To Catch a Predator

[Jim]

If the law is not going to penalize these people properly then I suggest three things.
Castration, an ankle bracelet to keep track of these a-holes and some kind of scarlet letter tatooed on their forehead.   

But that would be too cruel according to many people.  Seems like criminals have too many rights at times.

I am all for giving someone a second chance in life for messing up, but pedophiles are that rare case where the first time it takes place it cannot be overlooked or forgiven. 

[Dressel Rebel]

In most cases, I'm against the death penalty, but as a father to two little kids, I think any conviction for anything involving kids should be a capital offense.  And not just lethal injection, but a good old fashioned hangin'.

Great God and little fishies!  I never thought I'd hear that from you.  And you probably never thought you'd hear this from me:

We totally agree.

[JoshEEE]

I am all for giving someone a second chance in life for messing up, but pedophiles are that rare case where the first time it takes place it cannot be overlooked or forgiven. 

I would agree 100% with you, except that I find myself sympathizing with those guys that go to jail when they're 18 for sleeping with some girl they go to school with because the parents got angry about it and charged him with the crime.

I also find myself being a hypocrite when it comes to hearing about those female teachers that sleep with the high school boys.  I always think "right on kiddo!" for the guy, but if it was a male teacher, I'm sure I'd be like "lock him up!".

On the other hand, when it comes to predators like the one Jim was describing, I'm all for locking them up and throwing away the key. Let them be someone's bitch in prison.

[Morgbug]

This is not a failsafe, but everyone with children should use it:

http://www.registeredoffenderslist.org/

I think I started a thread about it a few months back when I first found a similar site.

You did start that thread Rob.  Sadly, Canada has no such database up here and it's still illegal to do such a list in Canada. 

There've been more than enough jackasses watching my daughter in various locations.  While it's disturbing, my daughter has noticed them doing so and is uncomfortable when it happens.  That she's aware makes me quite happy with her.  Not so happy with the perv watching her.   

I would agree 100% with you, except that I find myself sympathizing with those guys that go to jail when they're 18 for sleeping with some girl they go to school with because the parents got angry about it and charged him with the crime.

What's the age for statuatory in the U.S.?  Here in Canada it's 16 for consent, so an 18 year old dating a 16 year old and/or having sex is legal.  As a parent, I'd question the difference in maturity being suitable for anything beyond that (e.g. 18 and 15 or 14).  I know the girls are physically mature at that point, but emotionally I doubt it in many respects.  I wouldn't think the interests would be all that similar either.  My daughter may hate me, but when she's 13 and brings over a guy that's 17 his ass will be gone awfully quick, complete with threats of charges and me kicking his ass from here to Tuesday. 

[Jim]

I would agree 100% with you, except that I find myself sympathizing with those guys that go to jail when they're 18 for sleeping with some girl they go to school with because the parents got angry about it and charged him with the crime.

I tend to think the same thing.  I mean how many of us lost our virginity before 18?  Plus with a CONSENTING woman of the same age.  If we all got charged there would be about 10-15 kids in each grade of public school. 

This reminds me of when I was 17 and dating a girl who was 19.  We were trespassing and getting busy on private property.  In short we got caught by the Police and after checking our ID's they asked me if I was consenting to sex and if I needed any assistance.  I found it pretty comical at the time. 

[Jim]

 As a parent, I'd question the difference in maturity being suitable for anything beyond that (e.g. 18 and 15 or 14).  I know the girls are physically mature at that point, but emotionally I doubt it in many respects.  I wouldn't think the interests would be all that similar either.  My daughter may hate me, but when she's 13 and brings over a guy that's 17 his ass will be gone awfully quick, complete with threats of charges and me kicking his ass from here to Tuesday. 

I told my wife the other night that our daugher cant start dating til she's 19.  

[Morgbug]

19?   


Try 35.

[JoshEEE]

This reminds me of when I was 17 and dating a girl who was 19.  We were trespassing and getting busy on private property.  In short we got caught by the Police and after checking our ID's they asked me if I was consenting to sex and if I needed any assistance.  I found it pretty comical at the time.

When I was 17, I was also dating a girl who was 21.  Not quite illegal, but 4 years is a pretty big difference.  Maturity wise, she probably had at least 10 on me. 

It's really tough to say where the age lines should be drawn, and how to prosecute the people that are right on the edges of them.  For example, I wouldn't freak out if I heard a 15 year old freshman in high school was sleeping with an 18 or even 19 year old senior.  Seems like half the freshmen girls in my high school dated seniors, and those guys could probably all be locked up for it.

Should they have been?  I don't know.  It would have made dating easier for me, that's for sure. 

[Jim]

19?   


Try 35.

LOL   Feel free to pass on any advice

[Morgbug]

Oh that I could Jim, my daughter's only six, so I don't have much experience at this point.  We did just move to a street with lots of other kids though, mostly girls.  So there'll probably be a large collection of shotguns in the neighbourhood within the next 5-7 years though.   

[Darth_Deastron]

I hate this kind of stuff.  Because of this, my parents almost stopped me from going on forums.

[Vator]

As a general aside, we're currently passing legistlation here in SC to make Child Molestation a capital crime.

[Dressel Rebel]

As a general aside, we're currently passing legistlation here in SC to make Child Molestation a capital crime.

Good, it was long overdue.  Now if the creep doesn't die during the 30 years spent on death row on the tax payer's buck, you'll actually get to use it.

[name]

Well, this skit is about as funny as Myspace Pervs can get.

[Tracy]

We had a "brush" with a repeat child molestor last year.  We had contracted someone to add a sunroom addition onto our house.  The owner of the company came over, put his laptop on our kitchen table and proceeded to show us various plans and options on said laptop.  He commented on pictures of our then 3 year old little boy.  Fast forward 6 weeks and a large deposit later -- we had not seen hide nor hair of him.  We went to his office and it was locked down.  I did a Google search and found out he was arrested at Dulles Airport upon returning from the middle east.  He had been there selling and making videos of himself engaging in sex acts with minor boys and girls.  The laptop contained some of his best work.  His 2 year old son was on some of the videos sitting on the bed drinking his bottle while daddy was doing his thing with a 10 year old.  They were able to later identify some of the children in the vidoes as children of clients that he was building sunrooms for.   It still makes me sick to think that he did this and that he was in our home.  Worse still, I still have nightmares thinking that he could've been here everyday with my children.  I wouldn't have left them alone with him, but just the idea that he would have looked at them or had any sexual thoughts about them is making me nauseous, even now.  Before hiring him and his company I checked them out with the Better Business Bureau and the Secretary of State to see if there were any complaints.  The company checked out fine -- it never occured to me to check out the owner on a personal level.  I will from now on.