in a case that led to a crackdown around the country on people convicted of sex crimes. Jurors deliberated about four hours before returning the verdict against John Evander Couey in the slaying of Jessica Lunsford, who was snatched from her bedroom in February 2005 about 150 yards from the trailer where Couey had been living.
Her body was found in a shallow hole, encased in two black plastic
trash bags. She had suffocated and was found clutching a purple stuffed dolphin.
And let me add this:
As enlightened as we are in the 21st Century, we must face reality. There are no effective treatments for Pedophilia and Sex Offenders. Castration and Exile seem to be the only reasonable options. Some would say that this was "cruel and unusual" punishment. But it isn't. Because anything else is not really a punishment, or rehabilitation, because nothing else works. We have to start worrying more about the potential victims rather than the rights of these monsters. In the meantime, though I generally oppose the death penalty, there was enough evidence and confession to be sure who committed this crime, so put the animal to death, because we, as a society, are not ready to ship him off to some god forsaken island somewhere, even though we are comfortable watching game show contestants marooned on them. And as you contemplate these harsh fates for these sick and unrepentant creatures, if your courage wavers, let the picture I placed here haunt you back to bitter reality.
Rest in Peace little Jessica.
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2 comments:
Indeed, no treatment has been shown to be effective, as a recent NYTimes review reiterated.
I fully support exile and physical castration.
The laws protecting children must be strengthened. Megan's Law makes us feel good [posting the criminals' pictures on the internet] but maybe they should not be returned to the community at all!
Law must catch up with research outcomes.
I think treatment does not work for these individuals because there are two issues at play, and neither is a treatable illness. The first, is that this is a preference not an illness, it is just a sick and unacceptable preference. What makes society see this as more than that---as an illness, is because of the subset group that act on this impulse---with clearly sociopathic tendencies. I am sure that there are good people out there, who are cursed with these preferences, whether through environmental or biological derivation, and never give in to them (except possibly by hiring prostitutes or getting their significant others to dress a certain way). Others, still, may avoid this altogether by pursuing religious vocations that preclude (at least in theory) sexual contact. Those who have the preference, and lack the conscience not to act, are obviously well suited for the heinous unforgiveable acts they choose to committ. That is why they must be quarantined from the rest of society, they have shown they lack the skills to live within society.
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