To the editor:
John T. Whitehead has been found guilty of aggravated indecent solicitation of a child. I think that is just a toned down way of describing what he really did, which is get sick sexual gratification from touching children.
Every day, it seems I am reading about some twisted pedophile raping, abusing, kidnapping and even killing innocent children. When, I wonder, will we as a people step up and demand justice? When will we stop treating such terrible crimes against children like petty theft? I am shaking my head in disbelief that the judge overseeing this case simply let this man walk away. Oh, wait, I guess he does have to attend some classes of some sort and will be registered in dome database somewhere. Sure, that will keep him from reoffending. Nonviolent drug offenders do more time in prison than men like John T. Whitehead.
We need, as a concerned people, to send these monsters a message of intolerance that is loud and clear. Setting them free only gives them license to continue preying upon our children. Locking them up is a waste of our tax dollars.
Seems to me that only leaves one other option. What could that be?
Erin Cottrell,
Lawrence
Comments
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merrill (anonymous) says…
Let's free the non-violent pot smokers to be sure there will be room for the folks who seem to lack control of what must seem quite violent to a child. Child molestors and rapists seem like they need to be seroiusly contained.
We all know women and children suffer indefinitely from rape . Non violent offenders are taking up valuable space.
Speakout (anonymous) says…
So merrill, if I get you right, we are going to let criminals out of prison because we have a more heinous criminal to punish? Pedophiles break the law and so do your non-violent pot smokers. One may be more horrendous that the other but they are both crimes. I say, lock them all up. Yes it costs us money but the system its self is based on wrong ideas.
Let the criminal work (inside the prison) making goods to be sold for a profit and then the profit will assist in paying for their food and shelter and making the payroll of those in the criminal justice system. Put the oness back on the criminal instead of letting him/her sit in the dayroom watching Operah every day.
mermily (anonymous) says…
"lock them all up" eh? it used to be a crime to marry a person of another race or drink alcohol. what is a crime is constantly changing. maybe we should revisit our list of crimes from time to time and make sure they are timely and educated....if locking every single person up that has committed what is technically a crime (in some states and in some countries) would result in a ridiculous percentage of our country in prison, maybe we should decide what is truly morally repugnant and deal with those rather than incarcerating those that engage in largely victimless crimes.
before i am misunderstood, i am not insinuating that the measure for re-evaluation of criminal activity is whether lts of people are doing it. i was merely suggesting that the nation-wide prevalence of a particular "criminal activity" be one element to investigate when deciding what we, as a society, decide is worthy of imprisonment. if i were proposing numbers alone made an activity acceptable or not, spousal abuse (embarrassingly common) and child molestation and rape (again, horrifyingly common) wouldn't be crimes. this isn't my suggestion!
merrill (anonymous) says…
Speakout and I obviously disagree. Law enforcement people I have spoken with would rather not have to deal with pot smokers for they are not affecting anybody else but themselves. Refined tobacco smoking is habit forming as well as a potential killer yet we allow folks to smoke it. So why not allow people 18 years and older to smoke pot or at least decriminalize.
If it becomes a choice between building more prisons vs. releasing non violent offenders my tax dollars will vote no on prisons. Apparently Speakout has more tax dollars than I.