Hi Rav Eidensohn,
I have been following your blog for some time and specifically the topics of molestation. Additionally, I have followed stories of molestation on other Jewish sites, as well as in mainstream media with the current stories about priests.
There are a few questions I have and it is a difficult ones but I want your experienced opinion based on the information you know.
It seems from what I have read that nobody really has a clue what to do with molesters and how to solve the molestation problem. Additionally, there is no real proof that a molester can be cured. From what I have read, it seems that the only way to keep children safe is to lock these people up for life, or castrate them.
These people have a sick desire. Just like normal heterosexuals desire the opposite sex, these people desire children. Can one become homosexual with therapy if they are heterosexual? Can a homosexual become a heterosexual with therapy? Extremely unlikely, if not flat out no correct?
However it is an urge that normal people can control. Normal people don't go raping the opposite sex.
However these predators, desire children and put their desire before the welfare of the child.
Do you think a molester can be healed with therapy to the point that you can say he is no longer a threat to kids?
How many years of therapy?
Should they be in seclusion during therapy? (Prison or a mental home...)
How can we be confident that these people are healed to truly ever allow them near a child?
These are difficult questions, however it troubles me that most molesters get a few years prison and once they are out they get right back to business. Prison doesn't change. Them or deter them. It just makes them more careful and sneaky.
Personally, I think they need to be kept from chiildren permanently which means a life sentence, or castrated. This may sound extreme but is it really? How can we justify 10 years in prison when all reseaech points to the molester being likely to repeat his offenses once he is out?
I just don't see how the system is properly dealing with this problem. These guys get a slap on the wrist for destroying multiple childrens lives.
What about monetary punishment? If large cash rewards were awarded to victims (I mean over $1,000,000) would that do anything as a deterrent?
Please let me know what you think about all of this.
Best regards,
Josh
Repeat pedophiles will not begin routinely to receive harsh punishments until ordinary citizens begin to believe that's what they deserve and expect such retribution to be imposed.
ReplyDeleteAs this blog has discussed on numberous occasions, a number of brave and forthright poskim have all but equated molestation with murder. If this mind frame spreads within the olam as a whole, we might begin to see greated support for ostracizing molesters.
If Boruch Lebovitz, rather than being a serial molester, had been convicted of being the Boro Park Ripper, or if Avraham Mondrowitz had been indicted for slipping cyanide into bochurim's drinks, and the whole olam knew these things had been going on, would the olam have closed ranks around them the way they did?
Dear Josh,
ReplyDeleteWhat if a potential molester/pedophile BEFORE he acts comes to a psychiatrist (or some sort of authority) and states that "I cannot control my sexual urge for children."
Should we lock him up for life even though he never yet acted on these urges? Your point that they cannot be cured would apply to him too.
That argument Aaron is like a raging person saying they cannot control their rage and desire to kill another human being. He is stating his desire and unless stopped, he will do as he pleases. Absolutely! Lock him up before we are dealing with the after affects of the molester/pedophiles desires.
ReplyDeleteHe is saying he will do it (can't control the urge). Do you want to give him the benefit of the doubt and risk the death of the potential of your child?