It is no secret that I am a believer in truth in sentencing for child sexual offenders: pedophiles, predators, perpetrators, abusers, rock spiders, kiddie fiddlers or short eyes. Call them what you will. They all belong to a club whose mission statement is to sexually abuse our children. It is also no secret that I err on the side of caution when it comes to long-term protection of children. I subscribe to the belief that a released child sexual offender will most likely recommit sexual crimes against children. I long for the day where program statistics will convince me otherwise. For now though, I think keep them in jail for the full length of their sentence and keep them away from children once they’re out.
Most convicted sexual offenders are now required to complete an offender’s course before being eligible for parole. Parole does not come up right at the end of their sentence. In different countries and states, parole eligibility occurs at different periods during a jail sentence. Certainly where I live, there is no truth in sentencing time yet. A convicted person serves approximately one third of their original sentence and must have completed their required tasks (sexual offenders program for those convicted of abusing children) and been of good behavior prior to parole board recommendation of conditional release. I must say though, Queensland sure is getting tough on sexual offenders now. Laws are changing, electronic monitoring for early release is being put in place, and tougher sentencing has been noted.
However, in The Easy Treatment of Pedophiles inside Queensland Prisons, Bernie Matthews, a now released convicted bank robber and escapee, names several Australian clergy, police and political figures found guilty and sentenced for sexual offences against children. He likens them to perfect prisoners because they excel in social and compliance skills. Therefore, they meet parole conditions and get early release. Don’t most sex offenders know how to charm and groom the people around them into thinking that the sneaky predator is a great person. The compliance shown in jail may well be an extension of their abusive behavior, an extension of the dynamic that makes them child offenders in the first place. Is prison positively reinforcing this dynamic and rewarding them with early release for displaying the sneakiness that aided their abuse of children?
In Regarding Responsibility, I attempted to highlight a shocking new trend in released child sexual offenders assisting those about to be sentenced in how to protect themselves and make their eventual release easier. For issues of confidentiality I journaled the information in a creative genre. The creative piece contains information that parents of children who have been sexually abused need to know about. The tricks and compliant behavior of sexual offenders is what makes sexual assault so hidden and recidivism so likely.
Are our children worth less than the rights of the person who has harmed them? I understand the arguments around not punishing a person twice, and the need for rehabilitation, but for goodness sake, statistics suggest recidivism of sexual offending even after successfully completing an offenders course in jail, so the longer the perpetrators are behind bars, the longer more children are safe.
Because I run the risk of being biased, I welcome your thoughts on sentencing child abusers. Perhaps I am too emotive about the situation because of my professional area of expertise in working with children affected. Perhaps I am overly cautious. I am not the mother of a child who has been sexually abused by a partner nor am I a sister, aunt, or cousin of a person who sexually abuses (to my knowledge – look out if I find out otherwise!). I do not have personal experience of what it’s like to send someone you love to jail. I just know that our kids remain at risk of sexual abuse and I am becoming more frustrated with the low judicial sentences often handed down. What do you think?