Oh, I wouldn't worry about the Bill of Rights getting in the way. The U.S. gov't bypasses that obsolete document at will these days. If they were truly motivated to take real steps toward protecting children from perverts, the work would get done... and the Bill of Rights wouldn't be an obstacle.
Uh oh ... This is going to open up a can of worms. Somewhere ... someone is going to start organizing a National Criminals Rights Week. I can almost see them marching in the streets now ... during the day, of course, because most of them are so busy at night. The violent sex criminals would be waving signs exhorting the police for profiling and picking on them, each time the above would be repeated. And the ACLU would no doubt come to their rescue stating that the police should have distributed their focus more evenly amoungst the criminal population instead of taking so unfair and biased an action action against just one group.
Very good point, RM. The sad thing is that government at ALL levels, being made up of imperfect human beings, has over the years indeed stretched the good intent of the authors of the Bill of Rights to suit their own purposes. These actions have given birth to 'updated' interpretations that make pro-active measures to protect our children a difficult task lest we violate the rights of offenders/potential offenders. We are thusly left to act only AFTER our children have been harmed.
Is your statement that hundreds of innocents killed by released prisoners is acceptable and proof that the parole system is working, what you call a "reasonable balance between security and freedom"? Yes and no. If a society is civilized, it's top priority is the protection of its citizens, especially its most vulnerable - the children. When parents have done all they can do to mind their children properly so that the kids are not left in vulnerable positions, then let's talk. The Van Dams in San Diego are a classic example. In many cases, the parents put their children in a position of risk....then blame someone else for what happens. Many parents deserve to up on charges for child endangerment through neglect, but because they are seen as grieving victims when their child is lost, they are not properly held accountable. This is not an excuse or absolution for what the criminals do, they fully deserve what the justice system hands them in most cases, but I view the solution as not just a focus on the criminals as the problem, but the entire societal problem of children not being properly cared for and protected.
That is your opinion. If you let your kid roam in the jungle, and was eaten by a lion...would you blame the jungle, the lion...or yourself as a parent for letting them roam free? I know people want to make this a black and white issue, good vs. evil, victim vs. predator....but there is more involved. Children are innocent, they are indeed vulnerable...but are the parents really doing what is necessary...knowing what a dangerous world it is...to keep them safe? In my opinion, the knee jerk reaction, which is ultra popular in this country...is to abdicate any personal responsibility and blame everyone but ourselves when things go wrong. The rise of child abduction, dangerous pedophilia, etc. is a societal problem, and I don't believe the solution to which is putting a bullet in the head of every child molester. This becomes an issue for our justice system only after a crime. Yes, the second time offenders do seem more of a problem, as the knee jerk reaction then is never give a person a second chance whatsoever....by killing them after the first offense. I don't find that solution tenable. Not all criminals repeat the same crimes....so do we punish those who do reform...simply because we don't know how to help the majority who do repeat or escalate the offense? In addition...what are the parents doing to protect their children from the first time offender...who may be the teacher, the friendly pharmacist, clergy man, etc.
I have a simple question for you, Z: Are you in the habit of molesting children, or have you ever molested a child in the past?
Are you in the habit of stalking and asking questions that you will not get answers for? Oh yeah, I do know exactly how a non answer to your question will be taken. Unequivocally, molesting a child, an adult, a man, a woman, a brother, a sister, a cousin, a spouse, a son, a daughter, a dog, a cat, a dead body, etc. is wrong in my opinion.