Homeless Sex Offender Asks Judge To Jail Him

[Kadie]

Jul 12, 2009 8:54 pm US/Eastern

Homeless Sex Offender Asks Judge To Jail Him

FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ― For committing sexual battery on a minor, Raphael Marquez served seven of an eight year sentence behind bars.

But when he was released from jail he returned before a Broward County judge ten days later with an odd demand. Marquez, 38, asked Broward County Judge Marc Gold to put him back in. For Marquez, the reasoning behind his request was that he found it impossible to find a place to live in Broward County, his attorney Cheryl Koewing told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

"Every place he looked he couldn't afford or had a restriction," Koewing said.

A majority of Broward's 31 cities have laws requiring sexual offenders to live at least 2,500 feet away from schools, parks and other places children frequent.

snip...
He had to serve two years house arrest. But without a home, Gold ruled to allow Marquez to serve six months in the Broward County Jail instead of the house arrest and be labeled a sex offender for life. He will also remain under supervision for 20 years.

more...
http://cbs4.com/local/sex.offender.2.1082897.html

[BlooInBloo]

1. It's hard to come up with a good solution to this sort of problem.

[FarPoint]

3. Sure there is a solution.

Don't ruin a child life for self serving gratification and there should not be such a problem.

[armyowalgreens]

15. There is always going to be that argument for basically any crime...

Don't harm said victim, and maybe we'd give a shit about you.


And, frankly, it's a load of hateful fucking bullshit.

[FarPoint]

2. Ahhhhhhhhhhh

no pity here.

[tritsofme]

4. Isn't that just a shame?

[MercutioATC]

5. Without knowing the specific details, it sounds like the system is working.

A child molester is finding it hard to find a way to exist.

[TheWraith]

7. Enh, I'm not so sure.

The more difficult rehabilitation is made, the more will choose to fall off the grid and be left unsupervised.

[armyowalgreens]

24. Bingo.

[Yukari Yakumo]

8. Something tells me that these laws could fail the Cruel and Unusual test {nt}

[Odin2005]

6. Oh cry me a river you monster, if it was up to me you would be hanging.

:puke:

[Forkboy]

9. More death and blood is always the answer!

rah rah!!!!

[Odin2005]

13. You'd be singing a diferent tune if you had a close friend that was raped.

Especially when that close friend is physically disabled and couldn't defend herself.

[armyowalgreens]

18. I've read stories of rape victims and even holocaust survivers that differ from your position.

But of course, they must not know what they are talking about.

[Forkboy]

19. And I already told you I've been there.

Time to grow up and stop playing that card. You and your friend are not the only ones to go through what you and she went through, and it doesn't excuse your own craving for blood. Giving in to your bloodthirsty desire sinks you to the same level.

I'VE BEEN THERE.

[Odin2005]

20. Sorry, my emotion got to the best of me again.

:cry:

[Forkboy]

21. Odin, I so understand what you feel.

My old girlfriend was raped. I know what you're feeling. I know the anger (and then some). We can't give in to it or we lose.

:hug:

[Odin2005]

22. Thank you!

:hug:

[TheMadMonk]

43. "They're worthless. They're scum. They're guaranteed to do it again."

These memes and many more like them are exactly the same memes used to incite hatred against blacks, Jews, GLBTs, Albanians, Armenians, Palestinians, Kurds, etc., etc.

This is not to say that the actions of sex offenders are acceptable. It is simply an observation that the methods we as a society are using against them are demonstrably evil and that evil done in the name of good remains evil.

There is also a secondary effect of such memes amongst those they are directed against. Some just give up, others figure that they might as well live up to the name they've been saddled with and offend more seriously than they otherwise might have, and some turn into complete monsters. You only have to look at some "bad neighbouhoods" (read minority communities) to see exactly these same effects amongst other reviled (or recently reviled) groups.

You only have to look to the many conflicts in the Middle East, the Balkans, and many other places across the globe, to see what happens when people are backed into a corner. They lash out. And they lash out violently. Sex offenders don't have the same sort of group identity that a race, or religion has. They will not organise and fight back. But as individuals: they will lash out; they will panic; and the blameless will suffer.


On the other side of the equation, we as a society go out of our way to ensure that victims know that they are victims and that they know just how traumatised they should be. Instead of first determining what if any actual harm was done, and then acting accordingly, we all too often assume the harm and proceed from there. Subjecting "victims" to therapy until they accept their victimisation and then proceeding to the "cure" from that point.


What Forkboy said, I'll repeat and expand upon. No matter how horrific the act, when you victimise the abusers, you are exercising exactly the same part of the brain that drives racists, bigots and other elitists. AND when you do, you become no better than them.

[armyowalgreens]

16. It's nice to see your loving side out again.

Never ceases to amaze me how close-minded and hateful some DUers can get.

[Forkboy]

10. I knew this was about Florida before I even opened the thread.

[madville]

11. The state and feds should offer voluntary assisted suicide to inmates and ex-cons

Completely voluntary doctor assisted suicide, just offer it as an option to inmates and convicted felons like this guy. Some would likely take advantage of the offer to go out quietly and painlessly, saving the taxpayers money and potentially making the streets safer.

[izquierdista]

12. How about the handicapped and unemployed?

Or is your answer to that "Sieg Heil!" as well?

[madville]

14. I've always thought voluntary doctor assisted suicide should be available

It should be available to anybody that wants it in an ideal world.

It would be a great option for those that don't want to have to endure the hardships of prison or life after the fact. Would save money aleiviate overcrowding and remove some dangerous people from society.

Completely voluntary though is the key to having it as an option.

On the flip side of that I also believe that if someone is not a danger to society and can be released from prison they should also have all their rights restored without restrictions, If it's not safe for someone to be within 2500 feet of a school they shouldn't be out of custody in the first place.

I'm mainly just suggesting that if say 1% of the prison population decided to voluntarily and painlessly check out it could save us lawabiding taxpayers billions.

[Regret My New Name]

23. Anyone and everyone?

I dunno, I have no problems with it being done a terminally ill person, but people are perfectly healthy in a physical sense... If they're not mentally healthy, then it for sure shouldn't be done... It would be a niche market for some doctors though, since I'm betting there would only be a handful of doctors who would be willing perform such an act on person who is not terminally ill.

[Chan790]

25. Not me...

before I was diagnosed with clinical depression, I'd have taken them up on the offer. Nevermind that short of a seratonin receptor issue, there is nothing wrong with me.

I'm not alone in that.

[armyowalgreens]

17. Or, they could offer better worker/mental health programs.

But, you know, that actually requires people to give a shit about another human being.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

26. Is there any way this post

could be more hateful or intolerant? I think you've covered just about every disgusting base.

Good thing redemption plays no part in your world. Just make sure you don't ever do anything wrong, large or small. Because if you're gonna strike a pose like you did in this post, you had better be like Caesar's wife for the rest of your life.

Or just don't get caught.....................

[madville]

37. let me clarify a little

I'm against registering sex offendors and posting their addresses to the community, if they are safe enough to be free they should be on equal footing with the rest of society. I feel the same way about felons, if the have paid their debt through prison time or on parole they should have all their rights restored when that debt is paid.

I was mainly thinking about child molestors, rapists, murderers etc when suggesting prisons offer assisted suicide as a 100% voluntary alternative to them serving a lengthy sentence. It would save a ton of money.

[armyowalgreens]

38. That sounds suspiciously like you want to kill people to save money...

Even though you say that you want the "option", how far are you willing to go to provide mental health services to the prisoners?

Or would that just be too expensive?

[madville]

39. i don't want to kill anybody, it would be their choice

The cost savings would just be a side effect, the major benefit to such an option is a safer society.

[Silent3]

27. Who is more dangerous to have in your neighborhood? Dangerous to your children?

Someone who has killed someone else driving drunk? Or someone who had sex with a willing 13 y/o when he was 18 and is now a Registered Sex Offender™?

Besides the fact that even lesser offenses than the above example can earn your the modern Scarlet Letter, even where worse offenses are involved, these distance-based residence restrictions are complete bullshit. It's nothing more than a matter of satisfying (if not feeding, and definitely feeding upon) public hysteria. It doesn't have a thing to do with real public safety.

If a person represents a real risk of being the type to leap out of the bushes and grab a random kid off the street, they should remain locked up indefinitely, even if that means forever. Then again, that sort of assault on minors is only a very small percentage of the crimes for which offenders face registration requirements and all of the residence restrictions and difficulties with employment that follow. For the few people who are a danger to children at large, residence restrictions will be a totally inadequate defense, nothing more than a worthless symbolic gesture -- as if a truly dangerous criminal with some sort of insatiable appetite won't walk or take a bus to a place to find a victim.

What real purpose do laws like this serve other than earning politicians votes for throwing "get tough on crime!" red meat to voters?

[proteus_lives]

28. Poor little child molester.

He wants to back to jail? Fine. I support life sentences without the possibility of parole for pedos.

Or just slit his throat and bury him under pig shit.

[armyowalgreens]

29. "Or just slit his throat and bury him under pig shit."

[proteus_lives]

31. Well, it is an injustice to pig shit.....

I'll try to think of something lower.

Oh, I forgot you want rehabilitate and embrace the rapists and child molesters of the world. Put your money where your mouth is, let the fine fellow from the OP bunk at your place. I'm sure you can change him.

[armyowalgreens]

36. LOL. Get over yourself.

I'm not the one calling for someones throat to be slit.

Just because I don't want him living with me does not mean I have to be okay with him being murdered. Which is exactly what you are advocating, by the way.

[proteus_lives]

40. You telling someone to get over themselves?!?

:rofl:

Anyway, we're talking about pedos here. They can't be rehabilitated, therefore the only way to ensure the safety of society from them is execution or permanent incarceration. I don't mind the second one, see my "Devil's Island" situation down thread.

[armyowalgreens]

41. I also do not mind permanent incarceration.

But the first option is inhumane.

[LisaL]

30. If we are going to let child molesters out of prisons,

then something has to be figured out as to where they can live.

[proteus_lives]

33. The French had a good idea.

It was called Devil's Island.

I'm sure the US owns a hunk of rock in Pacific that we dump these animals for the rest of their lives.

[usregimechange]

32. The justified lack of empathy for sex offenders should not get in the way of effective policies

needed to protect the public. This topic generates so much emotion, and justifiably so, but I urge you not to make decisions with emotions - they would be called reactions and apes can do that.

[proteus_lives]

35. The policies should be severe.

Because you can't change them, there is no therapy for a pedo. To protect the public they need to be locked down for the rest of their lives at very least.

[Pushed To The Left]

34. 8 years for sexual battery of a minor sounds extremely light!!

If prison overcrowding is the problem, the solution is to get rid of this country's archaic vice laws and leave the prison space for sex offenders and other violent criminals.

[mamaleah]

42. Stop locking up drugs addicts and you can keep the child molesters and rapists behind bars.

That way we won't have this problem.

[wantoutnow]

44. these types

will just go underground in the vast majority of cases. This guy is an exception. Plenty of people labeled as such will have nothing left to lose as they will be unemployable and without housing. Many have started organizing groups. Who will they target once they have nothing left to lose? There has to be some reintegration into society, lest they become much more dangerous to us all.