James Fagan in MA wants to be sure children that are raped suffer for life

[GoldieAZ49]

Who the hell would vote for this guy?

He opposes Jessica's Law in MA but listen to how he wants to treat these kids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq-NJ1YQu8M

25 years for a child rapist doesn't seem draconian to me. If anything, it is getting off easy.

Glad the prisoners welcome these offenders with "open arms".

[MannyGoldstein]

1. I Don't Think That's What He's Saying

He's making a point - which I've even heard legal advocates for abused children make - that these types of mandatory sentences will actually result in children being very traumatized in court, and many fewer convictions, because defendants are far more likely to fight tooth and nail rather than plead guilty and go to jail for a long, long time.

He made it very clumsily, but it is what it is.

[GoldieAZ49]

5. everyone deserves a good defense, but to advocate brutalizing a child that has been raped

because of a 25 year sentence is unacceptable.

There is other evidence, dna usually, that will convict the person.

[AlCzervik]

7. he's telling the public what defense attorneys will do, it does sound like advocating

i'm not sure if he means to come across that way but i imagine any good defense attorney would employ some of those tactics and it sucks but it's probably just a fact.

[beyurslf]

8. He is correct. I have already seen it happen. I work in child social services.

I had a 6 year old girl who was raped by her father with her grandfather present and watching. They wer eboth charged with the highest level offense which was a mandatory 25 years in prison. They fought everything. She testified not once not twice but 3 times. She also had to be brought to court 2 other times but did not end up testifying. All in all, she spent many more months in therapy reliving the fear of the court ordeal. She is still scared when a "court" show comes on tv.

And for the posts below about DNA--there wasn't any. She came into foster care on something completely unrelated to the sexual abuse. She told her foster mom about it a week into custody but all DNA was already gone. This was years of sexual abuse. In almost every sex abuse case, the offender knows the victim and the victim is not seeking medical help that will result in the finding of DNA.

[rwheeler31]

2. Hmmm

If you were falsely accused of this horrible crime, who would you run to?

[GoldieAZ49]

6. DNA

testing has proven innocence as well as guilt

[beyurslf]

9. In most of these cases, DNA is not present.

The CSI and Law Order movement has taught us that we have great forensic evidence for all of these crimes. The truth is most people are sexually abused by people they know. They seldom report the crime when it happens. There is very little--if any--physical evidence. There certainly is not DNA months (or even years) after the sexual abuse occurred.

[CoffeeCat]

3. What a complete fucking jerk...

I listened to that youtube video twice. If I'm understanding correctly, he's
suggesting that stiffer penalties for REPEAT SEX OFFENDERS--is a terrible idea
because it will force defense attorneys (like himself) to put child rape victims
on the witness stand and scar them?

I've got news for this asshole. Child rape victims suffer their entire lives. He
mentioned throwing up and never being able to have a relationship with anyone. If those
were the only consequences to a child who has been molested--then that person is damn lucky.

Eating disorders, self mutilation, depression, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, the inability
to hold down a job or trust anyone, a dysfunctional sex life, a shattered soul--the list goes on.

Molestation victims suffer because society rarely convicts pedophiles. Nine in ten victims never
tell--because they are scared to death and because society does not want to hear it. If you're
lucky enough to get a convinction, the penality is usually less than the penalty for smoking pot.

The problem isn't what happens to these kids on the witness stand. The problem is that not enough
of these kids make it to the witness stand. And pardon me--this ass is saying that he'll be forced
to rip apart the credibility of this child--thus traumatizing them. Is this guy a complete idiot?

This guy sounds like a pedophile enabler. Believe me, there are many out there and they hide
behind red herring arguments like this.

What a complete moron.

[AlCzervik]

4. I think what he said about defense attorneys is probably true, that doesn't make it right

but i don't think he's lying.