Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Sandy Rozek: How can a sex offender be rehabilitated if following the rules does not count? (Gazette)
West Virginia lawmakers, upon discovering that a young man working as a legislative intern was on the sex offender registry, promptly fired him and are now revising the hiring process to prevent a registrant from being hired in the future.
Alexander Phillip Collins’ crime was possession and distribution of child pornography. He was sentenced and satisfied his sentence, including his probationary period, which required sex offender therapy. His period of probation was shortened due to good behavior. He has had a clean record since. He is in compliance with his registry requirements. He broke no laws in applying, accepting or in performing his job
He is still a very young man — 23. When he committed this crime in 2010 he was even younger.
What is the desired outcome for those dealt with in the criminal justice system? All I have read stresses that rehabilitation is a goal equal to punishment, and that the purpose of punishment is to bring about rehabilitation.