Morote 1

Gabriel Morote

Sister Merrell

FDENG 101-D1

06 June 2017

Do Pedophiles Deserve The Death Penalty?

Introduction

The death penalty around the world has being used as a mechanism of justice

and sign of great punishment on crimes which are considerate extremely severe. In this

context, it involves the culture, and believes on the society to be the moral

mechanisms to resolve or put an end to criminal behaviors, such as pedophilia.

Sometimes, the actions of these aggressors, become so harmful, unnatural, and

extremely severe, that having a moral solution with a few years in prison could not be

appreciated as a real solution to the damage, but also for the social context in which

we live. The actual codes of conduct reveal that the values people are constantly

changing with a double moral. How can be giving a permanent solution to protect the

lives of the children? What are the codes of conduct that we choose to follow? How do

we measure what is right and what is wrong if the punishment is not a clear statement

of justice to those who are abused or molested by this criminals?

The Bible reveals one of the hardest moments of discipline in Israels people,

when the Mosaic Law sets a religious standard, even for some cultures, as it states

eye-for-eye, which means that religion and our personal beliefs, will directly affect

our objective decision about a so serious determination on someones life, especially if

they are accused of being a pedophile, and morality can become a personal
 Morote 2

interpretation of what is right or wrong. Dr. Palmer D. Edwards says, "The principles

of the Ten Commandments are at the very heart of any legal system based on justice.

[U.S. President] Woodrow Wilson said that the laws of Moses... contributed

suggestions and impulse to the men and institutions which were to prepare the modern

world 1

Defined by Philip Jensen, Pedophile is a man sexually attracted to children

under the age of puberty, which is a clear statement of what actions a man who

molests a young boy or girl can be capable of?

One of the most relevant and modern public accusations of child abuse was on

the pop singer Michael Jackson. This was a dark chapter in Michael Jacksons career

and image, without proven guilty; it generated controversy and created extreme a

passionate position on what is the right punishment for those who assault a child. This

generated also great exposure of the victims, who would be judge as well as true

victims, or false extortionists, and last but not least, the social consequences on their

future. Others considered these accusations extortion Michael Jackson, just because of

his behavior.

Can we be more rational than emotional on child molesters actions? Is a

question a father would probably have a hard time to analyze and respond! The world

is seeking for justice, and there are true evidence of the damage these children suffer

after they are victims of pedophiles who are a source of money for human traffic

organizations, professional hackers, and catfish profiles on social webs. How can

this equation of justice be balanced and useful to deterrence child molesters? Is the

death penalty the way right way to finish this crimes in the world or would it increase

it?
 Morote 3

The death penalty has being necessary in some cases, against the will of the

people, but has brought consequences to the community in which it is approved. So

many times the situation or condition, in which we live, can emphasize the motivation

to suggest or protest for a hard punishment. In many parts of the world, the common

denominator of these attacks are the lack of control, and excess of confidence in most

cases with relatives who get the chance to abuse their children, and sometimes get

away with a minimum sentence. How can we serve justice in a childs future when its

aggressor will come out free in a few years? Or when the rehabilitation process

sometimes does not guarantee a complete process or even a relapse?

As we become a more technological society looking for fast and quick

solutions, the way we analyze important things, the values we practice daily, the

modern life style that surround us, and the legal context on laws to punish sexual

offenders, affects our perspective of the real theme. This involves not only the

possibility of an aggressor or child molester close to our children, but how much are

we involved and interact with our children, our school students, and how we manage

to alert them about the dangers on the web, more than just seek for a physical

punishment, but the resources society has to prevent and protect our children from

pedophiles.

Finally, we will describe how important if the family relationships as a way to

protect, and in worst case scenario, alert our justice about any danger our children are

suffering, when the child has the courage to report an aggression. This can perhaps

become the reason why justice must search for an appropriate solution and punishment

for those who are pedophiles.

 Morote 4

Identifying the pedophilia and the death penalty problem.

In recent studies, the data shows clearly that child abuse, especially sexual

abuse, is an increasing statistics, that involves not only many violation of the human

rights of these children, but the sense of governmental divorce of the daily situation in

which their children are confronted. Lets point out that sexual abuse is one of many

forms of violence, and there are only 16 countries in the world that prohibit corporal

punishment against children, meaning many countries whose laws do not protect

children from many ways of violence. Nevertheless, the governments will do their best

to protect children after a criminal abuse, its actual solutions do assault their

innocence, and then more children are abused by the system, taking them to foster

parents, abusive tutors, separation of their nuclear family, and making the solution

even harder to the abused child. This is a key to understand situations in which the

government will have an abused child, abandon the program/non-government

organizations, and sometimes going back to the aggressor.

In the case of Patrick Kennedy, v. State of Louisiana, it is very clear that the

position of the aggressor was to demonstrate the damage it is made to the victim, is

greater when the aggressor is sentenced to the capital punishment. This is a very

specific case, in which the State of Louisiana had very clear laws about child rape

cases.

This also sets a different point of view on the risk to violate the Eight

Amendment, meaning that the punishment overpasses the criminal actions. According

to this consequence for pedophiles, and any child molester, is considered as a cruel

and unusual punishment to the offender makes no measurable contribution to the

victim.
 Morote 5

They also consider that death penalty, adds the risk of non-reporting victim

environment, becoming a long suffering environment for the child. Because most of

pedophiles are close to the family circle, this is a very crucial situation that can turn

against the victims protection, when the close family circle sees the risk of capital

punishment to the aggressor, who most of the times is a family member, they will

mostly deny the actions, and will persuade the victim to remain silence. Victims will

long suffer because offenders will remain protected by the family at the risk of the

punishment.

Now, most religious laws, demand clear justice and severe punishment to all

child aggressors. For example, the Mosiac Law was based not only in doctrinal

statements, but also on very strict control over the body, in which sexual sins where

condemned, very serious, and greatly punished, even to the death penalty.

Nevertheless, Christianity for example, shows a more forgiven religion,

demanding that the aggressor is a sons of God, and just for that reason, the sinner life

is greatly valuable to Gods purposes. The possibility of repentance, after a sincere

process of repentance, remorse, and most important, the fruits or actions to

demonstrate their will to change, repair, and overcome the past actions, moving

towards a new life.

This only doctrine about Christ atonement, and the possibility of bringing

peace to anyone who has committed a sexual crime, is the most powerful reason for

others to believe that there is a chance in someone who offends, even an innocent

child.

All these positions manifest that we all have different values; the moral ethics

in society are not the same standard in everywhere. Men show a constant change on

their moral values, but also extreme religious reactions and doctrines, which
 Morote 6

sometimes cant be applied to the reality of a specific situation, and others will widely

become a solution to a problem.

We always want to be right, and not being able to have tolerance, can make us

lose perspective of the foundation of the problem.

In one hand, we can see the values of justice, which are clearly established in

the constitution, will favor sometimes the offenders position, which is a valid action,

for they are humans, and their rights must be protected as well.

In the other hand, justice and religious judgment states that we can demand

severe punishment, but also the mercy doctrine; to love the sinner, but reject or hate

the sin is part of a process to forgive the aggressor, in which case, justice will be not

served in a logical or legal situation.

Somehow, it is clear that there are more than one position on people who are in

favor of the death penalty for pedophiles, such as the reasons to do it and the condition

of the aggressor. Also, there are other reasons to avoid the death penalty, like the

religious values, and the studies about how negative would be the impact of such

punishment in those who are abused.

 Morote 7

Works Cited

Jenkins, Philip. Pedophiles and Priests: Anatomy of a Contemporary Crisis.

Oxford University Press, 2001.

Toms, Carl. Michael Jacksons Dangerous Liaisons. Troubador, 2010.

Palmer D. Edwards. Law and Civilization. Public Affairs Press, Washington

D.C. 1959

World Report On Violence Against Children

Paulo Srgio Pinheiro, Independent Expert for the United Nations

https://www.unicef.org/lac/full_tex(3).pdf

Bible and Penalty for Child Rape Molestation

Dr. Francis Nigel Lee

http://www.theonomyresources.com/pdfs/Bible-and-Penalty-for-Rape-and-

Child-Molestation.pdf

Carl Toms. Michael Jacksons Dangerous Liaisons.

Padstow 2010.