RANT OF THE DAY
June 30, 2007 - The Columbus Dispatch on internet sex stings: "Jail not a given in sex stings
Subhead: Most who try to prey on kids do little or no time, officials say." The story is in connection with the arrest of Mark Boster for importuning. LINK
Westerville police have made about 70 arrests through online sex stings since 2004. Most of those convicted were placed on probation and had to register as a sexual-oriented offender, Featherling said.What the Columbus Dispatch doesn't say is that Ohio isn't particularly harsh on convicted teachers as we noted in June. LINK
At the Franklin County sheriff's office, cases are still pending for 19 of the 20 arrests from their online sex stings this year.
It isn't because the law doesn't provide for harsher sentences. Ohio judges just do not apply the higher end sentence, and in a lot of cases, the prosecutor doesn't make a case for it either. Even in the article, the newspaper quotes from a judge who doesn't believe an extended prison sentence will scare predators away.
"If someone is doing this -- whether there are one year or five years in prison -- it's not going to stop their behavior," Hogan said.TT - What the judge fails to understand is the point of sentencing is to reinforce the strength of the law, not provide counseling and therapy.
