Pubdate: Tue, 09 Aug 2005 Source: Monitor, The (McAllen, TX) Copyright: 2005 The Monitor Contact: http://www.themonitor.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1250 Author: Juan Ochoa WHY PEDOPHILES GET PROBATION To the editor: I would like to explain to Ms. Faith Wilkinson why pedophiles receive probation and not jail time for arguably the worst crimes that could be committed against society's most vulnerable, our children ("Why probation for pedophiles?" Aug. 4). The answer can be traced back to the root of all evil: money. With our prisons swelled to overflow with petty pot peddlers and our law enforcement resources drained fighting a losing war on drugs, there simply isn't enough money to prosecute and jail less lucrative offenders like pedophiles. I say "less lucrative offenders" because drug seizures inevitably lead to cash seizures - which are converted into funds that are funneled back into law enforcement budgets. But before we start pointing fingers at judges and law enforcement and ask them to "wake up and smell the blood," we must take a serious look at our own responsibility for this quagmire. Until we as a society shed the fear of speaking out against a drug policy that has proven to be ineffective, largely based on racism, and most importantly, a resource deterrent from far more heinous crimes like pedophilia, we cannot in all fairness place blame on judges and law enforcement. It just seems like common sense to note that something is drastically wrong in our society when we view reports of drug seizures daily, while it takes over six weeks to apprehend a man who bludgeoned a family to death and kidnapped a little girl for the sole purpose of having his own personal sex slave, who was hiding in plain sight visiting convenience stores and eating at the local Denny's. It is time for America to wake up and smell the refer madness and ask ourselves what is a bigger threat to our children's safety, pedophiles or pot? JUAN OCHOA Mission - --- MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFlorida)