Jaycee's Law

It's been a couple of weeks since I've blogged and I have to apologize for that. I have been sick with some form of flu or viral illness and all I can say is that the older you get, the harder you fall!

My down time had me watching a lot of news and I'm sure everyone has heard about the case of Jaycee Lee Dugard, the young girl who was kidnapped in California at age 11 and was recently found 18 years later hidden in the back yard of a sexual predator. I can't really fathom why Phillip Garrido, a man with so many past incidents and charges, and even an extended prison sentence (He got 50 years and served 10), was ever let out of prison in the first place. It's the fault of society and all of us when we allow sexual predators to remain free.

Out of curiosity, I went to the Megan's Law website for California. There it allowed me to search my area for sexual predators. I was pretty stunned to find that there are a dozen registered sex offenders within two blocks of my child's school. How is that possible? They are listed by law enforcement on the website, so authorities obviously know where they are. Meanwhile, after school, children walk past these homes every weekday, unaware of the dangers. Shouldn't the schools be required to warn parents and children?

Jaycee was kidnapped within sight of her home while she was walking to the school bus. She was forced into a car by an adult female, presumably the wife of Phillip Garrido, who met him while he was in prison. Some people are just plain sick. Apparently, this woman was his accomplice.

Perhaps it seems a bit harsh, but I am a proponent of castration, either physical or chemical, to control sexual predators. I am also a proponent of a one strike law. The recidivism rate among sex offenders is something like 86%, so it seems like a no-brainer to keep them where they can no longer offend or castrate them so they can no longer offend. If it saves one child, I'd be willing to pay higher taxes to keep them off the streets.

Perhaps it's the times, but it doesn't seem like it was as dangerous when we were children. We didn't have to worry so much about these things. Perhaps the internet has something to do with it. Children become an easy target and are easier to find. If you've watched the Dateline NBC show called "To Catch a Predator", you know that people who wish to prey on children are a dime a dozen.

I can't imagine the joy and sorrow of Jaycee's parents upon learning of her fate. It would be unbelievable to have your daughter back after all of those years of captivity, but how can you ever really get her back? She was with her captors longer than she was with her family. She suffered unspeakable horrors at such a young age. She gave birth at 14 without benefit of a hospital or a doctor. She learned to survive, but at what cost?

We can't trust the system. The system failed for Jaycee. Even after neighbors reported children living in tents in the back yard and wild parties, police dropped the ball. They didn't check to see who Phillip Garrido was. If they had, they would have found that he was a registered sex offender with an ankle bracelet. They didn't even check the back yard, which was the source of the complaint. Another three years went by before Jaycee and her two young daughters were rescued. I am a big proponent of law enforcement and I am solidly behind our police, but that officer should be fired. He not only didn't do his job, he risked three lives in the process.

I think it's important for parents to check the Megan's Law website for their area and inform their children, those old enough to understand, that there are people they need to stay away from. Our congressmen need to know that we want continued access to this website and that we want tougher laws on the books to protect our future, our children. Please take the time to make an effort to make a difference in that regard -- if that is to call your child's school and make them aware of the dangers nearby, calling your local senator or writing your congressman to let them know where you stand on these issues. Jaycee's Law is yet to be written, but I hope it is and that it requires castration for sexual offenders. There is a special place in hell for those who would hurt children, and in the meantime they need to stay in prison.