A rchive Date
[ 22-01-2001 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ U.S ]
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[The freedom to kill again
By R. CORT KIRKWOOD -- Ottawa Sun
January 21, 2001 Once again, the erroneous belief that dangerous criminals can be rehabilitated has ended in the murder of two little boys.
A lad in Maryland recently fell victim to a career molester paroled for "good behaviour" after a 25-year history of sex crimes and assaults. In Montana, a pervert from Massachusetts pronounced "cured" by two psychologists despite "violent fantasies" of eating flesh, is suspected of molesting, killing and cannibalizing a little boy.
By the lights of modern penology, both men were "rehabilitated" or "cured" of their "disease." But both cases and their results show criminals cannot be "cured" because they aren't sick, and the whole notion of so doing isn't as compassionate as the liberal penologists think.
But they've been thinking it for a long time. Crackpot theories about "rehabilitation" and "curing" criminals are rooted in the utopian belief that man is perfectible, a silly notion that gained popularity around the time of the Enlightenment. Modern psychoanalysis compounded the error by suggesting all behaviour is a "symptom" of psychological "disease" that can be "treated" with "therapy."
Denying the reality of evil, meaning that criminals actually choose it over good, they are cornerstones of the modern therapeutic state and lie at heart of "rehabilitation" and "treatment" for the "disease" of crime. Evil behaviour is really a symptom of some "illness," it says, and given the correct "diagnosis," a sex offender can be "cured."
Another theory is that criminals are "insane," which is disproved when they try to hide what they do, destroy evidence and evade the law, and instead proves they not only know the difference between right and wrong but also exactly what they are doing.
Despite the recidivism of sex criminals, penal authorities and psychologists cling to these dangerous and outdated theories, the result being that "cured" killers are released to kill again. Thus, the aforementioned murders.
That, of course, is the worst result and reality of a theory no better at predicting or controlling violent behaviour than phrenology. But another reality is that "treating" these menacing criminals denies their moral autonomy or free will, the essence of their humanity.
Instead, a criminal is viewed as a beast unable to control his behaviour because of some unnatural instinct or disease that must be modified by "treatment." But it never seems to work. These "sick" individuals never "get better." Although the pscyhologists pronounce them "cured," they kill again at the first opportunity.
Maybe that's because they aren't "sick" at all. Maybe they enjoy the crimes they commit. Maybe these criminals are expert liars who love evil.
Either way, the politicians are alarmed. So several states have passed laws permitting sex offenders to be incarcerated indefinitely, even after their sentences expire. This is an admission the state and its "doctors" don't know what to do with these individuals because, refusing to recognize the reality of human nature, they cannot explain their crimes, cannot change them and cannot stop them from committing more when released.
After its latest outrage, even liberal Maryland is moving on such a law, and the Supreme Court this week said such laws pass constitutional muster.
Indefinite incarceration
Thus will human beings be subjected to indefinite incarceration and treatment after their sentences expire, the logical result of the disease-causes-crime theory. They will become free guinea pigs for psychological experiments.
They can never be released, despite having met the minimum requirement set by law.
And that isn't compassionate. It's wrong and unjust. We should treat sex and other career violent criminals for what they are: Morally autonomous human beings who, using their free will, choose evil.
Punishment, preferably execution, would recognize their humanity and grant the justice they so richly deserve.
Kirkwood writes on U.S. affairs for the Sun. Letters to the editor should be sent to oped@sunpub.com
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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