Friday, January 20, 2006

'Monster' on the Block / ABC News, 19 Jan 2006

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1522571
"A 42-year-old convicted child molester was about to be released from Atascadero State Mental Hospital, where 500 of California's most high-risk sex offenders are forced to live. He was sent there eight years ago, after he violated parole. He had previously served six years in prison. Even he said he understands the community's fears. "I understand people say, 'Oh, the monsters,'" he said. "There's no way I could sit here and say that it's wrong, the community's wrong. I understand they don't want me out there. Why take the chance? Leave him in."
The question is: What are we, as a society, to do with convicted child molesters who have served their prison terms?" [Case study]