Rabbi calls for leniency for pedophiles

[grandmoon]

A senior rabbi believes the justice system should be more lenient towards pedophiles who have repented.

Pedophiles who are no longer abusing children should not have to spend their lives feeling like the "scum of the earth", Rabbi Yosef Feldman also told the royal commission into child sex abuse on Monday.

"I would be asking for more leniency on people who have shown that they haven't offended in the last 20 years or decades ago, and have psychological analyses that this is the case," Rabbi Feldman said.

"Once someone is not a pedophile any more or is showing (he) is not acting wrongly any more, that should be considered in a very strong way."

Rabbi Feldman said this would encourage other pedophiles to repent, and not act on their sexual urges towards children.

The more lenient approach would show "when you do the right thing, you won't get mistreated badly and it's not the end of the world ... then you are not treated like a pariah, like a scum of the earth".

[grandmoon]

He just doesn't get it does he.

[polksaladallie]

My answer would be to be lenient towards them only after their victims have stopped hurting. i.e. never.

[2106greencat]

The only way I would even tentatively accept a pedafile has truly repented is if they agreed to castration!!

And even then, the action can NOT be undone - I don't see why they should be allowed to see the light of day again, the innocents they abused certainly don't see any 'light' in what they were subjected to or what they most likely still suffer the repercussions of.

If this is a case of we should 'turn the other cheek', then  I would rather go the 'eye for an eye' route myself!

You destroy a childs life - you give yours in return.

Sorry, this, to me, is non negotiable.

[polksaladallie]

Castration won't stop them.  That is a myth.

[azureline**]

I agree with him............................. but it is like a fairy story isn't it? They don't repent, they don't think they did anything wrong.

[2106greencat]

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@polksaladallie wrote:

Castration won't stop them.  That is a myth.

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Agreed, but like I said, 'Never to see the light of day again' - the castration would just make me feel better (especially if there were no anesthetic involved)

[***super_nova***]

Once paedophile, always a paedophile.  I do feel sorry for those who do manage to get their feelings under control and not to offend anymore, but how do you prove it?  How can you prove that you did not do something? 

But i can see the rabbi's point, chasing them "out of town" the  moment community finds he moved there is not an answer.  They have to go somewhere, best option would be if people knew who he is, warn their children not to talk to him and then leave him alone. 

[2106greencat]

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@***super_nova*** wrote:

Once paedophile, always a paedophile.  I do feel sorry for those who do manage to get their feelings under control and not to offend anymore, but how do you prove it?  How can you prove that you did not do something? 

But i can see the rabbi's point, chasing them "out of town" the  moment community finds he moved there is not an answer.  They have to go somewhere, best option would be if people knew who he is, warn their children not to talk to him and then leave him alone. 

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They have to go somewhere,

That's the real problem isn't it ?

We wouldn't have to think of where to put them if they never GOT OUT of jail.

Which IMO (as we don't support the DP here) is the only fitting punishment for a crime of this magnitude.

[grandmoon]

Maybe they could reactivate the old refugee detention centre and put all the pedophiles in them.  

Just a thought.