LAW ENFORCEMENT:

Sex offender act might not be worth its cost to Nevada

Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009 | 2 a.m.

New sex offender laws could rise out of limbo (10-8-2008)
State Supreme Court won’t rule on teen sex offender law (9-8-2008)
Young, but ‘predators’ for life (1-6-2008)
Wearing GPS, sex offenders light up map (10-8-2007)

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

The Adam Walsh Act

The Adam Walsh Act was an instant controversy in Nevada. As soon as state lawmakers adopted the federal sex offender legislation in 2007, lawyers drew up lawsuits that have kept it tied up in court to this day.

But all the debate between advocates and attorneys over whether the Walsh Act is legal or logical now seems for naught. In this economy, the real question is not whether the Walsh Act is constitutional, but whether it’s too expensive. By many calculations, it is.

Sex offender management boards in California and Colorado have recommended their states reject the Adam Walsh Act — which changes the way states track and monitor sex offenders — in part because of the crippling cost. Other states, including Florida, Iowa, Virginia and Texas, are also doing the math and finding that the federal standard seems more expensive to adopt than to ignore, no matter the penalty.

And there are penalties. States have until July 27 to become compliant with Walsh sex offender regulations or risk losing federal finding. In Nevada, meeting the deadline could safeguard hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But carrying out the provisions of the Walsh Act could cost millions. In a state where the budget is beyond tight, we don’t know what the Walsh Act would cost. While states around us scramble do to the math, nobody in Nevada is crunching the numbers. So with the deadline for compliance looming, no one knows whether Nevada going to spend millions to save thousands.

Part of the reason Nevada doesn’t know how much Walsh will cost may lie in the state’s speedy adoption of the federal act. Nevada is one of eight states that passed Walsh regulations after Congress approved them in 2006. The vast remainder of states instead chose to evaluate the Walsh Act, considering its constitutionality first and then its cost.

Concerns now coming to light in these states were barely discussed in Nevada. Instead, issues with Walsh are being worked out in Nevada courts as a result of those lawsuits levied against the act.

One was filed by the Clark County Public Defender’s Office on the grounds that Walsh unfairly affects juveniles and the other by the Nevada ACLU on the grounds that the law violates due process rights and protection from retroactive punishment. Until these cases are resolved, the state has been barred from enforcing Walsh.

And with the future of Nevada sex offender laws in limbo, government agencies aren’t using their calculators. Why compute the cost of a program that may never come to be?

Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, whose office introduced the Walsh Act to Nevada’s Legislature in 2007 and has been defending it in court ever since, said it’s up to the agencies that would be affected to figure out the costs. But representatives of these agencies said nobody is running numbers while the law is stalled in court.

To understand what kind of money Nevada might end up spending — if the law weathers court challenges — we can only look to the calculations of other states. In California, the Sex Offender Management Board came up with an initial assessment of $38 million. Missing the deadline, by comparison, would cost $210,000.

“This is an unfunded mandate,” the board’s chairwoman, Suzanne Brown-McBride said. “There are massive expectations of changes from federal legislation but really no attempt to significantly fund it.”

This complaint has come up before, most notably when the National Conference of State Legislators released a statement last year objecting to elements of the Walsh Act and complaining that it was “crafted without state input or consideration.”

California, though, has a much higher population of sex offenders than Nevada. So perhaps a more apt comparison for Nevada is Virginia, where officials figured it would cost $12.4 million to carry out the Walsh regulations, or $400,000 not to. Or consider Florida: about $3.2 million for Walsh, versus a $2.1 million to $2.8 million penalty for missing the deadline, if not rejecting the sex offender legislation outright. Each state used its own formula, and each came up with the same answer: It would cost more to adopt than to ignore.

So why is the Walsh Act so expensive? Because it would drastically change the way states manage sex offenders. The risk of each to re-offend has to be reconsidered and reclassified. Nevada sex offenders are classified by tiers — the higher the tier, the higher the risk to re-offend. The higher the risk, the closer a sex offender is supposed to be monitored by parole and probation officials. The closer the monitoring, the greater the cost to taxpayers.

Tier is determined by a psychological evaluation of the offender, an assessment of his crime, history and mind. Walsh would replace this system with a tier calculation based solely on the nature of the crime. This new system would turn many sex offenders who have been deemed low-risk into high-risk offenders overnight. Estimates vary, but Clark County parole and probation officials have said the number of Tier 3 offenders, those posing the highest risk, could jump from fewer than 200 to more than 2,000.

There are other provisions in the act, all designed to create a national, uniform system of monitoring and tracking sex offenders. Proponents of the law say it allows for more protection of children from molesters. Critics say the provisions are aren’t just or effective. But both sides of the debate, it appears, can agree Walsh will cost money.

Even John Walsh, the host of America’s Most Wanted, after whose abducted son the law is named, told The New York Times the price tag has become a problem. Walsh, the Times reported, “suggested Congress postpone the compliance deadline. Mr. Walsh said the many obstacles — most recently the recession, which has made it tough for some states to pay for the law’s provisions — need more time to be worked out.”

Not a single state — including the eight that adopted Walsh regulations — has been deemed “compliant” with the law. And noncompliance means a reduction in funding once the deadline passes.

So how much does Nevada stand to lose? It’s another question that nobody, frankly, has an answer for. When the Walsh Act was passed, the penalty for missing the deadline was 10 percent of a federal grant called the Byrne/JAG fund. In 2007, Nevada got about $2.9 million in Byrne funding. In 2008, that number was cut to just over $1.14 million.

On Thursday, the latest draft of the federal stimulus package included $2 billion for Byrne grants nationwide, which meant Nevada could be awarded an estimated $4 million to $8 million in Byrne money, according to Michelle Hamilton, chief of Nevada’s Office of Criminal Justice Assistance. This would mean Nevada risks from $400,000 to $800,000 for failing to adopt Walsh in time — a bigger carrot to chase, but maybe not big enough.

Nevada Corrections Department Director Howard Skolnik told the Associated Press in 2008 he would need at least $500,000 in emergency federal funding to comply with just one element of the Walsh Act: getting DNA samples from every incarcerated sex offender before release from prison.

The Justice Policy Institute calculated that putting the Walsh Act into place would cost Nevada more than $4 million.

But there are myriad additional costs that cannot be estimated. Because the Walsh Act comes with stiffer penalties for sex offenders, a Florida study of Walsh costs noted that “there may be an impact on the court system and county jails. There may be more trials and less pleas ... there may be an increase in failure-to-register cases.”

And then there is the cost Nevada has paid, not to adopt Walsh, but to defend it.

Cortez Masto’s office has spent months fighting Walsh challenges in court. The Clark County Public Defender has spent months fighting Cortez Masto. No matter who wins, the state has spent considerable amounts just arguing over it. This does not include the case filed by the Nevada ACLU, or the fact that the civil liberties organization won $145,000 in attorney fees from the state last month.

Cortez Masto’s office has been working with the ACLU and other stakeholders to introduce legislation changing certain elements of the Walsh Act during the 2009 legislative session. But this effort to appease all sides presents its own problems. Any changes made to the law probably won’t satisfy the Justice Department, whose understanding of Walsh compliance appears to be nothing short of strict, absolute adoption of the federal act as written.

States still working out the complications of Walsh can file for two one-year deadline extensions. Cortez Masto said her office was planning to request a one-year extension, though a representative of the Justice Department said Friday it had not received the extension application. Extra time to work on Walsh should prevent Nevada from being immediately penalized, though it doesn’t resolve the central question, which is how much it would cost to adopt Walsh, and whether it’s worth the price.

Walsh could be complicated and costly enough to prompt politicians in the states where the act has not yet been voted on to simply decide they aren’t interested. And if this happens, the entire purpose of the Walsh Act, which was to create a national, unified system for dealing with sex offenders in every state, could be undermined — leaving Nevada, as an early adopter, with its hands tied.

Discussion: 45 comments so far…

By rejco100

2/15/09 at 7:45 a.m.

Suggest removal

All that money being spent to keep these offenders homeless, jobless, and drive them insane; and not one child will be safe from anything. Just more money making the Powers-that-Be richer!
By LasVegasLawyerGal

2/15/09 at 8:30 a.m.

Suggest removal

Well done, Ms. Goldman! Another great article. The main problem with laws such as the Walsh Act is their retroactive nature--i.e., Congress or the Legislature can decide in 2009 that (for example) "all convicted sex offenders must walk on their hands from now on" and simultaneously *apply* that provision to all persons convicted prior to the law's enactment date. Aside from the unfavorable reward vs cost calculation outcomes, because lawyers can't assure their clients that an offense which is sex-related (and currently non registrable) won't become registerable in the future, it's difficult to resolve cases, particularly those involving juvenile offenders and victims==which places additional strain on the courts.
By KillerB

2/15/09 at 12:11 p.m.

Suggest removal

Good article, good comments.

"Proponents of the law say it allows for more protection of children from molesters." Right, the proponents are playing the Kiddie Kard, the usual knee-jerk propaganda reaction.

Factor into the "child molesters" group 18 year old boys who had consensual sex with their 17 year old girlfriends. This category would include last year's Oregon case of the convicted and registered sex offender who was saved only by the grand jury foreman who read the local news and noticed this was a kid they had refused to indict. Somehow the judge, the prosecutors, even his own attorney failed to notice that inconvenient fact.

Or the 13 year old Oregon boys who were on their way to becoming registered sex offenders for swatting girls' butts in school hallways. Only a very public outcry backed that DA off.

I've worked with a couple of registered sex offenders. One was the victim of a false (independently investigated and documented) accusation, another was the victim of a piece of crap lawyer who literally abandoned him at the courtroom door because he couldn't hand over a check for new fees. This was before trial, and the bigger piece of crap judge allowed the trial to proceed.

Then there's Congress passing literally thousands of criminal laws it has no authority to pass, like this one. Most crimes are strictly state matters, like this one should be. A good place to start on this point is the book "Go Directly to Jail: The Criminalization of Almost Everything" http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_...

What I see from this is a lot of lawyers being kept busy. If this state's AG's office would stop at the threshold points the ACLU is claiming -- like due process (it's in your oaths, stupid!) -- that would be near the end of the matter. Instead this AG is keeping her office busy making a mountain out of this molehill and justifying her budget from the new legislature. Which is pretty much what it's all about for this AG.
By Justadadathome

2/15/09 at 1:05 p.m.

Suggest removal

PRISON NATION

America is fast becoming a 2 kinds of people nation.

The Rich and Politically Connected
and
The working Sheeple.

The rich Ruling Class have all power, the money to purchase justice.. the poor, cannot afford decent lawyers and the expense of going to court.. so they plea bargain, cop out to a charge... even if they are innocent due to threats of Long Term Prison and YOU CAN'T Win attitude of their Public Defender / Idiots who they are given.

Many of these people who are charged only see their court appointed lawyer for a few minutes before trial...
And then, not even in a private room.

Watch the video 2 kinds of Justice on

http://www.youtube.com/cfcamerica

Citizens for Change, America

http://www.cfcamerica.org

The Adam Walsh Act, which is now S.O.R.N.A, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is no more than Federally Sanctioned Banishment of a New Class of People, those they label Sex Offender... Just like the did to the Indians, the Blacks, the Jews... and so on...

The act is a complete fit for the violation of Article 1, Section 9 of the United States Constitution...No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed.

You all will see, if you are not effected by these violations of the constitution, you will see... Everyone's rights are being diminished by closed door policy making.

Injustice Anywhere is a threat to Justice Everywhere... Martin Luther King Jr.
By FapFap

2/15/09 at 1:18 p.m.

Suggest removal

This law is a total waste of time money and resources. The recidivism rate is negligible compared to the cost and implementation.
By LVMike

2/15/09 at 2:32 p.m.

Suggest removal

I had sex with an underage girl when I was 22. I didn't know it at the time, because she had run away from a juvenile detention facility. It was consensual and she had been with more partners in the 6 prior months than I had been with in my entire life.It is the kind of thing that makes you sick and ashamed of yourself, but that the system lumps 'dumb old boys' and 'dirty old men' together isn't right either. I am happily married now and a productive member of society. I have always been in compliance with every new law that gets passed, but when will it end? Until the Supreme Court made a decision last year, I have always said I will 'literally' bet my life that I will never re-offend; if I did, you can kill me, or put me in prison forever. But these new laws aren't just hurtful to my family, they are dangerous to yours! If you want to identify the most dangerous of offenders, I understand, but when you increase the number of people to watch by over 1000%, it make people more fearful and politically manageable, but makes the chances of knowing who the dangerous few really are much less. I would still love to be able to take any battery of tests, at my own expense, to show that I have no violent, predatory, or underage sexual urges; but the government wants a 'cookie-cutter system' where everyone is lumped together and doesn't want to acknowledge that sex offenders can be people who made a mistake instead of incurable predators. The overall rate of re-offense is 2nd lowest only to people convicted of murder; I can speak for no one but myself, but please start punishing people for their acts and stop making retroactive laws to everyone in a sub-class everytime someone commits a heinous crime. There are laws on the books to punish crimes, there should be no place in our society for expost-facto laws that continue to punish people in the name of safety--especially because these types of laws have proven to be costly and ineffective.
By KillerB

2/15/09 at 3:03 p.m.

Suggest removal

LVMike -- nothing like hearing it straight from an "offender."

Consensual sex with a teenage girl in the situation you described is anything but a crime, and you have nothing to apologize for. Unfortunately we live in a police state that seems to classify ALL of us as either convicted or waiting to be caught and convicted.

Let's put this whole thing in perspective. One of my great-great grandfathers was 41 when he married a 16 year old. Up until the first half of the last century the common law applied, which gave the age of consent (to marry) for a girl to be 12. In most of the world, under the law of Islam for example, a girl can marry at whatever age her menses begins, which can be at 9 years old.

The point -- what has changed besides the stupid cookie-cutter approach you described? It's clear the age 18 law is only a tool for overzealous prosecutors to continue to rack up their scores for convictions. And just about all most public defenders are useful for is to hold your hand while the state has its way with you.
By azsk8fan

2/15/09 at 4:57 p.m.

Suggest removal

OMG - you can't possibly think becomes some ISLAM (why am I not surprised) law says a girl can marry as young as 9 (given the 'right' circumstances, menses ya know) you can't honestly believe that's ok can you? Maybe having sex with an under-age girl is wrong because while she may be consenting she may be too young to fully comprehend the consequences of her actions. There's a reason why 16 yr old girls/boy can't vote or drink - same should hold true for sex. It doesn't surprise me that some males think it's ok just because the girl says so when the male is clearly old enough to 'know better'.
By chippersql

2/15/09 at 5:21 p.m.

Suggest removal

Who does Masto think she is... Eliot Ness. She and the clowns over at the ACLU have no idea of what this is going to cost the State of Nevada. She is clueless and not the smartest person in the world if you ever listen to her. A person of her intelligence should be working the tables at one of the buffets. Think money lady and where is it going to come from.
By LVMike

2/15/09 at 8:19 p.m.

Suggest removal

KillerB.,
You misunderstand me. There is something wrong with underage kids having sex, and many times more wrong when it is with an adult. I'm not defending my mistake, I'm just saying that I will not repeat it. As a matter of precedent, I am glad that I was arrested and convicted, because if the door was flung open making sex with teens legal and socially acceptable, it would only further hurt children, especially as they get older and realize that they may have had thier innocence manipulated out of them. I'm not saying this is the case across the board, as obviously our culture is putting the pressure of sex, idolization of sl#tty celebrities, and more revealing clothing; however society does owe a duty to provide repercussions on those who participated in sex acts with them. The only point I want to make people understand is that, in America, when someone serves their sentence, they shouldn't be continually punished, especially when most new legislation is based off of more contemporary issues. My wife and I were forced from our home in Iowa after a court upheld a 2,000 foot law retroactively to the date it was originally passed--we bought our house when it was struck down. Punish me if I ever commit another crime--to the fullest extent of the law; pass harsher laws for repeat offenders, but quit presuming that one incident justifies a life of caliedoscopic punishments and 'public safety initiatives.' Let me know what I can do to prove I am not a threat, or what I can do to help rectify my image, but PLEASE stop changing the rules to affect me and my family when I have committed no further crime. To say that I am a danger to anyone, much less children, is a lie that keeps no one safer, and, surely adding so many new offenders to the public eye will have a negative effect on our already damaged home values, and doesn't mean that re-offense is even likely. And when vigilante vandals start coming in the neighborhood (and believe me--they do), you are even less safe than you were before--I know I am.
By Justadadathome

2/15/09 at 9:14 p.m.

Suggest removal

OMG
OMG

I forgot to thank the author of the article.

Great Article Mrs. Goldman.

Thank you for what you do.
By KillerB

2/15/09 at 9:20 p.m.

Suggest removal

LVMike -- You weren't misunderstood. I'm just looking at a much broader picture than you are. These kinds of prosecutions rarely distinguish between the "victim" being 17 or 7. To them it's all just sex with a "child."

Best wishes for your future.
By starrynite7

2/15/09 at 10:54 p.m.

Suggest removal

I can't believe that the victims of these horrific crimes are not even considered!! A 41 year old pervert marries a 16 year old child, that makes me want to puk! Child molesters and sex offenders ALWAYS rape or molest again, and again. They can not be CURED!

One in three women is raped or molested in her lifetime and the fact that everyone is discussing these crimes like they are "no big deal" has never been a young girl and had a man's hands all over her innocent (UNDERAGE) young body. I am sure they don't wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat Ten or 20 years later, remembering how gross it felt when a sick freak touched her as a child.

ONE IN THREE women is raped or molested in her lifetime..doesn't that mean anything to the men of this country? Why aren't you outraged that your wives, mothers, sisters are being RAPED against their will by disgusting, sick freaks!

These child molester will continue to prey on UNDERAGE girls. They can only get it up when they are attacking a young, innocent girl, and these are the scum you wish to not have registered as a "Sex Offender" I wish they would just castrate the sick, F***s They will never stop hunting women down in the dark, on the streets, wherever women are left unprotected.

Money is also an issue for women that have been raped or molested. Women have to get some kind of treatment in order to recover from the assault.They spend years recovering from the assault, many kill themselves because they can't handle the nightmares of the molester or rapist's hands all over them. Anywhere or anytime they can have flashbacks to the night they were raped or molested. So, women spend thousands of dollars on therapy, and medication to deal with the trauma that being violated them. Not the sick freaks that hurt them, oh no. They get out of prison and come to NEVADA where they can roam free and molest our sons daughters and destroy our youth.

I have no mercy for any sex offender, child molester or rapist. They can NOT be cured.
By KillerB

2/15/09 at 11:41 p.m.

Suggest removal

"One in three women is raped or molested in her lifetime ..." That is a complete fabrication. The source is the infamous Princeton Study, where a poll asked the respondents if they had ever felt uncomfortable in a sexual situation. The feminista study compilers wrote that up as rape/molest, all the time ignoring a large percentage of those who said yes to the question maintained their relationships with their "rapists/molesters."

You just keep getting your factoids from those bumper stickers and slogans without a thought for the real facts, starrynite7. History and nature is what it is without your approval, thank the gods.

"Ignorance is Strength." http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/...
By starrynite7

2/16/09 at 12:51 a.m.

Suggest removal

Killer: So you don't think that women are raped or molested by sick, disgusting perverts that should be locked away from society forever? I have been raped and I know many, many women that have been raped or molested. I don't get my facts from bumper stickers, I see and talk to women everyday that have been violated by some mentally disturbed man that has no place around human beings, let alone women and children. You are so ignorant! You just don't want to admit that these monsters stalk women and young girls. I believe that all sex-offenders and child molesters should exterminated and then we would be safe! And the NATURE of sex offenders is to uhh RAPE and torture women and children. The nature of the beast is to stalk, hunt and rape women and children. I don't care what study your talking about, my facts are based on reality, the reality of what rape and molestation do the women of this country!
By Fccfirstclass

2/16/09 at 4:59 a.m.

Suggest removal

Great article and comments. There are so many different answers to questions that I could think about.

The posters should make their views known to lawmakers at the state level. That is the only way to change/ammend existing or pending laws. Thanks to all of you for a very weighty subject.
By johnevegas

2/16/09 at 6:26 a.m.

Suggest removal

"One in three women is raped or molested in her lifetime ..."

Only if they are in the U.S. Military, with the U.S. Navy being closer to one in two, or half.
By opinion101

2/16/09 at 10:32 a.m.

Suggest removal

John Walsh with national coverage will make all the States look like fools if they don't back up this Act. Many the Mob museum will loan the State money for protecting our Children from sexual predators. Or Harry's 9 billon dollar train from no where.
By KillerB

2/16/09 at 1:19 p.m.

Suggest removal

starrynite7 -- No.
By Lamplighter

2/16/09 at 2:06 p.m.

Suggest removal

starrynite7...the pain within you is pouring out all through your writing. Let me try to help you. Here are a few questions for you to answer TO YOURSELF, not for public awareness or consumption.
At whatever age you were molested, have you since gone on to have mutually gratifying sex? Or, have you stayed abstinent all your life, with that ball of hatred globbed into your brain?
I'm not a psychologist, but I have worked with victims of all sorts, not necessesarily sexual in nature, and I am well aquainted with grief.
What I am about to recommend to you WORKS!
Pray for the healing of your memories!
Unless those memories are healed, you will re-live the past and painfully influence today and tomorrow's judgements.
It is only through this God-ordained healing that you will ever be able to read the stories such as that from LVMike, and understand that a one time error in their past does not make them a "monster" forever.
I believe that the overbroad definition of "sex-offender" will no longer create the image in your mind which presently dominates your emotional response. You will find it much easier to say, "Forgive them Father, they know not what they do", and you will find yourself applying that same prayer to yourself.
This is the path to a more loving and peaceful life than you are living now.
PRAY AND GO IN PEACE.
By LVMike

2/16/09 at 3:27 p.m.

Suggest removal

"Distrust those in whom the impulse to punish is strong"-Nietzsche
"The most terrible sins are the ones we have not committed"-unknown
There is something ironic about the fact that we are giving American due process rights to foreigh terror suspects while taking them away from any American ever convicted of a crime that was sexual in nature. This is the one subject that both parties agree on and vote for unanimously. It is the same people who want teenagers tried and sentenced as adults that make them out to be innocent victims in situations like this. The real tragedies of these laws are cases like the high school kids convicted and registered as sex offenders for slapping someone on the butt. Are we starting to realize that these laws are going to far, or do we have a way to go yet?
By starrynite7

2/16/09 at 4:17 p.m.

Suggest removal

Lamplighter: Beg to differ, "Forgive them Father, they know not what they do", and you will find yourself applying that same prayer to yourself.

They know exactly what they are doing as they sit in cars across the streets from elementary schools scoping out innocent children to become their next victims.
As potential victims of these criminals we have a right to know if they live by us so we can move. I don't know a single person that wants to live by or work with a sex offender.

We have the right to try and protect our children from sex offenders. That is what good parents do and they don't live next door to child molesters.

We want these predators to live away from schools, malls and parks so that children are safe from them. As we can see from Adam Walsh, children are not safe as long as sex predators are free to roam society.

Anyone that has children or a conscience will agree that we are better off knowing who they are so we can protect ourselves from them.

They know what they are doing at all times. Many child molesters stalk children and rapists certainly target women they can prey on and not get caught.
Here are some stats for ya: In the United States, someone is the victim of a sexual assault crime every two minutes. In 2006, over a quarter million rapes and sexual assault crimes were reported in the Untied States alone. According to worldwide rape statistics, one in three women will be the victim of a rape or sexual assault during their lifetime. http://www.cliffsidemalibu.com/blog/?p=7...
More importantly:
Will Rape Again?: USA and worldwide rape statistics show rapists being more likely to commit other violent crimes upon release from prison. In the United States 46 percent of rapists will be re-arrested for another violent crime within three years of their release. Even more troubling, women who are raped are seven times more likely to be sexually assaulted again.
This is why we want to know where they live:
United States rape statistics show that 15 percent of sexual assault victims are under the age of 12. Yearly, over 90,000 children in the USA are sexually abused. Among younger victims the incidence of rape is committed by a family member is five times higher than for other sexual assault victims. Men and young boys make up almost ten percent of all sexual assault victims and are the most likely to remain silent.
By starrynite7

2/16/09 at 4:26 p.m.

Suggest removal

Here are some more stats for you the people in the house that think sex offenders will not rape again.
FACT: Only 57% of rapes involve only one assailant. 16% involve 2 rapists and 27% involve 3 or more rapists. Most rapists rape again and again and again until they are caught.

More:FACT: Rape is probably one of the most underreported crimes. Responses collected from the National Women's Study show that 84% of rape victims NEVER reported the crime at all (CDC Fact Sheet, 2/2000).

Are women safe?: FACT: Rape is a criminal act of violence, using sex as a weapon. It is a life threatening experience. While sexual attraction may be influential, power, control, and anger are the primary motives. Since most convicted rapists are married (30%) or have available sexual partners, rape is not primarily a sexual experience. Studies show that 50% of rapes are planned, not impulsive. This supports the view that rape is learned behavior and does not arise from biological need. Gratification comes from gaining power and control and discharging anger. This gratification is only temporary, so the rapist seeks another victim.
Pat Walker Health Center -- University of Arkansas -- 525 North Garland -- Fayetteville, AR 72701
The people that need forgiveness are the ones that turn a blind-eye to the truth about sex-offenders.
By starrynite7

2/16/09 at 4:34 p.m.

Suggest removal

Let us not forget the child molesters:

Child Molester Statistics

"The serial killer has the same personality characteristics as the sex offender against children"
-Dr. Mace Knapp, Nevada State Prison Psychologist.

"There are 400,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, and an estimated 80 to 100,000 of them are missing. They're supposed to be registered, but we don't know where they are and we don't know where they're living.
- Ernie Allen, President of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Childrento co-anchor Hannah Storm on The Early Show
Characterstics of Child Victims
U. S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics has combined a study of characteristics among those child victims of convicted sex offenders and child molesters. These statistics are based on the reports of offenders in the Survey of Inmates of State Correctional Facilities, and include the following:

* Three out of four children who were victimized were female.
* One-third of the covicted offenders had committed a crime against their own child.
* About half of the convicted offenders had a relationship with the child, either through friends or family.
* Only one out of seven inmates reported that their child victim was a stranger.
* Four out of ten child victims suffered forcible rape or another injury from child molesters.
This why we are not safe:
Child Molester Statistics
According to the U. S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, there were 9,700 convicted sex offenders who were released in one year alone.

* Nearly 4,300 of the 9,700 were labeled child molesters.
* Of the 4,300 child molesters that were released in that one year, 3.3% were rearrested for another sex crime against a child within three years of their release.
* A Bureau of Justice Statistics survey shows that the victims of approximately 70% of the convicted sex offenders were children.
* In almost half of the the child molestation cases, the child was the convicted sex offender's son, daughter, or relative.
* The average sentence given to the 4,300 child molesters was approximately seven years, with three of seven years typically being served.
By starrynite7

2/16/09 at 4:47 p.m.

Suggest removal

One time mistake? PLEASE!
Reoccurrence of Sex Crimes Among Convicted Sex Offenders
According to the U. S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, 5% of convicted sex offenders were re-arrested for another sex offense within three years of their release from confinement.

Consider the following statistics:

* Within three years of their release, 5.3% of national sex offenders were rearrested for another sex crime. When including all other crimes, the percentage of sex offenders that were rearrested is estimated at 43%.
* While convicted sex offenders were not as likely as non-sex offenders to be rearrested for any crime, they were about four times more likely than non-sex offenders to be arrested for a sexual offense.
* Those convicted sex offenders who had the highest rate of rearrest of another sex crime typically had a criminal record of arrests for various crimes.
* Of those released sex offenders who were accused of another sex crime, 40% were arrested for the new offense with a year after their release.

Many child molesters know their victims. Some stalk their victims, observing their habits as they walk to and from school. They often try to buy houses near schools or parks.

Pedophiles have a strong, almost irresistible, desire to have sex with children. The average pedophile molests 260 victims during their lifetime. Over 90% of convicted pedophiles are arrested again for the same offense after their release from prison.

The best protection is to help your children learn to resist unwanted advances and to learn about threats in your neighborhood.

- http://www.sex-offenders.us/child.molest...

More than 1/2 of all convicted sex offenders are sent back to prison within a year. Within 2 years, 77.9% are back.
- California Department of Corrections

Recidivism rates range from 18-45%. The more violent the crime the more likelihood of repeating.
- Studies by the state of Washington

3 in 10 child victimizers reported that they had committed their crimes against multiple victims: they were more likely than those who victimized adults to have had multiple victims.
- BJS Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991

Like rape, child molestation is one of the most underreported crimes: only 1-10% are ever disclosed.
- FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin

The behavior is highly repetitive, to the point of compulsion, rather than resulting from a lack of judgment.
- Dr. Ann Burges, Dr. Nicholas Groth, et al. in a study of imprisoned offenders

Not so innocent, now are they?
I am angry because we are the women and children of this nation and we deserve to be safe.
Nevada needs to care about the victims of these horrific crimes. Stop forgiving and forgetting and start taking action.

Send the message that sex offenders are not welcome in Nevada, because Nevada values women and children. We are your sisters, mothers, daughters and we are treasures that deserve to live in safe place.
By LVMike

2/16/09 at 4:58 p.m.

Suggest removal

Based on the numbers above, you can also extrapolate the following statistics:
-the majority of sex offenders were not child molesters.
-Of the child molesters, 96.7% did not re-offend in their re-introduction to society.
-Most victims were family members, so the community notification was irrelevant.
In addition, 95% of sex crimes are committed by people who are not yet on the registry, so it provides a false sense of confidence in who to trust.
I have always maintained that I can understand, not condone, but understand how someone could be motivated to commit almost any crime; the exceptions being child molestation and rape--these are 2 crimes that have no justifiable motive AT ALL. However, while the label of sex offender conjures up only rapists and child molester, these are only a fraction of the group of people affected by these laws. I don't think we should 'coddle' sex offenders, but I don't think we should destroy the Constitution to give us the false presumption that we are 'safer' by enacting more laws that don't accomplish what they are intended to do: actually keep anyone safer. We can't make pre-emptive strikes on liberty, we can only make the punishments harsher for when criminals AT SENTENCING, not after.
By lehout85

2/16/09 at 5:56 p.m.

Suggest removal

Hello,

For those of you who have mixed feelings or who have been victims of a sexual crime, I mean not to mock you, only to inform you. Please listen.

I am engaged to a "Sexual Predator." He was convicted on three separate accounts. He was 21 at the time and worked with a 15 year old girl at a restaurant. You see, my fiance was "the shy type." He was always the kid picked last on the baseball team, never really dated, late developer, yada yada. So, this girl at work starts flirting with him and he decides to go out with her on a date. They go back to his dad's place (yes he stilled lived with his father) and ended up making out and having a rather short episode of intercourse. Then, the girl decided to brag about it to one of her friends in high school. The girl's friend told the guidance counselor and then she was in the hot seat with her father. Oh, but then the perfect solution popped into her head. So she just lied and said she was raped to avoid the fire. Well guess what? Before you know it my fiance gets escorted out of his house by police a few days later. (He was playing his PlayStation when the police knocked on the door). As I said before, he was convicted on three accounts of "inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor." Why? Because he kissed her (strike one), he touched her below the waist with his hands (strike two), and he touched her below the waist with his "member" (strike three)! Well, that got him 8 years in prison. That means he spent ever one of his birthdays from 22-29 behind bars.
Now, he is 32 and I am 25 (we met in college) and we are trying to make a life for ourselves. My fiance is no threat to society. However, we are both subjected to the endless unconstitutional laws that all of these organizations keep trying to pass. Every 4 months, we go to register at the county office. And to top it all off, my fiance's face is plastered on the top of the list of offenders on the internet for all of the world to see. Next to his picture in big red letters is "SEXUAL PREDATOR." Isn't that nice?

The truth is, starrynite7, that there are always going to be people out there who want to hurt someone. No new law or rule can stop that. The laws that we do pass only affect those who are already WILLING to obey them. Like my fiance who registers on time every four months and has to tell the county where he lives, what college classes he is taking, where he works, all of his email addresses...etc, these people who OBEY the rules are the ones who are hurt by these ridiculous laws. The ones who are set on breaking the law will always find a way to do it--no matter what.

Personally, I think we should invest more money into parenting courses for young adults and sex education for minors to PREVENT things like rape from happening. Good luck to those of you who are suffering unfairly like me and my fiance.
By KillerB

2/16/09 at 6:17 p.m.

Suggest removal

Correction: Not the Princeton Study as I quoted above, it was the controversial Koss Study (with Ms. magazine in the mid 80s). It's been a long time since I looked into that issue.

It appears the source of the "1 in 3 women will raped in their lifetime" claim has no actual origin but the imaginations of the disseminators who just made studies fit their messages. This has been debunked by two excellent books, Warren Farrell's "The Myth of Male Power" and Dr. Christina Hoff Sommers' "Who Stole Feminism? How Women Have Betrayed Women"

That Ms./Koss study, by the way, defined sexual victimization as yielding to sex play, not intercourse. And it originally claimed 1 in 4, not 1 in 3.

Truth is a scarce commodity when emotions run high.

Looking at the momentum starrynite7 is building here, I hope I'm not the only one noticing this is how false accusations of this sort are built. Some would call it hysteria.

I question and challenge her (if indeed the comments are made by a her) claims. Being a public forum for opinions is one thing, which includes the occasional rants and venting. Promoting this kind of hate against men as a class is quite another.

Doesn't take much of a leap to see the danger when this kind of attitude infects actual prosecutions.
By starrynite7

2/16/09 at 8:35 p.m.

Suggest removal

Killer: Why are you so focused on the NUMBER of women that are raped in this country? Isn't it horrible if even ONE woman is raped or one child is molested. The numbers don't matter, the women and children matter.
The ones whose lives are turned upside down by a rape. The small innocent children that are victimized at the hand of an adult.
I do not hate men by any stretch of the imagination, in fact I love men. The kind of men that value women and children. The kind of men that won't tolerate a society where women are raped walking to the store. The kind of man that values children's right to grow up without being touched by an adult in ways that will haunt them forever.
I love men who cherish women and want them to be safe and NOT raped and murdered. I love men that stand up for women in court when they are raped and have to testify what the scumbag did to them in graphic detail, while strangers listen and judge.
Men are fabulous and most men do NOT rape women or go and hunt down children to violate. Most men are caring, kind, and fun to be around because they respect women and don't want to see ANY women get raped or violated.

Killer don't focus so much on the numbers.
The point is that WOMen get raped, violated, sodimized and tortured by men.
They cry and go home and stay in the shower for hours trying to get the smell of the rapist off their bruised bodies.
The children go home and cry themselves to sleep and wonder what they did to bring this horrible demon upon them.

Children always blame themselves when things happen that they can not understand. What child can comprehend being molested. The very adults they admire and look up to turn around and hurt them in places that are scared.

They grow up and feel like victims for years. Many get counseling and move forward, but you never get "over" it, you just keep trying to forget.

Is that any way for our children to grow up? Have you no mercy for the children? They can not defend themselves against the predators that is our job. The adults, the wonderful men that love women and children enough to stand up and fight for our rights!
By angie

2/16/09 at 8:49 p.m.

Suggest removal

starrynite7

I feel sorry for you....

I was raped at 17 by my boyfriend and growing up from age 12 to 18 my stepfather was always trying to touch me. Anyway, I am married, 3 childrend and very happy. I am NOT a victim and will not put that label on myself. I have moved on and you should also. DI do not hate anyone not even my stepfather nor my exboyfriend. I am more scared of you than a sex offender.

I take care of my children as should every other parent out there. You can not lump every single sex offender into the same category because there are different kinds. DO NOT hate people for a label and know the circumstances. Do NOT treat children as victims because that will only weaken them, help them move on and be strong.

These laws do nothing for prevention of sexual abuse...Let's pass laws the prevent!
By KillerB

2/16/09 at 9:04 p.m.

Suggest removal

starrynite7 -- You're the one who brought up the "numbers" not me. I took the time and trouble to disprove you.

You're the one who went on the attack spewing all you put here, some of personal. You were shot down. Learn from it, wise up. Or not. It's all the same to me.
By starrynite7

2/17/09 at 6:25 a.m.

Suggest removal

I would encourage everyone to google: Sexual Preditor statistics on the web for more information. I believe the facts speak for themselves. I would also encourage all parents to go the police station and ask to see what sexual predators live in their neighborhood. It is free to the public at the Police station. I would also Google: Child molestor statistics and Rapist stats. I believe it is our responsiblity to keep our children safe from preditors. Children are only victims AFTER the have been molested or raped. We must create an atmosphere where they are safe BEFORE they are harmed.
Killer: I do not value one word you have to say and you can defend and try to justify child molesters all you want because it is a free country. Makes no difference to me either way.
By angie

2/17/09 at 9:29 a.m.

Suggest removal

Please.....

That is why stupid laws are passed because we must protect the children! Yes, let's protect them by preventing! Nevada does a risk assessment which seems far better than lumping everyone into the same category. If yesterday my neighbor is a low risk sex offender and tomorrow he is a high risk because of the change in the law how is that going to PROTECT the children? One day you wake up and you find that there are 5 sex offenders near you, how does that help? You keep doing the same thing you have always done to keep your children safe.

Please, don't use emotion and use your brains...

Locking them up forever and banishing them is not going to help because that will create an atmosphere for them to recidivate. Most of these crimes are committed by someone they know such as a friend or family member. Since these laws have been passed, has it lowered the rate of abuse?

Don't use those scare tactics of "let's protect our children" because I don't buy it. I protect my children and don't need laws or notification of any sort.

There are those that do need to locked up forever, but don't assume everyone on the registry is a pervert.
By tnguesman

2/17/09 at noon

Suggest removal

Why are these laws discussed in the first place? The vast amount of sexual offenders in our community should never be released into society once arrested. These criminals should not get a second chance; although, we would then have to let non-violent drug offenders out of jail, to make room for all the rapists; sounds like a solution to me.
By starrynite7

2/17/09 at 10 p.m.

Suggest removal

I agree with you tnguesman. Finally, a voice of reason. Here is a good book for people to read about the subject: Predators: Pedophiles, Rapists, and Other Sex Offenders : Who They Are, How They Operate, and How We Can Protect Ourselves and Our Children
Amazon List Price: $16.95
Used from: $9.56
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (based on 38 reviews)
Angie: I would not live next to ANYONE on the pervert list. They were put on that list for a valid reason, to protect society!
By LVMike

2/17/09 at 10:23 p.m.

Suggest removal

I wonder what you think of people who commit an act that kills and permanently injures far more children than sex offenses: DUI's. Does every single person who gets behind the wheel, once in their life, drunk mean that this is what they want to do and think of ways to do it every day of their lives, or do you think that maybe some people have done it, realized that they made a mistake and never do it again? Or should we change the laws 10 years later and take the drivers' licenses away from anyone ever convicted of one to keep our streets safer?
By LVMike

2/17/09 at 10:37 p.m.

Suggest removal

In the horrible occurance that a drunk driver kills someone, we don't label them serial killers, because we know that there's a diffence. StarryNite7, I think that even if you got your wish and every teenage boy who has consensual sex with his girlfriend, public urinator, rapist, and pedophile was castrated and killed, you still wouldn't be able to find peace within yourself. If people on this list are committing a 2nd offense, they should be locked up forever; then we wouldn't have over-board laws retroactively punishing people who are NOT going to reoffend while they go to prison where they belong.
By starrynite7

2/18/09 at 6:01 a.m.

Suggest removal

What about the children they molest or rape the first time? So, they don't matter to you? Are they "throw away" children? What about the 10 month-old baby that was raped? Does that baby not count because it was the perverts first offense? Do you ever think about how the child's life is impaired after being molested at the hands of an adult that knowingly hurts a child? I am not talking about the teen boys, I am talking about grown men that stalk young children. They only get 5 years in prison, if that and then they are free to hunt, and molest more innocent children. How many children are you willing to have molested before you say,"enough is enough, we are mad as hell and we are not going to take it anymore!"

By the way, I was angry when I stated that "child molesters should be castarated and killed."

I have the right to be angry about this situation. I do not want their blood on my hands.However, this madness needs to stop!

The prisons are filled and money is running out, give me another solution that is a compromise, and I will gladly listen.

I do not think letting child molesters hurt children ( babies and small children ) again and again, and then putting them in prison is the solution.

We don't let people kill over and over before we put them in prison.

Have you ever thought about how many children are molested and raped that don't report the crime?

Many parents don't want to subject their children to lengthy trials after they have been assaulted.

Many more women don't want to prosecute because their lives are already torn apart (literally and figuratively) and after being raped they are not mentally able to withstand a humilating trial.

The teen-age boys that have sex are NOT the issue, and they are a very small percent that are prosecuted as child molesters. Go and look at a three-year old and tell me that you are willing to let her be raped again and again so that a real child molester can have a SECOND chance to rape another child and then go to prison.

Find a small, twelve year old girl and let her know that you are ok with her being the first one to be violated before you take real action to protect her from walking home from school and being abducted and raped.

Go to a park and watch the children play and tell me that you are fine with the mother being raped in front of her children, begging for her life to be spared and then get back to me.

If you can sleep at night after watching the women and children that are future victims, then fine. Let the child molesters and rapist roam free.

Maybe we should have"Bring your local child molester to school day" or maybe rape survivors could make blankets for rapist in order to praise them for their behavior and positive impact on society?
By LVMike

2/18/09 at 8:57 p.m.

Suggest removal

No! I think that sexually violent acts and child molestation are the most disgusting crimes imaginable. I am twice as mortified as most people when these crimes happen, I share the horror that everyone else feels, but I also fear what kind of retroactive legal backlash will be demanded in its wake. I would prefer sentences for child molesters and rapists be longer; mainly because they are not long enough as it is, but it would also diminish the need for all these subsequent laws that don't accomplish what they were intended to do while burning up the budget. It seems far more appropriate and cost effective to incarcerate the most dangerous, monitor the most dangerous in society, and provide treatment to victims instead of labelling a lot of people who are not high risk offenders as being so, and then being suprised that the actual predators aren't being monitored-absolutism isn't a practical solution. All offenders are not the same, and neither are the injuries of the victims: I am terribly sorry for what you have suffered, and I have the deepest sorrow for children that are raped and molested--no one should ever have to experience that once, and no one should be able to do this to someone twice.
By LVMike

2/18/09 at 8:58 p.m.

Suggest removal

If the law paid more attention to factors like violence, consent, nature of the crime, and prior convictions, then sentences would be more appropriate. In Nevada right now, a man named Chester Stiles is going to trial for videotaping himself raping a girl so young she is practically a baby, and I hope he rots in prison until he burns in hell; sentence him to life, and he won't do it again. Sentence him to 10 years, and then we all have to worry. Let him out after 10 years, we all have to worry, the fear then causes an outcry for more laws on everyone ever convicted of a sex crime, and then (because this is a violation of due process), lawyers come to defend the rights of the most extreme offenders; which causes even more of a backlash (all of which costs the state money), and we're worse off than when we started. The solution to all of this: sentence like you mean it so you don't have to go overboard with unconstitutional measures after the fact. This is where the outcry should be: that the most vile offenders aren't put away longer to begin with. And my offer still stands: if I were ever to commit a sex crime again, you can kill me or put me away for life--it's not going to happen. There is also the fact that there are some teenage girls that could fill a prison by themselves; they are not victimized the way that you speak of. I think the impact that an offender has on a victim should count for something, as it applies to punishment and leniency, but it doesn't in our one-size-fits-all sex offender system. There may be different tiers, but the laws are applied across the board. The fact is: if you can't hate a sex offender, there's something wrong with you. I am a sex offender, and still, I'm not the image that is conjured even in my own head when I hear the word. If I defend sex offenders, as is the case with many who do, it is because these subsequent laws are retroactive and punitive. We say it's for public safety, but we know it's because we want to see them suffer in perpetuity. THe law should be practical, but above emotion; however, the law is made by politicians who can't risk having flyers come out in their upcoming elections if they don't take the hardest stance against sex offenders--I was told so by a prominent Iowa politician when I handed him a 200 signature petition on my behalf attempting to have my right to vote restored. But as we all know, we'd rather keep a hundred low risk offenders dangling on a hook rather than let one chester stiles get loose; ironically, the more low-risk offenders we gum up the works with, the more likely it is that the high-risk offenders will be able to do just that.
By waitinforhim

2/18/09 at 9:38 p.m.

Suggest removal

starrynite7
You seem to have some real issues. Have you seeked counseling? You have so much anger inside of you it seems. Let me just start by saying when I was 14 years old, I was raped by my boyfriend at the time. I tried to kill myself and was put into a mental hospital. So I understand the anger you have expressed. But, let me ask you something, have you ever in your entire life said something or did something that you should not have done? You are a parent, I gather, have you ever done anything to hurt your child physically or mentally? Do you have skeletons in your own closet? I'm not asking you to answer out loud, just think about it. Would you want someone to label you as a child abuser because you disiplined your child? Would you want someone to label you because you got drunk once and did or said something wrong and hurt someone? God wants us to forgive. You have so much bitterness inside of you that just eats away at your existence. You need help, look to God or a psychiatrist or both. Also there are many people that have to register as a sex offender that never even committed a crime. Maybe they had a choice to either take a plea for something small and have to register or go to trial and let 12 strangers decide their fate. All it would take is one juror, like yourself, that is biased and unrational and they could spend the rest of their life in prison. As for the people (YES THEY ARE PEOPLE TOO) that have committed a crime, they should be given a chance at life too. When we are convicted and sentenced and return to society, we have paid our debt. It should not be held against us any longer. Repeat offenders should have to do more time, but we all make mistakes. If we make one mistake should we have to pay with the rest of our lives? I'm sure you are thinking right now that I am a sex offender, well i'm not, but I am a convicted felon. I did my time and have changed my life. I know that I will never commit another crime again. People can and DO change. Are you the same person you were 10 years ago? I seriously doubt it. We grow, learn from our mistakes, and mature. Don't categorize all sex offenders or all convicted felons, etc. into one category. That is just a form of stereotyping. And that makes for a bitter, horrible society. I heard that our new President is going to try to help convicted felons. He believes also that once you pay your debt to society, you should be given certain liberties back too. I couldn't agree more with him. My suggestion is to get help. Find God. ~God Bless~
By starrynite7

2/19/09 at 8:05 p.m.

Suggest removal

Thank you LVMIKE. Your posts have helped me in more ways than one. I thought about what you posted and reread your posts. Sometimes anger can fuel us to be better people, but eventually it can stop being effective. For example, my anger at being raped by 4 guys one night, many years ago, has fueled me to go to school and receive my B.A. in English and my Masters in English. I really do NOT walk around angry and bitter all the time. Just when I read articles that hit a nerve about rapists etc. I do not hate men, nor do I spend all of my time plotting my revenge. I am addicted to STarbucks lattes and I do love my job! My children are the best part of my life. I am NOT a perfect mother nor am I a perfect person. (But I do wish I would win the lottery) Forgiveness is something I need to work on and the person I really need to work on forgiving is myself. I am mostly mad at me for being vulnerable and in the wrong place and the wrong time. Maybe if I can forgive myself, then I will be able to forgive the four guys that jumped me. Thanks again, LVMIKE your are very brave to come forward and speak so honestly after all the horrible things I said.
I appreciate your words, "I am terribly sorry for what you have suffered, and I have the deepest sorrow for children that are raped and molested--no one should ever have to experience that once, and no one should be able to do this to someone twice.
Your sorrow that I have suffered is much more healing to me than someone telling me to find GOD and get over it. I will continue to work on my forgiveness and healing. Thank you for helping me.
By LVMike

2/20/09 at 3 p.m.

Suggest removal

Thank you! You don't know how much it means to me to hear you talk of understanding and forgiveness. You need to forgive yourself; we often try to make sense out of tragedy, and the only thing we are able to do to fill in the gaps is blaming ourselves. You can't blame yourself for what happenned to you; you can't be the 'x' factor of an act of sadistic episode that has no justification. I have had a lot of time to think about these situations from many angles: even when girls sleep with many men, it is often because they were abused and don't value themselves or their bodies in a healthy way because of what they have gone through. You went through an episode of pure hell, and you have had to deal with more internal torment than I'd like to imagine. I understand why you have the views that you do, but I really think more fear is part of the problem and not of the solution. Walk confidently through life with the worst behind you; in the same way that a car could jump a curb and hit you walking down the street, overcoming the past fear is more constructive than asking for guard rails be put on every sidewalk.
By LVMike

2/20/09 at 3:23 p.m.

Suggest removal

You are more than a victim--you are a survivor! Please forgive yourself; you, I, and everyone else who has read your posts can see you have suffered enough. You will tear yourself apart and have health problems if it continues to be such a factor in your outlook. I'm glad that you have an otherwise normal life, and I understand why this issue enrages you. If you need another reason to make you forgive yourself and find the light at the end of the tunnel, consider this:
A man is walking down the street and falls into a hole. He screams for help, but no one hears him. Finally, a doctor comes to the cries for help, and he writes a prescription that flutters down to the man, but he is still stuck. Then, a preacher comes by and drops down a prayer that the man can say, but he is still in the depths of the hole. Finally, a stranger walking by hears him calling, and jumps down into the hole with him. "Why did you do that? Now we're both stuck," the man says. The stranger looks at him and says, "Because I've been here before...and I know the way out."
YOu have a great amount of power to make a difference. There are many women out there who are suffering from being raped, and many don't know how to cope and move on. Don't give up on forgiving yourself, because you need to find a way out of the abyss; if you can't do it for yourself, consider doing it for the sake of others. You are uniquely qualified to show others the way out when you do. You can do much more to help people overcoming their victimization than in making sure that offenders continue to pay. Quit letting them win by making you live in fear. Tell youself "NEVER AGAIN!" and continue to do great things like you have done in raising a family and going to school. Look at all you have done, and imagine all you can do, and I know you can push aside any blame you may have for yourself and replace it with the pride of all that you have become. And never forget you are more of a survivor than a victim! Thank you for listening to me and opening my mind with your story and ability to have faith in me despite my label.

« Previous Ten Next Ten »

Live chat: Tuesday, noon PST; Chat with Krista Creelman; Problem Gambling Center executive director Krista Creelman will answer questions about gambling addiction from Las Vegas Sun readers from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. ... Submit question