I'm more annoyed that all he got was house arrest and not actual jail time. Kansas,

And if it is only house arrest, then who cares what's on his car since he cant go anywhere.

I like the idea. Sick man. He deserves it.

it's only for five years, right? live with it. What he did was obviously not just a misunderstanding, since he did it twice! so yeah, I'd say he deserves it. and he actually got off easy, rather than go to prison.

Okay, that's the best sign they could make? Looks like a home made roadside attraction.

I don't have sympathy for the devil. How can he complain and say it is "Pure Hell"? He has to live with it for a few years. Those children will have to live with the damage done for the rest of their lives.

I am for rehabilitation of anyone who has posed a threat to themselves or others - no one can move forward when you bring up the horrible past.

What he did is deplorable. So he needs help. Not lifelong scrutiny.

Right?

The modern day Scarlet Letter? What he did was obviously wrong & he should be punished, I just don't think this is the way to do it. He should go to prison. How is a sign going to stop him from snatching up another child?

"I am for rehabilitation of anyone who has posed a threat to themselves or others - no one can move forward when you bring up the horrible past."

People have the right to know if someone is living among their children who pose a GREAT threat.

I want to know if there is a child molester living beside my family. Seriously, I'm with Cine on this - the kids will suffer for the rest of their lives. "Lifelong scrutiny" is more than justified for these animals.

And I would like to add, he should be in prison to begin with.

Just for provocation sake I'm going to put an idea on the table. Could pedophilia be just another form of sexuality like heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, transsexual etc.? Could it be that these people are unfortunately wired a certain way that they really can not help themselves?

In no way am I excusing the act of pedophilia. Our children are precious and innocent. I only wish we were as diligent in protecting them from perverted information as we are from dirty old men.

What do you think? Hypnotic minds want to know.

I think it is a definite positive to alert others in the community that a sex offender does live there -- you wouldn't want your children playing in the street outside his house. The problem, however, comes with how other citizens react -- yes, he deserves punishment, but are people going out of their way to cause damage to his property because of this? I can envision a lot of people slashing tires on a car or throwing paint on a house, things like that, because of a sign that a sex offender lives there. While he absolutely deserves punishment, letting the neighbors go loose on him (should this be the case) by branding even his car with signs probably isn't the correct way to go about it.

"Could it be that these people are unfortunately wired a certain way that they really can not help themselves?" - There is a distinct possibility of this (not saying yes or no positively either way, but it is a possibility), but there is a major difference in that pedophilia preys on those that are too young to be in the situation.

It would be similar to saying that some people are "wired" for raping other people. So, even if one were "wired" that way, it takes on a victim.

I know that there are organizations out there that think that pedophilia is ok or normal. But when the target of your sexuality/SICKNESS is an innocent child, regardless of if you are wired that way, its wrong. Just plain wrong. And criminal. And sick. And perverted. And they should lock up people like that and throw away the key.

I gotta go with cine_lover on this one.

Too bad sicko, child molesters never change. They should all be locked up forever.

Well said piper. My main issue with the defense that some people are just wired that way is that it doesn't take into account the victim, particularly in this issue where the victim is a young child who will have to live with what happened the rest of their life.

In Ohio there is already a law that requires all convicted sex offenders to register and there is an online database that is easy to search to find out if convicted sex offenders live near you. In a lot of places, local groups (and I think some local governments, but don't quote me on that one) let you know when a convicted sex offender moves in to your neighborhood. I know it's different, but it's still similar and I think it's a great idea, not so we can vilify these people, but because people need to protect their children.

are there three F's in Offender?

I say tattoo the MF right in the middle of the forehead, because believe me the scars left behind on those children are for life....

I agree w/ Cine, Piper, M3, and Dbtabm. And Hypnotic I personally don't think they are "wired" to be molesters. That's just a lame excuse. These people can stop the urge they just don't want to.

We have the same thing here in FL lilkimbo. I can go online on my county's database and search where sex offenders live near me.

"I am for rehabilitation of anyone who has posed a threat to themselves or others - no one can move forward when you bring up the horrible past."

The problem with that idea is that pedophilia is a compulsive disorder, like alcoholism or drug abuse. If an alcoholic relapses, typically (but by no means in all cases) the only person they hurt is themselves. When a pedophile relapses, they scar another human being for life 100% of the time. Also, most people who abuse children were abused themselves as children. In cases like these, I agree with extremely harsh punishments, not because I think the pedophile can be reformed, but because it is of the utmost importance to protect more children from being harmed.

hypnotic, if they are "wired" that way, then there is no rehabilitation, thus they should be locked up for life. Since we cannot do such a thing (although I wish we could), then the community has the right to know that the person is "wired" to destroy your childs soul.

shopaholichunny- I don't think it is entirely fair to assume pedophiles can turn off their sexual urges for children and just dont feel like it (I think if they could stop themselves from feeling that way and avoid hurting children and suffering the consequences, they could). There is the possibility that it is hardwired and they cannot change how they feel. I am not excusing their behavior at all- hardwired or if they just dont feel like stopping themselves from feeling that way, EVERYONE should be able to control themselves from acting on illegal urges, whatever they may be.

In terms of this man's sentence, I am all for his neighbors and community being alerted to his presence in this way. Though I don't think it is a good idea due to the fact that his neighbors may take violent action towards him-it is the court's job to punish offenders, not the public's. So I am split on this issue.
I defintiely think he should have gone to jail for this.

oops. correction:
*(I think if they could stop themselves from feeling that way and avoid hurting children and suffering the consequences, they **WOULD**)*

Oh boy I find that everyone is attaching presumptions to my question. I should probably clarify a little. Taking the question posed in no other way does anything else change. Victims are still victims, pedophilia is still an illegal act and should be punished.

As for them being able to stop their urges or not I think is a point that is going to have to be left up to mystery and opinion.

I as a homosexual man can not stop my attraction towards men. I can certainly choose to ignore it as so many people do. Get married have kids only to get a divorce twenty years later and come out of the closet.

I'll ad also that I do think any repeat offenders should be chemically castrated just for piece of mind.

hypnoticmix-I do beleive that pedophilia is hardwired in and cannot be changed, but can be ignored or controlled-therefore there is a possibility therapy may be helpful in assisting pedophiles in learning to control or ignore their urges because they are wrong.

I'm not trying to excuse pedophiles at all-like you said, victims are still victims and pedophilia should be punished.

Chemical castration-does that just make someone infertile? Or does it completely supress all sexual urges? If it supresses all sexual urges I am definitely for this as a form as punishment, even for a first time offender (if the circumstances are right-obv not the right punishment for a 19 year old for having sex with his 17 year old girlfriend)

Aw, poor baby. After what he did to those two innocent children he has a sign he has to hang on his car, and his cozy little house? See, now THAT'S a crime.

Give me a break. I don't care about pedophilia being hardwired, he got off easily and is whining because everyone knows what he did. Honestly, in a town of 150 people, who DOESN'T know anyway?
In my opinion, anyone who acts out in such a way should be punished, and cruelly and unusually, in this cirumstance, would be preferred.
Or, perhaps he SHOULD go into jail, have everyone know he's a sex offender, and see what happens to him while he's in there with other burly prisoners, because above anyone else, sex offenders are the most harrassed in prison.

Hi Jessie M, I'm not sure if chemical castration prevents sexual urge but it does prevent any other function for the penis other than urination. Maybe something to Wickpedia or Google.

hypnotic - as for your earlier post, I do think that in some cases pedophilia is wired, but not as a natural born thing like homosexuality or heterosexuality or bisexuality.

The vast majorities of pedophiles have been molested at some point themselves, and I think it warps something in their mind for the rest of their lives. No, I don't think it's an excuse for their crimes, HOWEVER.....

I do believe that they should be rehabilitated, not put under public scrutiny for the rest of their lives. By god, put them in jail where they belong so they can get help for what they've done. Putting them in a cooshy little house, but then putting signs around so that neighbors will threaten, scream at, and abuse them does not help that they are already mentally unstable. It will simply make them even more insane. That's not going to help matters.

One of the things that infuriates me about my country is we provide stricter, less lenient sentences for people busted with marijuana than child molesters.

Give the pot heads house arrest, keep the pedophiles in jail.

I also wanted to note I completely agree with pedophiles having to be publicly registered, however, I believe the signs are extreme. But as I said, I think he should be serving his time to begin with. Then, once he's let out, make him publicly register, but what they're doing now isn't helping at all.

Also....repeat offenders....I don't think chemical castration will do it, hypnotic. They still have hands and mouths I say life in prison. That is one crime that shouldn't have a three strikes law, it should have two.

I think you have to be pretty sick to harm a child in any way. Sick mentally I mean. And Hypnotic, with no presumptions on my part I think you posed a a legitimate question. I'm hardwired to want to see pedophiles suffer in the worst way possible.

WELL put Sylvana Joyce!

In many ways the punishment fits the crime. Children who are victims of pedophilia are embarrassed. I know because my best-friend was molested when we were in elementary school, and that's how she felt. When she did therapy and research years later, she told that embarrassment is a common feeling for victims. Putting signs around your home saying that you molested a child is embarrassing. Whats done to the victims is far worst. I do agree that child molesters need therapy or some kind of help, but these signs to me fit the crime.

Creative indeed. Do I feel sorry for him, NO. He should be forced to have his forehead tattooed with the words "PEDOPHILE" and I still wouldn't feel an ounce of sympathy for him. More importantly, why was the case dismissed?

Good for the judge for ordering this.

I seriously question the idea of pedophiles being helped by therapy. How many cases have we all seen of a pedophile being convicted of a crime, sent to jail, supposedly 'rehabilitated' and released only to hurt another child?

Glad people are putting a face with the crime. I remember a guy who killed a teenager due to drunk driving. The judge sentenced him to write a letter on the anniversary of the death to the parents each year to let them know how he felt and how sorry he was. He said it healed him of his guilt. I don't know if that is true but I think sometimes you gotta do something besides being locked up in jail unless you are someone's bitc^ and usually you are once they find out what you did to a kid. Maybe he may liked to be raped in the a** over and over again for some years. Sorry for my rant. I was thinking, stream of thought.

hynoticmix-i think the biggest difference would be that two homosexual people choose to have sesual encounters, children are moslested against their will. Yes some people may be wired to only ge pleasure from children but it definitly does not make it right. It takes two.

personally i think he should be dropped into a well and left to rott. I do not feel that someone that can take the innocence of children will ever make any kind of meaningful contribution to society and therefore should cease to exist. I know if I was those childrens' parents, the man would not be alive and I would gracefully take the punishment whatever it be deemed. A life for a life.

oh it's been pure hell for you? what about the children you molested you b@$tard!