Topic: Sex offender applies for school -- as a 12-year-old

[Pugnate]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/01/19/sex.ruse.ap/index.html

I laughed at the headline, but it is disturbing.

[iPPi]

WTF.

[Quemaqua]

Stiffler and Robert James Snow, 43, "were very upset when the detectives told them they had been having a sexual relationship with a 29-year-old man and not a pre-teen boy," Quayle said.

WTF x2.  Fucking planet.

[Cobra951]

Firstly, I had to go read the story just to make sense out of the quote.  It's so bizarre that it did not compute, out of context.  Secondly, why did these people get jailed?  (I don't mean Rodreick)  Because they thought they were committing a sex crime?  Because they were duped into trying to enroll a 29-year-old in a middle school?  Because our society is so afraid of the subject that it's going to lynch anyone near it?   

[Quemaqua]

Intention to commit a crime?  I don't really know what legal reason their might be, but doesn't it seem logical to punish people who were more than willing to break the law?  Sure, they didn't, but considering the severity of what they were obviously hoping to do, I think they should be shot in the fucking face and buried.  I mean, give me a fucking break.  You're going to tell me that monsters who *would* have sex with a 12 year old don't deserve this?  And who's afraid of what subject?  Are people afraid of the sickening fact that degenerates prey on our children every day?  We damn well better be fucking scared.  I'm the friend of two rape victims, one of whom was a young girl at the time of her rape.  Don't you dare tell me these people are innocent, and don't you dare tell me rape (including statutory in many cases) doesn't screw people up.  And *please* don't tell me that a 12 year old has any capacity to make good sexual choices.

[idolminds]

Those other 2 dudes should be shot because they confused a 29 year old with a 12 year old. How fucking dumb do you have to be?

But I can see where Que and Cobra are coming from. On Cobras side..they didn't actually do anything wrong. Maybe it was just a (sick) fantasy of theirs that they believed in so much they really though he was that young. Either way...he wasnt that young so there was no crime. Thats like arresting a dude when his girlfriend dresses up as a catholic school girl or cheerleader.

On the other (Que) hand, if they had known all along that he was 29, would they have gone after a real 12 year old? The police apparently thinks so, and maybe they are correct. I think they should undergo a psych analysis to see if this was simply a fantasy gone too far or a real issue we should be concerned about.

[Quemaqua]

The comment I quoted indicated that the men actually believed he was 12, in which case I think they're as guilty as if they'd been raping a 12 year old simply because they thought they were.

[Pugnate]

While I agree with Que, I also agree with Cobra in that there is unfortunately no legal precedent to hold them.

[idolminds]

I dunno man...arresting people for what they think or believe is a dangerous area to be getting into.

[Quemaqua]

Of course it is, but these people still have horrendous problems that are plainly evident because of the circumstance.  And I highly doubt they'll be doing jail time.  They'll be getting some kind of psychiatric help, will be placed back on the streets, and then they'll go rape a child or two.  Just you wait.

[Pugnate]

You are right. So many times they show cases where the sex offender is considered treated, but goes about doing it again.

[Quemaqua]

There are many who believe these people are untreatable.  I don't know if I believe that or not, but I certainly don't believe any of the current methods have shown progress, and it's far too easy to just have these people go through the programs faking the whole thing and come out the other end as fucked as they were to begin with.  I think the sex offender registration thing needs to be much stricter, particularly where child rapists are concerned.

[Cobra951]

In another country, with different presumptions and freedoms, jailing these guys would be fine.  The problem is that here, you can't be convicted of thinking about a crime, or even showing a predisposition to commit a crime.  I'd definitely put these guys on some must-watch list at state & federal authorities.  But you must actually do something legally wrong for a criminal conviction.  It's not that I sympathize with them.  But we need to protect everyone's freedoms here, or we are all at risk of sinking into a police state.

[Quemaqua]

Agreed, but I don't think these people are going to be doing jail time, as I said.  Probably some kind of well-intentioned but entirely useless court-ordered psychological training.

[Pugnate]

Well the guy is now in jail because this was his second attempt. Apparently a few months ago he was enrolled at another school for two weeks as a 12 year old and fooled everyone with makeup and by shaving his body hair.

Again I laughed but WTF?