Judge Who Told Accused Sex Offender to Write to His 13-Year-Old Victim Wasn't Totally Wrong

dinsdag 24 september 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Ericka Sóuter 2 hours ago

Judge Shari Michels caused quite a controversy recently by telling a cop accused of sexting and groping a 13-year-old girl that he could write a letter to his victim. Sounds crazy, right. Understandably, people freaked out. How could this officer of the court encourage and allow such a thing? But as horrific as it sounds, Judge Michels is not totally off her rocker.

At the hearing for former New York City police officer Modesto Alamo after his arrest for forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a minor, Judge Michels seemed to take pity on the man. Though she ordered him to stay away from the young girl, she also said, "If you feel that there is a need for communication, write it down, put it in the envelope, and put a date on it, and in the future, if you want to give them that information, you can do that then."

Not surprisingly, her words have enraged the girl's family and I am sure countless others. But while this judge may not be best equipped to provide counseling or therapy to this alleged criminal, her actions do highlight an important issue that is often ignored. Sexual predators have an illness and they need to be helped in addition to being punished. Why help him, you may ask? Because one day he will be back on the street.

If they do not learn how to deal with their illegal sexual proclivities, they are doomed to repeat them. I have no idea what the best approach is to helping someone with this problem. Michels also ordered him to have a psychological evaluation and get treatment after he reportedly talked of suicide. I imagine different sex offenders may need different things to eradicate or suppress those despicable urges. But I am 100 percent sure that they need some kind of intervention beyond just being locked up.

With all the furor her advice has caused, Judge Michels has since issued an apology through a spokesman. She regrets what her decision may have made the victim feel and did not intend to offend anyone. I buy that. The important thing to remember is that she was trying to make sure Alamo found a way to deal with his demons and not become a repeat offender. Can we really blame her for that?

What do you think of Judge Michel's advice to this defendant? Do you think sexual predators should get counseling?

Image via Hey Paul Stuidos/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ericka Sóuter

is a veteran pop culture and celeb news writer. That experience boils down to two things: she knows way too much about the Kardashians and she dominates on Trivial Pursuit's arts and entertainment questions.

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Sex Offender Tells Neighbors Not to Worry About Him

zondag 22 september 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Kiri Blakeley 4 hours ago

A dozen years ago, 48-year-old Carl Peterson was sentenced to four years in jail for raping his 14-year-old niece. Recently, he stood up before the community he now lives in with his wife and 14-year-old daughter to tell them he's no threat to them. "'I'm the level 3 sex offender all of you have been talking about," he told the gathering of about 100 people at the Belmont, Massachusetts high school auditorium. "It seems as though the big reason why we are here tonight is me."

Carl explained to the community that he has been seeing a therapist for eight years, and is certain he will never recommit that crime. According to the Belmont Patch, he told them:

The problem is all you know, all you get to know about my problem is what you read ... which says I'm the most dangerous and the most likely to reoffend of all sex offenders. It also says my offense was the rape against a child. What's important is that I'm not the victim. I'm a sex offender and I committed a crime and I did spend four years in prison for.

Some in the audience yelled at him, while others shushed those and said it was important to hear what he had to say. Peterson went on to say that his crimes were not against "pre-school children" or "many children" but a girl he knew. And he promised: "At this point, I know that it will never happen again." He then offered to speak to anyone who wanted to approach him.

We can despise this man's crime, but I think it's admirable for him to stand up and announce himself in front of his community. Many didn't even know him, and yet he just made himself a target in the hopes of allaying people's fears. But he also planted a seed a trust, which may bloom. Isn't it better to know the people in our community we may have doubts and fears about, rather than let our imaginations get the better of us?

What this man did a dozen years ago was inexcusable. What he did now was brave.

Forgiveness is something we must practice, if people are showing themselves worthy of it. So far, he is.

Could you forgive this man living in your community? What do you think about what he did?

Image via Belmont Police

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