From the Editor’s Desk
Sex offenders should be humiliated... and counseled
Chris Chatelain
The line between what is right and what is fair for both the victim and perpetrator of a crime can sometimes be very thin and vague.

Nowhere is this more true than perhaps in sex crimes, particularly because of the stigma and emotional distress the label can carry for the victim, but even more so the perpetrator.

While this is in no way meant as a defense for sexual misconduct of any kind, I believe that society and the criminal system should take a deeper look at the circumstances and the outcomes. I believe that when someone commits such an act, it should be treated not only as a crime, but also as a diseaseand a disease needs treatment.

While the public humiliation can be a very effective deterrent, it could also lead to an even more dangerous situation in creating an emotionally-damaged and socially-shunned individual who is more likely to become violent. In my home state, sex offenders are required to not only register online with a website (as is the case here in Florida), but they are also required to run a picture and announcement in the local newspaper and sometimes even walk door to door and introduce themselves as a sexual convicted offender to their neighbors.

That can provide an important social service in alerting the community of a potential threat, but it also ignores a social service to the offender. In many cases, therapy or other social services might get to the root of the cause and could help rehabilitate the individual rather than treating them like a dog and rubbing their nose in it.

As always, each case is different and circumstances vary, but I believe that counseling should be offered to each person convicted of a sexual crimeas well as the victim. Sure, it could become costly, but it just might be the measure that prevents yourself, your child or someone you know from becoming a victim, or could prevent the victim from becoming consumed by the issue and deviating from social norms. It could also redeem a person who just needs a little help to become a productive member of society.

We all bring something unique to the table, and to point fingers and drag names through the mud before attempting to discover the source of the problem could prove unwise and more damaging than the original act itself.