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 
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MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFlorida)