i love judge judy !!!!!!!!!!! no pedophiles cannot be rehabilitated..GARRIDO IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THAT !!!! i say put them in G.P. and they will be more than happy to take care of all of them.... easy deal..........

Looking forward to Judge Judy.

I will never say never but I think the chances are low that a pedophile will change. This monster Garrido is a prime example.

The question shouldn't be whether a pedophile can be rehabilitated. The quesiton should be is it worth the cost to society to pay for the rehabilitation of a pedophile at the expense of health care to an honest, hard working American. As we near bankruptcy as a country, we need to start thinking about priorities on where our money should be spent!

who said they should even be given the chance. they are the worst of the worst.

Pedophiles won't change. A pedophile will wait years sometimes for their next prey. Growing old or loss of sexual drive does not change a pedophile, especially a violent one who sodomizes children. They hate children.

Pedophiles many times seek out others who are also pedophiles, especially when within organizations.

I was raped from ages 8 to 10. On one occasion there were four involved in the rape. Another occasion I was intentionally suffocated after a rape, I played dead and slept in the woods. One rapist is a loved bishop today in a New York diocese, how many does he protect.

As long as pedophiles have a place to hide, they will continue. If they get caught, they will change – NOT. Proof is that they can hide behind their claim of change, the claim is just another hiding place.

I unfortunately live in NY state where laws protect the pedophiles, thanks to Assemblyman Vito Lopez. Those of us who are today mentally ill due to the rapes, were severely traumatized. Once we woke from the trauma we find that laws protect the most violent pedophiles, we can do nothing.

I am in contact with other victims of the most violent pedophiles. As a group we know hundreds of pedophiles, yet a Window legislation is needed and Vito Lopez stops us from exposing these pedophiles. California passed the Window legislation and as a result it exposed over 400 child molesters who otherwise would be in your neighborhoods. Now how can that be so bad?

Just two years ago two of those who raped me held a camp for disadvantaged boys. I went to the law and they could do nothing because of New York State law.

We need to take this stuff more seriously and stop assemblyman who cater to top notch lobbyist paid for by the Catholic Church.

"We can tell our children to tell us everything, but if they never come home they can tell us nothing."

Once you've become a pedophile, I don't believe you can change, even with rehab. After one time, you just can't get enough.

isnt he a registered sex offender? this kind of people wont change..and need to monitor them every now and then..kudos to judge judy..i like your show you're very intelligent woman

Can someone please rehabilitate the Right Wing in the USA?
America does NOT have a free economy, like John McCain was ranting about today; it has a WILD economy. Freedom and wildness are antonyms NOT synonyms.
The same bible thumping conservatives call for laws based on scripture for their issues. What is up with that?
Would removing traffic signs from all the roadways lead to freedom or wildness?
Education, Health, Business, Economy NEEDS Government rules and controls; otherwise it is chaos, which is the present state of affairs.

Can pedophiles be rehabilitated? I believe the experts say rarely. However, this guy abducted and 11 year old girl and held her in captivity where she had his two children. Then he goes back to prison and still has Jaycee in captivity.

His neighbors call in all the time to complain about a registered sex offender and the cops do alsolutely nothing to check out the complaint or search his property.

Finally, some college security guard runs into him on campus and checks his record because this short chance encounter told the guard, without any police academy training, that this situation need to be checked out further. Of course the rest is history now. The guard knew registered sex offenders are not suppose to be running around with minors and reported him.

Jaycee probably accepted her fate all these years, because no one did anything about him until she was 29 years old. He was truly untouchable. I doubt that if Garrido did molest Jaycee's children she wouldn't tell anyone. Especially when the public can't believe the cops never found her, but in the same breath they want to know why she didn't escape....I bet that is like getting raped by public opinion again and again. Jaycee learned to survive her abduction and kept her kids alive too. I imagine you do whatever it takes to survive. If the public wants to know the details then they should let Garrido abduct them.

I absolutely love Judge Judy and have the faith in her direct opinion about the child rapist ie; pedophiles. However, while protecting them we are unprotecting the child which in turn will be an adult one day to have to determine relationships, and social skills in society.

I disagree that sex offenders should be locked up forever. Each person is unique and we can't use a rationalization about high rrates of recidivism to institute a blanket policy of life without parole for them. I also disagree with some states' law to send them to civil incarceration after the offender completes their prison time. This smacks of "Preventive Incarceration" and violates the jurisprudence of Habeas Corpus.

I believe that pedophiles who have committed rape and murder should face the needle. They should get the death sentence.

the laws in our country are old-the penalties no longer fit the crime. we need to change the codes of law where rape and sexual abuse rank amongst the highest of crimes in the land

Pedophiles should all be put to death once proven guilty.

Well, what do you do with them then, put them in a cloistered community and put them to work, like a big camp.

I think they should be forcibly castrated if they are going to be released.

copy/paste from all other nights ... LARRY SHUT UP AND LET YOUR GUESTS SPEAK ... someone on his staff who reads this please tell him ...

I respect Her Honor, the Judge's position and her achievements, no question about that, but I also question why we as a society feel the need to make entertainment out of our justice system. I really see it as a tragedy.

Race played a HUGE part in why Garrido got away with enslaving a girl for 18 years. If he was a minority he would have been watched, searched and harrassed on a regular. An African American neighbor called the police and they didn't take the call serious and took the word a criminal over an upstanding citizen, if that is not racism I don't what it is. If it would have been the other way around, the police would have searched the place and found the girl years ago.

White men get away with more crime than any race in history, its a fact and prominent in America! I'm outraged that the police were so lax in this case. It happens across America every day!

What is that disgusting big black mark on his nose?

I have been in nightclubs where underage girls (and guys) were in there drinking alcohol, I guess with fake ID. If an adult takes one home and they have sex, that adult has committed felony sexual assault on a minor. That seems a little unfair when the minor was lying about their age to start with. And we all know a lot of teenagers these days look quite mature.

I think this guy should be hung without a trial and his wife right along side of him. please pick a nice high tree.

Sexual predators are genuises while police and parole officers are unmitigated morons!

Yes, I do agree Larry King needs to have respect for his guests and needs to quit interrupting while they are speaking! Larry King doesn't have anything important to say and why can't he wait until his guests finish talking before he opens his mouth!!!!

Why is the VIOLENT ! criminal treated with more respect than the victim ? these crimes are FOREVER for the victim. Why is it not forever for the VIOLENT CRIMINAL. PS TELL JUDGE JUDY WE LOVE HER.

In some cases, the registry might be a good thing, but when I look in my area, you see a comment of unable to locate or hasn't been in contact with the proper agencies.

Angela, funny you say that. Many people look at sex offenders to see something physically different, unfortunately there are no revealing marks. I wish we could spot them that easily..

I firmly believe that pedophiles cannot be rehabilitated everyone and i mean EVERYONE knows what rape is and when there doing it!Today evil people arent scared to do evil things and arent afraid to go to prison, make them afraid by life in prison and or the death penalty .......hello!Some people have failed in there lives and want to steal other peoples, PUT THEM ON DEATH ROW!!

I think sex offender registries are a good tool but here in Florida it is too easy to end up on one. I have a friend who got arrested for urinating in public (he had been drinking) and now has to register for the rest of his life. "Public display of genitalia" or lewd and lascivious behavior I think was the charge. He only was in jail briefly but now he is scarred for life. Ridiculous.

What does Judge judy think about chemical castration?

@ that_guy...LOL..... they should have larry ask a question......THEN PUT A MUZZLE ON HIM UNTIL THEY ARE DONE ANSWERING THE QUESTION...............i like judge judy & i want to hear her answer...LARRY, PLEASE BE KIND AND PUT A LID ON IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is awful, I agree these people should be put away for good. But I am trying to get on the website you told us to check for sex offenders and it won't come up, I guess too many people are trying at once. I commend you on having these types of shows, for it informs us well, and we all should take heed, not everyone is what they seem.

Would Jugde Judy ever consider running for president?

Castration is actually a very good idea and would be an excellent deterrant. I was appraoched like Judge Judy twice as a young child, It did not scar me in any way. I still remember it and think back that I was lucky I did not get taken or hurt. People are more resillant than we think. But you just cant take these people out and kill them because of their problem, but castration is an excellent idea, why dont they talk about that?

Why should victims of identify theft have to prove they were victims, when our justice system is supposedly the other way around?

Can we medically or medicinally castrate these offenders? It seems women and children are not valued in this society.

Anyone can be rehabilitated, but to give in and have a cigarette or liquor, is not the same thing as falling off the child rapist wagon.
I believe they can be rehabilitated but the consequences are just too great.

I'm wondering if all sex offenders are required to register with the city they live in. I know of one living with two small children and is not registered to the address he is living at. Is there anything that I can do? I have a little boy stay at my house from time to time.

If a neighbour had complained of marijuana growing in Jaycee Dugard's captors backyard instead of children, I bet the police would have been all over that place 2 years ago when that complaint was made. The cops would have routed him out sooner if they were looking for a marijuana dealer!

I wish people would wake up – billions of tax payer $$$ and police work that go towards fighting an unwinnable, unconstitutional War on Drugs (War on People who use certain drugs) that should instead be put towards finding child abductors and pedophiles, murderers, rapists, wife beaters and thieves!! The Department of Justice has their priorities all screwed up, 40 years and over a trillion dollars later & they still haven't been able to figure out that you can't legislate drug use. We have never been a drug free world and never will be.

Who should cops be spending their time and money finding? A plant or a sex offender? Who should be incarcerated more, non-violent drug users or people who prey on our children?

Parents should be outraged that the government is more concerned with finding someone sparking up a joint in the privacy of their own homes than they are with protecting our children from evil men like Phillip Garrido. Stop filling up our jails with pot smokers and there will be plenty of room to keep pedophiles like Garrido in jail for the rest of their lives!

Why the hysteria for only sex offenders? I am just as concerned about drug dealers/addicts, thieves, and violent people who are released and live next to me. Why can't I see them too?

I do not want my children spending the night at a new friends house and their parents happen to be known heroin addicts or one of the parents convicted of spousal abuse.

It should be all or nothing, we play big brother to all felons, or let them be after serving time.

@ pete, im so sorry for what happened to you... seems priests are protected by the church... LOL. what is wrong with that picture ??? they move them to another church where they will do it again. they should be in jail like the rest of the pedophiles..GENERAL POPULATION WOULD BE THE PERFECT PLACE FOR THEM....

Pete, I guess in this case he was marked man, lol.

While every parent is concerned having a convicted sex offender living in their neibourhood, it appars nobody has an answer what to do with these people. It's always easy to complain but where are the answers? Nothing is black and white. Do you have an answer Judge Judy?

Judge Judy;

I think the best solution would be to castrate convicted sex offenders. This would remove their biological urges, be a great deterrent, help protect society, and make the sex offenders themselves agitated.

This would be far less sever than killing them or sending them into the desert.

I agree with Judge Judy wholeheartedly. Pedophiles need to be warehoused on a permanent basis, or simply put to death. They are defective, and untreatable, and will continue with their perversion to the endth degree. When did we become so lenient in our society that we put violent criminal's freedom and rights before the safety and freedom of our public, and innocent children? Build more jails or more cemetaries-either way, we need to put a permanent stop to the behaviour (think of it as job creation with the ultimate reward being a safer communitiy.)
And I love the idea of the check list. If you wouldn't have these perps living next to you- don't bother going onto the next question.

Does Judge Judy believe that women get off with lesser chargers when it comes to molesting young children. There has been a rash of women school teachers who have sex with there students and they seem like they just get a slap on the wrist. If it was a man having sex with a student there is more publicity.

Pedaphiles of this nature cannot and will not be reabilatated ! Remember the Dru Sjodin case in Grand Forks North Dakota . Alfonso Rodriguez Jr said he would do it again if he was released and still was released and now the world is with out Dru ! This must be stopped !!!!!!

Regrettably, I see little to no evidence to suggest that pedophiles can be rehabilitated. And why Garrido's parole officer didn't question why there were children's toys scattered about and investigate his story is a mystery to me. Wouldn't that be a first clue that something isn't right? I'm afraid the police and parole officer fell short on this one. I hope they receive training on signs to look for and what to do about it. Clearly that are ill equipped to deal with these types of situations.

What about castration of petifiles?

Larry........STOP interrupting your guests.....i.e. Judge Judy. It is rude and unbecoming.

Why not sentence the worse of the worse offenders to GITMO !!! Their families can pay their own expenses if they want to visit. Oh, I forgot...ACLU, and the prisoners self esteem, rehabilitation, and all that crap.

Judie Williams/El Lago, TX

And what about the victims? Let's spend billions of dollars 'trying' to rehabilitate these deviants, providing them shelter, food, a college education...What about programs for victims? What about those who can't afford the help they need in order to carry on?

Ugh! "I'm wired wrong! I can't help that!" That makes me sick! We all have the ability to choose our actions! They aren't behaviours that appear out of the blue – they are premeditated! They plan – how and when to attack, they play the scene out in their minds beforehand. They know it's wrong, they choose to act on their compulsions!

I agree with someone else who posted something along these lines, "Put these pedophiles, repeat sexual offenders, etc., in the general prison population." I would have no sympathy! ZERO!

How about a stimulus package in which President Obama creates jobs by funding the construction and operation of more jails thereby ensuring space to house,on a permament basis, the increasing numbers of violent and incorrigible criminals...

I agree 100% with Judge Judy! I am convinced that if someone is 100% guilty which means DNA results (done by two independent labs in order to ensure the accuracy) and they hurt another human being...then they go to jail or then some never to see the light of day. Why should someone be able to live a life of freedom when they took someone else's freedom away.

I will also go so far as to say that when a parole board "sees fit to release a predator or criminal and they re-offend" (and I mean take a life, rape, mutulate, use a weapon...(not white collar crimes) the parole board that freed the person should be immediately released from their position..they are unfit to be thorough in their judgement.

I couldn't agree more with Judge Judy!!!!! This is a must asap! How in the world can the system be changed?????

First of all, the mans back yard looked like tent city, the trashy mess alone should have / would have had the local authoritys all over the place.

Sex offenders should be taken on a case by case basis. Labeling all ex-offenders such broadly is ridiculous. No other prisoners are scrutinized as much. Not even those who are accomplices to murders, major drug traffickers, etc. What's to say they won't reoffend? Shouldn't we track them too?

With transporation as it is today and the highways, if an offender is next door or 5 miles away, makes little difference in his/her ability to perform a crime on you if you are their target..

One thing brought up about priests raping. It is different. It is different in that many worked together to rape children. Today the Bishops pay top notch lobbyists to stop laws from giving justice to victims. Bishops hid the pedophiles.

Remember, Bishops were priests at one time. One of my rapist as I described above is a loved bishop today. How many priests does he protect?

I know for a fact that nearly 20% of the priests over the last 5o years in the diocese I was raped were child molesters, in that bishops NY diocese. Vito Lopez is a NY Assemblyman who has stopped laws allowing exposure to pedophiles with promises of Catholic votes.

By the Catholic Church hiring top notch lobbyist to stop laws from exposure, everyone loses. The Catholic church in the process of protecting their reputation now protect all pedophiles in NYS.

US Citizens need to bombard calls to those in the assembly and senate and tell them they want a window legislation without any time barriers so victims can identify the most violent pedophiles.

I went to the website you provided to find sex offenders in your area. Now tell me, how are you going to direct me to a pedophile site and charge me to find out their names and address's after it tells me there are 24 in my immediate area. This should be a free service to protect us, but instead it seams like another money making website.

Good talking points. Life imprisonment and perhaps stiffer penalty should be considered for offenses against children. We need to be contacting our congressman, senators and governors to ensure appropriate facilitiesmaintained and not cut to reduce state level budgets. My understanding is that these people are wired wrong and/or were abused when they were young. Its too bad we cannot simply perform some surgery so that they lose all memory of their self as payment for the act.

I was a victim of a crime in California. I was not notified by California Parole Dept when the criminal was released or when they jumped parole. I doubt anyone in California is actively looking for this criminal. I heard Judge Judy say that the victim in the first Garrido case was not notified or asked for their opinion. That doesn't surprise me since the criminal in my case was paroled, the California Parole Officer didn't have the file. I sent a letter to the California Parole Department and it was returned unread.

My quedtions:

1) Do you know how many criminals out on parole have fled the jurisdiction and can't be located?

2) Does anyone feel that the real problem is the California Parole Dept?

I just found out I have a Sex Offender that moved in next door to my family and I.I have a 5 year old and a 8 year old and I talk to the man here and there and I want to confront him but I dont know how.He is on the registry as a fourth degree sex offender.Should I confront him or not?And how do I go about it?

You should be talking to Ron Book - he is dealing with predators in Miami - wrote laws to protect the community from them but also responsible for released predators finding living - I think he could add A LOT to your discussion (and solutions!) THANKS! (Love you, Larry!!!)

The HYSBAND and FATHER whose wife tried to get ""911"" help WAS an UNNECESSARY death~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This is SO MESSED UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

feel that sex offenders will always repeat offenses weather they have been jailed or not. Keep them locked up.

Doesn't Larry know about this case? Denise was on the phone with the 911 operator begging for help, all of the 911 operators screwed up big time!

I would like to know the IQ levels of these idiots.

In my subdivision, they put out leaflets. There is a "pedophile" across the street from me. WE HAVE ""ARMS"" it is very simple and unfortunate

Locking everyone up for life, that's barbaric but the prison industrial complex supports that kind of legislation – it's job security. Unions of correctional officers, firms that make and sell prison equipment, etc.

I also do not buy into the Biblical "eye for an eye" death penalty.

I do believe in life without parole for murderers but also believe pedophilia is a psychiatric condition we should be trying to understand and cure or control.

They should charge these 911 operators with dereliction of duty. They should go to prison!

JENN.

You are right! People have little understanding of trauma. The more violent the abuse the longer term trauma. While in a trauma you are not living a life, you are in "mental escape". Many people wake from their trauma at 50 and 60 years old. They could tell no one in order to maintain some sense of sanity. The down side is that life is missed during those years. And the pedo is still active and can no longer be prosecuted, free to traumatize more.

Many victims have many different forms of mental illness, the earlier the victim is identified the better chance of a reasonably normal life. Notice, I said reasonably.

The RCC has lots of cash to hire and pay off those who can stop laws from giving justice to victims. Victims lose.

I believe in "OBJECT" lessons~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CASTRATE ( male&female) ALL OF THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The PD that never dispatched a patrol officer to cover the screaming individual in the car really should be held accountable for what happened after that point. If the had just called in to the local Sheriff's Office or Highway Patrol her death could have been avoided. How could they even face the family afterwords, especiall when her father was employed with that same department.

It is just outrageous that the police did not follow up on the 911 phone call.

I was excited to try to get my question on the air; I misspelled PEDOPHILE...... My question is: if you castrate a sex offender, would that not take away his desire to commit thes acts? I think I recall reading that certain countries in other parts of the world successfully practiced this. It also would put the fear nof GOD in the crazed pedophiles!

James Hussher

Murder is also a mental disorder... Violent pedophiles kill the soul. Lost childhoods and adulthoods, same as murder. Should be treated as murder.

Many victims do not wake from the trauma caused for 50, 60+ years. Imagine waking from the trauma to realizing a new trauma – you never lived your life. This is what violent and repeated rape does to their victim.

I agree with Judge Judy, there is no rehabilitating sex offenders. These people that have been attacked and had a part of them taken away are scarred for the rest of their lives...time heals some but it is never forgotten. The only help to the victims is to know that these "sick" people will never be able to get out of prison to attack again. As for me, the only thing that helped was when I found out that my attacker was dead.

NO they can't be rehabilitated. They need to be hung or shot one or the other.

Castration along with ………..

(((A sentence of life in prison with a life long cellmate known as Big Bob,

the fornicator of men!!! )))

Alright Dodie, give 'em Baba

It is so important to make a distinction between the Garridos of this world and the 675, 000 people who appear on sex offender registries across the country. Crimes like Garrido's, where the attacker does not know the victim, are extremely rare. Judge Judy is way off base with the statistics she quotes on the recidivism rates of sex offenders. According to the U.S. Dept of Justice, sex offenders have among the lowest recidivism rates of any type of criminal offenders, somewhere in the range of 3-5%. Nowhere near the 75% figure Judge Judy threw out there. Judge Judy says she wouldn't go after the 21 year old who has consensual sex with a 15 year old, yet currently, those 21 year olds are treated exactly the same as Phillip Garrido, GPS monitored on parole or probation (in California), publicly listed on the sex offender registry, forced to check in with authorities four or more times a year. It is exactly this reason that the Garridos of the world can hold a child captive for 18 years. They get lost in the crowd of no-risk and low-risk offenders we currently list on the registries. There is no defense for a reprehensible cretin like Phillip Garrido, but the Garridos are relatively rare in the world of sex offenders. Georgia state officials recently estimated that as many as 80% of the people who appear on that states registry present little or no risk to the public. The truly dangerous predators like Garrido will continue to escape notice until we clean up the sex offender registries of the hundreds of thousands who don't belong there.

They should be shot or hung. pick which one.

In watching jason lee tonight about his wife being kidnapped and murdered and why the 911 people could not track her.

I have been told that there are two types of 911 systems.

911 regular system and

911 enhanced system.

The enhanced system is the only one that has the ability to triangulate a call and find out where it is coming from.

The reason alot of cities do not have 911 enhanced is because of the cost.

The problem with this is you don't know unless you ask if your area or city has 911 enhanced system.

I think all 911 calls should have the enhanced version.

thank you.

Thank you Judge Judy for your honest and straightforward answers. I highly respect you and agree wholeheartedly with your opinions! Ariverderchi! Love it and your show.

Larry, please have Judge Judy on again.

I don't watch her show, but loved the reality she had to offer. I also would like her on again.

Interesting point, Pete. Some would argue that all crime stems from mental disorder. Not sure I agree. Greed causes people to steal, and professional hitmen murder for the money.

I agree with Judge Judy. People need to develop the courage to admit that some criminals don't change. It's not "nice" to hear or say such a thing, but it's true. How many times do we inflict injury on the innocment because we lack the commitment to be unwavering? Sexual offenders and also those convicted of murder should be held for life. Simple as that. By the way, his wife is a sexual offender too! Let's not forget that!

There is no actual diagnosis for murderer! There is no DX for rage. It is incorporated in other diagnosis... usually personality disorders which is different from schizophrenia or bi-polar. 25 years ago, there was a disorder called sociopath, but that was divided into several categories.

Personally, I would like to see a diagnosis of A _ _ hole!!!

@ robert

Do you have an elementary school close by? If you do, I recommend you move! Your children are NOT safe!

Larry King now I know why I never watch you. You just interviewed my nephew and you got atleast 6 things screwed up! Thank God Nathan was calm and strong enough to get as much information out about the 911 system that he is trying to reform. Atleast they are on his side.

I can't buy into all crime stemming from mental disorders, and I do believe that pedophilia is a mental disorder, but I just don't believe there is any proven treatment for it. Until then, whether it's 3-5% re-offenders or 75%, one is too many. I don't claim to have the ultimate solution, but I can only believe that they should remain in prision or in a mental institution where they cannot harm anyone ever again. A pedophile, in my opinion, should have no constitutional rights.

@ Christina Harman

Very tragic about the 911 was not responded to!

Changing of the guard?

The Red Sea is closing on Lake County, as corruption’s foul stench emerges from the sacred still lake. The complicit players are doing what they can to cover the increasingly evident truth: elected officials by their own rules with little to no regard for the taxpayers who put them in business. But the crooked framework is cracking and people nationwide are seeing the putrid foul truth. In a feeble attempt to placate the poor Lake county public, the police chief has called upon media allies and other local figureheads to chair a debriefing – essentially a damage control session. After all, the DA Jon Hopkins put enormous time, effort and local taxpayer money (which is already tight in these recessive times) to try to convict an innocent sailor of manslaughter in an effort to protect a power hungry, booze-filled speed-demon in a high-powered speed boat – who happened to be the number two man in the police force. Sadly for them, he failed. Now the question is will anyone be held accountable for the untimely death of an innocent mother? Or will the people of Lake County continue to allow themselves to be bullied, victimized and deceived by those whose job it is to serve them.

In truth,

Bob Trueman
Orlando, Fl.

If Judge Judy were speaking of any other minority, she would be label a fanatic. Most of her data was wrong, but she can certainly whip up a lynch mod in nothing-flat. And then how would she judge herself having put a flame to the bad side of town to get rid of those sorts of people? She is beginning to sound like Nancy Grace.

I would like to hear what Judge Judy thinks of the following people. Is she aware that John Walsh had a sexual addiction that he received treatment for? Maybe not with a minor, but left untreated, where might that have lead? Rep. Mark Foley of Florida acted inappropriately with congressional pages who were minors. He doesn’t appear on a registry. Is he considered a threat to society? Do you know that Mark Lunsford and his son, Joshua, (father and brother to Jessica of "Jessica's Law") have a history of sex offenses? Is anyone fearing living in the same neighborhood as them? Yet, these people have escaped the heavy hand of the law and now stand before the public advocating that anyone committing a sex offense should never be allowed to dwell in society in a normal fashion ever again. Does Judge Judy think they are going to reoffend? There has got to be a true distinction between a monster such as Garrido and the thousands of non-violent offenders who acted out foolish impulses. The sex offender registry is so cluttered with low risk offenders, that the true threats to society are safely hidden from law enforcement.

Thanks for sharing on the use of maps and locators of sexual predators online. I looked at my local area map and fortunately not many dots in my immediate neighborhood, but in other parts of my city i was shocked at so many. Although may kids are grown, i will pay attention more often for my neighbors' benefit, thanks larry.

@ carol s. i feel if the parole officers feel that the offenders should be set free, they should move in with the parole officers family....then they might think a little harder about letting them out !!!!

There should be manditory sentences for sexual offenders and they should get the maxium sentence and NOT time off for good behavior. They always end up doing it again.

One can only shake their head in utter wonderment while violent felons and pedophiles are cleared out of prison early ,on parole, to make more room in jails while people are kept there taking up space for no real reason for things like simple possession of an herb that has been proven safer than over the counter products. Where is your liberty, balance, sanity in this?

HEY LARRY

IT WOULD BE BETTER AND SAFER WORLD IF JUDGE JUDY SHE RAN THE WORLD.

YOUR TRULY, 'MISTER FRANK'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I totally agree with Judge Judy but my question is shouldn't the sex preditor law be changed so that the young boys say 18 that date a girl 16 don't get on this list . Judge Judy just addressed what I am saying. The only thing is the young boys are put on this list and we get bogged down with that instead of having the list be "REAL. Thank you

NO, I don't believe pedophiles can ever be rehabilitated . And I think that until the Law figures this out Our children will continue to pay the price. Maybe we need to knockdown Alcatraz and build a modern super max facility and Keep all the pedophiles there for the rest of their sick lives.

Judge Judy Rocks!!! I'm with you...let's kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out. That woman will never be right as her childhood was stolen by a pervert!! He should die a painful death.

Why aren't SEX OFFENDERS low-jacked or fitted with transmitters and children ALSO fitted with them so police can track the movements of children AND sex offenders. Then the child's transmitter sounds an alarm when a sex offender is within 100 yards AND police also can track it. And while you're at it, it calls the parents' cell phone so they can be alerted as well.

It's not technically very difficult: Judge Judy could have figured this out with her 40 years of experience but didn't bother. Why not? She's lost faith in humanity or she gets paid more money to maintain that image for television. Either way it's sad.

I think Judge Judy is spot on!!!!!! Some people can not be rehabilitated; we need more judges with her common sense taking charge in this country!

Judge Judy , while you are obviously intelligent , and make some valid points, your style comes across as too much of a moralistic know-it-all. You do not have the answers to everything, and you could have campaigned against obviously absurd laws, and could perhaps have helped change some, with your influence, While you have rendered some sound judgments over the years, your style often comes across as smug , taunting, and somehow demeaning to the common person. You do have an entertaining show, and maybe some of that abrasiveness aids in your ratings. But in your private life, I would like to think you have a more sober judgment of your own importance in the larger scheme of things. Best wishes for your future work.

Can judgmental and vindictive Americans be rehabilitated? Or are they doomed to a life of imprisonment behind walls of bitterness, justification, mistrust, and unforgiveness?

Larry asked the question tonight as to whether the Sexual Offenders' Registry is an effective tool. My short answer, "No."

This database is just there to give us all a false sense of security, but we, the general public, cannot access it to determine whether someone we have suspicions about is on this list. We can't violate their privacy by answering such inquires. I had such suspicions, but couldn't get access to the information. The man in question was my new boyfriend, and his roomate was a federal officer. That didn't stop my nagging doubts, or the inevitable fact that he raped and beat me. Only after the attack, was it revealed to me by law enforcement, that he was on the Sexual Offenders' Registry.

My attacked ran the night of the attack and now, more than a year later, is still at large. Despite a nation warrant for his arrest, the police admit, they aren't really looking for him. They just assume they will get him eventually, perhaps at a roadside stop. Never mind the fact he isn't meeting his legal obligation to "check in" annually, or with every address change.

As long as the public can't access the registry, and the police won't breach the offender's confidential information, the Sexual Offenders' Registry is simply a placebo design to make us feel safe, but offers none of us a cure.

Any person whom touches in any way shape or form in the wrong way to a child or other person should have the same done to them, and then be done away with! I say if we cant kill them drop their butts off in the middle of the ocean and let them fend for them selves! Garrido will meet his maker and so will his wife, she is just as guilty as he is shame on her for living the sick and wrong life with him and doing what she did to all the kids that they hurt.

JUDGE JUDY FOR PRESIDENT!!

I am enjoying watching you and Judge Judy, and I decided to check with web page for Family Watchdog. It would not work. Is there another way to check for "offenders". Your show is always great.

Judge Judy
I have worked in the courts and jails in canada and have been exposed if you will ,to many ...many sex offenders. I am curious whether you would be impartial in the event you would be in a position of sentencing this type of offender? I admired you and feel there should be more judges like you in the world, however would the "offender" get a fair trial if you were presiding over a case such as this?
Thanks very much
Cindy, Alberta Canada

REPETITIVE AND COMPULSIVE SEX OFFENDERS SUCH AS MR. GARRIDO SHOULD NEVER BE PAROLED! THEY SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO CIVIL COMMITMENT FOR LI! I BET JUDGE JUDY WOULD AGREE. I HAVE WORKEESD IN CORRECTIONS FOR MANY YEARS, AND I HAVE YET TO SEE ANY OF THESE OFFENDERS BE REHABILITATED.

I HOPE YOU CAN GET THIS ON THE AIR WHILE JUDGE JUDY IS ON THE SHOW. IT IS I8MPORTANT!
THANK YOUY!

TRICIA D. LAMNBERTVILLE, NJ.

I am a bible believing Christian and agree completely with Judge Judy in that all child molesters should be killed. In fact it's straight from the bible. There would not be as many red dots if the punishments were more severe. I also believe ALL violent offenders should be killed. Now that is JUSTICE.

You ill-informed people who push laws against victemless crimes , then complain about paying taxes, so these pedophiles, rapists , murderers, armed robbers etc. are released instead of kept jailed longer. You have little right to complain when these real criminals get out early and are roaming your streets. A little common sense could go a long way here. Do NOT crowd our prisons with those who have committed "victemless crimes," then piss and moan when due to overcrowding, you alow them to release actual offenders on early parole or waste time, hunting, falsely jailing,and tying up the court and parole systems with these ridiculous matters. Concentrate on crime not taking away American 's freedoms who are harming no one.

JUDGE JUDY GO-GO-GO, GET THESES UN-WANTED AWAY FROM US... I LIVE IN A 179 APT COMPLEX, WE HAVE A SEX OFFENDER -POOL SIDE, LIVING WITH A WOMAN AND HER SON. I HAVE WATCH THIS BOY FOR 9 YEARS, GOING FROM A NORMAL SIZE GRADE SCHOOL BOY, TO NOW BEING OBESE, NEVER SEEING HIM WITH ANYONE BUT THE MAN, WHO PICKED HIM UP FROM SCHOOL. MY MANAGERS TOLD ME THAT AS LONG AS HE IS REGISTERED, THERES NOTHING TO BE DONE. I WAS RAPED BY MY BOSS AT AGE 13, I AM NOW 66YRS. OLD AND YOU ARE RIGHT, IT CHANGED ME FOREVER....WE DON'T RECOVER

The court system is evil, in the chicago area there are over two hundred cases where the courts have given children over to the abusive Parent, the Claim (falsely) Parent Alienation Syndrom.
So, if The honorable judge is interested in changing things she only has to look as far as the next court room. I can give you a case where the Mother has been put in Jail held unconstitutionally and separated from her childern who are wards of the state, the childern refuse to go to their pedephile father who has never been charged even though the D.A. has a file 12" thick and thirty witness'

Larry,
Judge Judy is not only beautiful, but is extremely Intelligent. It was clearly evident in the superb way she qickly identified the ownship of responsibility in the case of the release of a violent sexual predatore with an extensive history as Phillip Garrido. This is just one example of many others being released into the community on a daily basis with simular or more heineous history than Garrido. Judge Judy is correct in questing whether or not the Offiicals in charge of California's Corrections/Parole Division is capable of reviiewing these cases appropriately prior to release of any incarcerated Felons, specifically, Violent Sexual Predators. The safety and security of the community is always the first priority of the Parole Board. There is no Rehabilitation for a Pediphile. The prison is filled with them and as you saw for yourself so is the Community. I just pray for the innocent children/victims.

Thank you for your time

Larry,
Judge Judy needs to be falsely accused of a crime and then found guilty! I actually wouldn't wish that on anyone but... thank you Larry for being tough back with her. Sexual predators are scary and possibly incapable of rehabilitaton but drug offenders and other criminals.... it should not be "Judge Judy" it should be "Psychic Judy." The Jaycee case is so tragic and they should be tougher on violent sex offenders but hindsight is 20/20. She is so cookie cutter like every case is the same and thank you for not just listening to her but pushing back a little. She is in her own little Judy money making machine bubble! Yuck! Think Rush and the pain killers...LOVED IT!!!

I am a 48 yr old woman who has encountered 4 pedophiles who exposed themselves to me, before I was even 10 years old. I was almost raped at the age of 12, however, I was able to fight off my attacker and run.

In answer to your question, can pedophiles be rehabilitated, the answer is, emphatically NO! This is a much larger problem in our society than we realize. I agree with Judge Judy... build more prisons and lock them up for life!

So grateful to hear someone finally stand up and say what we all feel. thank you Judge Judy–My question at this point is how can we, the public, take action so that laws are changed to protect society and how can we start holding bad judges, parole officers and law enforcement accountable when they fail us and the poor victims so often. When and how can the public start to get rid of these people who make such terrible decisions for all of us by letting obviously dangerous people back into our communities?

MERRILLEE,

If you think you will never be recovered beacuse you were molested, then you will never be recoverd.
Two wrongs never make a right.
If you were raped/molested, then i thing you need counseling and rehab.
Any experience is a life changing event. If you had sex for the first time with you boy friend, that would also be a life changing experience, only thing this was consensual. Think about it.
Let it go, rather than hold keep it inside you and get angry.
And certainly dont judge others.

I checked the pedo repot for my neighborhood a couple years ago and guess what? A man who had commited lewd acts with a child under 14 lived right next door to the elementary school! I recall seeing that man at the local Circle K store. Couldn't believe it! He's gone now......but geez.......................

Pedophiles should be hung publicly. That would be justice, I am an incest survivor. I did not feel better til my grandfather died. I pray for Jaycee and her family

Judges in Nevada do not have to follow the Rules of Procedure. ESPECIALLY family court. They sleep with the attorneys or want ot "close the case" quickly to clear their calendar. Top that with the "behind closed doors" of the NV SC deciding appeals. I was not even afforded an evidentiary hearing when my case was "shuffled" to a new judge - after 3 years. The new judge did not even base his conclusions on the "moving papers" of the opponents. He made up conclusions. Should I appeal? The case is sealed just like all family court cases are - so the judges and attorneys "abuse of descretion" can be hidden. No wonder that creep got out in Nevada and went to California. Put those creeps and the judge who let him free IN the regular jail - the other prisoners will kill all of them. My granddaughter is in peril because the "new judge" threw my case in the garbage can. She lives with 2 alcoholics/illlegal drug users.

I was told I cannot take my case to a federal court from LV Family Court - how is this possible?

To Judge Judy,

Why are you even a Judge???
You say that you were flashed when you were 6 or 7 years old while going to school and its been in your head with stong feelings since then.

So you will always be biased against such alleged people even if the facts are not true.
So if some girl wants to put a guy in trouble, all she has to do is allege that a particular guy exposed to her.

And if you are the Judge, that guy is gone. His life will be in Jail forever since you had a bad experience at one time in your life.

Think about the unintended consequences when a Judge will have such feelings.

Please RESIGN immediately if you are still a judge anywhere in this earth.
------

48 year old woman,

Are you telling us that the 4 people who exposed to you are same as Mr. Garrido the child kidnapper and rapist??

Judge Judy;
Don't you think the Sex Offender Registery has been dilluted. That is, it is inundated with the immature 21 year old guy with a 16 year old mature girlfriend who ends up on the registry? Perhaps the registration criteria should be amended so that it actually means something.

Thank God that she mentioned the fact that there is a a difference between Sex Offenders. My son is a sex offender because he had sex with his girlfriend. This whole sex offender thing has allowed loud and emotional women like Judge Judy to sit up there and tell everyone she was flashed when she was a child. It the same thing as asking a black man if he has ever had been a part of raicial profiling and the black man says ...I was pulled over by a cop once...I know it was because I was black. Judge Judy was right when she said the system is screwed up. We could bring more attention to it if we focused on actual sex offenders. However the law pretty much incarserates just about every man that looks a girl younger than him. I must add Judge Judy reminds me of a law student in her last year who used to take me to my room when I was sixteen and ask me to fondal her. THis law does not go after the 1000's of women that hunt down young men on line aggressively seeking them out like preditors no no but if a man is caught with pictures on his computer he can be arrested in some states and countries.

Thank God for Judy! Larry, This Show is The Most Important one you ever did!!!! Hopefully for this, the Laws will change. No More Paroles for Sex Offenenders one way or the other! Judge Judy is Fenomenal and stuck to her guns. I Salut you Judy! ps. (I was crying through the show thinking about what these Victims went through) No Justice for them!!!!!

The Police is to blame, they did not do their job. Busy writing parking tickets I supose!!!!!!!

Rocky – you totally missed her point! She was stating that that past event has stuck with her since it occurred and imagine what it must be like to be the victim of a sexual assault/rape/kidnapping. She never said once that all 'exposers/flashers' were rapists/kidnappers, although why would someone expose themselves to a child if they didn't get aroused or a 'rise' from doing it? Perhaps they're on their way to committing more serious offences. Do you not think that someone who exposes themselved to a child in such an inappropriate is a criminal??? Of course we all have past experiences that will bias us, we can't get away from that. I don't care – she was great, and I agree with her!

Rocky – and your post to Merilee...Unacceptable! How dare you tell someone who has been violated in such a disgusting and violent way what they need! Have you ever been raped? The victim of child sexual abuse? Yes – we have a choice of whether we let the experience kill us or make us stronger. If you have not been a victim yourself, then you do not understand the complexity of it. Do victims not have the right to be angry when their violators are released from prison? Do they not have the right to fear for their lives when the person who did those awful things to them is out walking around as if nothing has happened? I was a victim of childhood sexual abuse and yes – I decided to move on and live my life. It took a long time, though. The experience is a part of who I am, and when I think about what happened, of course...I get upset and angry with the person who did those things to me. Do I not have that right? I pray that every victim is able to move on and live happy lives, but some are so scarred. It's not as easy as saying 'snap out of it – you have a choice'. It happens all in their time...Not yours! Sheesh........!

Rocky

Most children raped, unless found out at a very early age will never be the same. The 48 yr old woman fought off her attacker at a young age. People believe if the same happened to them, they would be different. The fact is that they too would be the same.

Read up on top, Today I am permanently mentally ill due to my abuses.

Remember this is a small child facing trauma. They have found that there is a change in the brain development in a small child who has been severely traumatized. This change can now be seen physically. The same development in the brain is found in those that have committed suicide. In fact many of those who committed suicide didn't do so because of a failed relationship or lost money, and it was not a selfish act. Unknowing to the victim, as they attempted to process reasoning at an emotional time, memories touched those from the childhood trauma. The mind will quickly abort reasoning as a protective mechanism, self trained to avoid the horrors. The result is that a heightened emotion sets in replacing needed reasoning, the worst now happens. You see the childhood trauma was never dealt with, to the child it was too horrific. It is still wrapped around a child's logic, now as an adult. - This inability to reason correctly is a quirk now, Even if suicide is not the option taken, the victim will find other self destructive methods.

Also note that a pedophile will down play the effects of abuse, please don't help them.

Jenn, nice post.

I hope that Rockey is simply naive and needs help understanding. There is NO minimizing such crimes, whether against a child or an adult.

One of the biggest problems is that we do not educate others through the media about the effects.

The RCC for example downplays rape of children. They deflect and deceive. More so they stop laws from giving victims justice by hiring top notch Lobbyist.

Here are two examples;

1. They promote that others rape, so trying to make us think they are not so bad. They do this by promoting the Hofstra Study; stating public schools have more abuses. Yet that study is tainted. It includes "Hi Mary, you look nice in that dress": as sexual abuse. The reality is that if the same study were applied to Catholic schools the claims would be considerably higher. Almost all abuses against them we hear about where sodomy and rape. (All abuses are wrong, just that this organization fights the exposure by not taking ownership. If a religion does this, then it sends a message that child rape is not so bad.)

2, Those who rape children need a place to hide and the False Memory Syndrome offers just that. The small group that founded this institution was lead by a psychiatrist who was protecting a family member from acts of pedophilia. The reality is that this individual accused was an alcoholic with a tainted past. Another founder of this organization was caught publicly stating that he supported man child relationships. The RCC used this foundation to call victims liars. The reality is that trauma memories become more real that most other memories. In fact false memories of trauma are nearly non-existent. Some victims settled for money if they signed a document stating it was accidental. (If you break an arm as a child. you will remember not being able to ride a bike. Memories of friends signing your cast are real. Too many surrounding events. Child rape is an enormous trauma, memories become revealed and have surrounding events to validate.)

We need Americans to help victims by calling their Assembly and Senate members to open a Window legislation to enable victims to identify their abusers. Right now the RCC runs New York State, they buy elected officials. Tell them that you will vote them out. Also remember that the most violent pedophiles will traumatize victims for a life time. There should be no age limit on victims coming forward or we let the most violent go free. Also, proving is easy as these pedophiles average 80 victims that many times don't know of each other. Independent verification is real and unlike murder, the primary witness is likely still alive.

Why attack the RCC? They are the ones who pay lobbyist to protect ALL pedophiles; those in public schools and those in neighborhoods.

"We can teach our children to tell us everything. If they never come home, they can tell us nothing."

Jenn and Pete,

Understand that a pedophile has been a victim too in their childhood.
I am sympathetic to victims of flashers and other sex crimes. But to convict someone based on "perhaps" is unacceptable also.

""""Perhaps they’re on their way to committing more serious offences. Do you not think that someone who exposes themselved to a child in such an inappropriate is a criminal??? """"

Victims also need counseling and rehabilitation. Don't just get angry and go about putting people in jails forever. They need counseling and sympathy and rehabilitation, not jails forever.
People who rape need a place to accept their reaponsibility in counseling and therapy, if they are hiding.
Mr. Garrido never got counseling and rehab. I have not heard a single word so far in cnn or judge judy that said anything about counseling and rehab efforts to Mr. garrido when he got out or in prison.
Thats the reason we have 2 million people in jails here in this country, the highest of any developed world.
Maybe he is wired wrong, but that does not mean he has to die or sit in prison forever. We just dont know how to deal with such people. So putting them away for life is not a solution.
Its like euthanising a dog that has become violent. Wow .... good solution jenn.

God Bless you.

I doubt anyone would question whether or not a perpetrator was abused. Victims generally either identify with the perpetrator, or with the victim aspect. Fortunately the majority identify with the victim. Victims know what it feels like to be harmed and would not want others to experience the same.

Also, many perpetrators have developed as the result of dominant parents and some are simply sexually selfish.

Humans are no different than animals, except that we have a bit more heightened senses. many animals show love, compassion and have a conscious sense of existence. However an animal which has killed a human will do it again when the opportunity and need strike. Just as the owners presence will deter the animal, so won't the presence of societies laws deter the human from harming a child. To think otherwise is only fantasy. They can tell you they are cured or that they have a wonderful story of their transformation. All lies and cunning behavior.

This is why we must identify, especially the most violent pedophiles. This is why in NYS, for example, we need to enable a Window legislation WITHOUT age limits to expose these.

The RCC stops victims who are US Citizens from getting justice through their lobby efforts. There must be a lot more to hide for them to pay such high cost lobbyist.

We all need to call those in our assembly and senate and tell them that we want to expose the most violent pedophiles as I stated earlier. Right now the RCC offers promises to these officials to stop laws from passing. We all lose, all families and victims whether Catholic or not. Tell your senators and Assembly that the Catholic church DOES NOT run our country as they let them do. Tell them that you want full expose or expect NO re-election.

Let me address "all pedos are not bad".

I have spoken to a therapist who works with pedophiles. I have also done much other research. Yes, there are those who started to advance on a child but withdrew quickly because it was wrong. The therapist I spoke with noted that at the time of advancement, it was not planned and the person was not in an aware state. However the key is, they caught themselves. You will not hear of people getting prosecuted for these things..

Also, pedophiles are pedophiles forever. A friend of the bishop who raped me was arrested just two years ago for lewd behavior. He was 86. These people start in their early twenties and go on for the rest of their lives. They hate children, sex is not so important as cruelty they enjoy placing on children.

This is why laws should enable Window legislation with NO age limit to identify the most violent pedophiles. The most violent pedophile will traumatize their child victim for many years into the future. By the time the victim wakes from their trauma, laws now protect the violent pedophile. Meanwhile the violent pedophile has been traumatizing new victims, only for those victims to also wake up when it is too late to prosecute.

Thank the Catholic church for paying High cost lobbyist to enable these pedophiles freedom. You might wonder exposing the true volumes of pedo priests and which bishops they are are trying to hide.

We all lose because the favors the Catholic church gives to our elected officials to stop them from writing laws that are fairly balanced.

Pedophiles should never see the light of day. Life with no chance of parole is the only sentence for these sick individuals. I believe they should be incarcerated with their crime tattooed across their foreheads. Let the other inmates take care of the justice

Hanson and Bussiere's 1998 meta analysis of 61 studies showed the recidivism rate of sex offenders to be between 12.7 and 18.9 percent depending on type of previous conviction. Other types of crime average 64%. Judy should stop her hysterical lies.

JustSaying ....very easy to say that...hope u dont have any friends, parents, relatives or siblings who can be classified as pedophile 'causesomeone abused them as a child...

Ed..Judge Judy should not even be a Judge.

Can u imagine we have so biased people in this country as judges........No wonder there are 2 million people inside our jails, the highest of any country in the western world. The only growth industry and the safest job in our country is law enforcement and people who work in the government's justice system besides healthcare ofcourse.
It will be safe to say in few years that these two industries...will make up the american economy.
Healthcare including medicare and medicaid is 50% of the american economy.
Law Enforcement make up another 20% including jails required to house our prisoners which people like Judge Judy an Nancy Grace want to put them forever.
About 12 % of the economy is paying for interest to debt from China and other countries.
God Bless the USA!!!!!!

Rocky I understant a bit of what you are saying "JustSaying ….very easy to say that…hope u dont have any friends, parents, relatives or siblings who can be classified as pedophile ’causesomeone abused them as a child…"

Although your statement holds some truth, it is only true in fewer cases. There are many other factors involved. I have read that as high as 17% of those abused are likely to abuse others because they identified with the abuser. However, harming a child is still wrong and there should be no escape.

Most all know what they are doing is wrong with one exception, those that are severely mentally retarded due to the abuse. This group is easy to identify.

The others vary in nature of the abuse. One group looks, another touches and another sodomizes. The last group is the group that is most likely to cause permanent harm on the child or even death.

I don't advocate killing or mutilating anyone, even murderers. I do believe that all levels of pedophilia need to be punished. I would expect that most, including myself, would not want any of those in the groups I have identified living near me or anyplace where there are children. I would hope you agree.

There should be levels of punishment based on the severity of the crime. However there ought to be some kind of method to establish which level might advance to the next one.

Another note: Even if someone does not have direct contact with children, those who view child porn cause damage to more children than the rest do. The reason is that those children filmed are severely abused in some film some place at some time. The US is the largest subscriber to child porn and that is disgusting.

If those who do not care about the children abused, then maybe you might consider the cost to our country, tax dollars.

Over 30% of males and over 55% of females incarcerated have been sexually abused as children according to the Dept of Justice. (Jailed for NON-sexual crimes.) Ever hear anyone say "They are in jail again, don't they ever learn their lesson?" The answer is NO, they are still traumatized. Many others are drug addicts and others have committed suicide. This is an enormous cost for growth in police forces, jails and courts,.. Huge numbers directly caused by child molesters.

The media should help educate society on trauma. I'd bet most people have no concept of the effects of living a life in this emotionally driven state of mind. I imagine most would be horrified to imagine someone waking up from a trauma much later in life to realizing the worst trauma of all – you never lived your childhood or adulthood.

Nothing can be crueler to realizing a lost life and then suffering mental illness for the remainder of life. You see if we lose a leg, arm or sight, people notice and adjustments to life begin early on. Someone in a trauma doesn't get that chance. Decades will pass, sometimes they are in their 70's before they wake from the trauma. When they wake is when they are able to begin adjusting, but the lost life is an unbelievable trauma.

Fact: Most victims of abuse have a lower life expectancy.

BTW: these are the victims that the Catholic Church does not want anyone to hear about. These are the people they pay lobbyists to stop laws from giving justice to and exposing the perpetrators. We need all citizens to tell their assembly and senate that we need a Window legislation with no age restrictions to expose the worst criminals. Right now the RCC owns your elected officials, especially in NY.

Rocky . . . . Why is it ok for someone who was absued to go out and abuse someone else? When does it end? Life without parole is a deterant. If I did have someone in my family who was a pedophile I would not want them around my kids that is a fact!

As someone with a legal background I dont watch Judge Judy's show because I think she is too off the cuff and gives the impression that she follows legal procedures. But, she has something that is greatly lacking today COMMON SENSE

Justsaying,

I did not say it was ok for someone who was abused to go out and abuse someone else. But these are traits one who has been abused learns as a child.
What is need is that they have to unlearn this. This is done by education, therapy and counseling.
That is also the reason, that such education should be mandatory in schools for each and every child, so that even if anyone is not known to have been abused learns that "Abuse" is wrong and causes irrepairable harm............as opposed to putting people behind bars for lifelong, which is barbaric, and in doing so we are abusing this person twice; once by his abuser and other time legally abusing the abused person by putting him in prison or putting his face and address in a so called sex offender list.
I hope if everyone gets this simple fact of abused people, life will be so much better.

Larry: I am listening to your interview with Judge Judy. I am a Canadian Citizen and a Psychologist. If Psychiatrists or Psychologists, who determine the mental capabilites of a convicted sex offender of re-offending, were made to put their professional standing on the line to assure the public of the safety of a sex offender, they would all still be in jail. If there is a minute possibility of recidivism, then the courts and parol boards should err on the side of the public safety. We have the same problem in Canada. I am not a proponent of the Death Penalty, however, I believe, that violent sexual offenders, especially peodophiles, are unredeemable and should not be allowed to "ever" be allowed back in society, and if that is going to back up the prison system, then I believe that they should , with consideration of their crime, be given the death penalty. I deal on a daily basis with people whose issues are resultant of these types of offenders, and they have a life sentence, and all too often, unable to deal with the realities of what happened to them at the hands of these offenders, a death sentence.

Cheryl-Lynn Steernberg, M.A. Cnslg. Psych., MPCP

I haven't got forty years as a judge, but I have actually looked at the REAL statistics on sex offenders and they are NOT as Judge Judy says. I find it odd that we hear these statistics quoted over and over again without attribution, and no one questions them. I challenge everyone to google sex offender and recidivism. What you will find will amaze you. There is a lesson in this about the danger of popular media and a gullible public not just in this matter but in so many things our news sources tell us without attribution. Oh, and yes I do clearly believe what sex offenders do is a crime and worthy of severe punishment, but it isn’t the open and shut matter that the media would have us believe. But then the popular media has a vested interest in alarming everyone. It sells better than the boring truth.

The entire issue starts at the sentencing of a pedophile. Unfortunately there is no rehabilitation for these people. So they must be given the maximum sentence allowed by the law. So therefore the Laws need to be stronger allowing for harsher penalties. Another problem is the fact that many sex offenders are being placed in special prisons for SEX OFFENDERS. I believe they need to be placed in regular prisons with regular convicts and then , maybe then, there can be some justice. When a murderer kills a person that person suffers only that 1 death.
When a pedophile rapes and tortures a child that child suffers for LIFE and may just as well become a BAD person themselves in the future. Yet he murderer can be held for life or even be given the death penalty, the pedophile is given free cable tv, free food free medical care and one day FREEDOM. I fail to see the justice in all of this.

Rocky, to say that there are just a "few"cases is like saying that the Bubonic Plague was a mild form of the flu. Sexual offenders, whether they be peodophiles, or psychopathic/sociopathic sexual preditors, have the highest percentage of recidivism. Not only that, but now that people have "started" to speak out about their abusers it is becoming more and more clear that these types of preditors are very prevelant in our society. And what about the unreported attacks. Women are still afraid of societies scorn and blame and the backlash. A lot of these women are suffering from PTSD and don't want to have to revisit over and over the trauma that was their attack.

And then there is that group of sexual predators who attack children and young men. There are still a lot of parents who don't want to allow their children to testify in such cases because of the traumatic effect on the child. So a tremendous amount of cases go unreported still today because of the stigma of the attacks on the victims. Parents not believing their children that Reverend Black took them into the vestry and raped them.

You made reference to my profession, Rocky, well before I started doing this work some 20 years ago, I was like you an uninformed idealist who didn't believe in the death penalty for anything, But believe me when you've dealt with as many women and men who have been damaged so badly from these predators, you might change your mind.

Rocky, if you read my first post, I said, that if Psychologists or Psychiatrists who are doing the assesssments on these predators had to stake their professional standing on their advice that this person would not reoffend, these predators would never be allowed out of prison, because no person could guarantee that. And would you be prepared to live next door to someone who was violent sexual offender and put your wife and children at risk....I wonder

When I saw this rather alarming map of the distribution of sex offenders in the location pulled up during the Larry King program something occurred to me. If the public perception of the recidivism rate of sex offenders were true then in the region shown on that map, there would have to be an apocalyptic rash of sex crimes. No one in this region would be able to let there children out of their site! Isn’t it odd that it would seem this is not that case? I wonder if that means that the objective statistics demonstrating the low recidivism rate of sex offenders might right after all?

To Reason, the Judge guy.

Fact is pedophilia propagates. The real threat and damage to society is never addressed.

A pedophile will hide behind "I am cured". Pedophiles may wait sometimes 10 to 15 years before their next prey. Pedophiles who rape WILL likely rape again and those are small prepubescent children they rape – violent sexual abuse. These are those who are capable of murdering small children whether intentionally or not.

The problem we have is our judges do not allow past statutes of limitations cases where victims are traumatized because our judges either have no concept of trauma or are supportive of the Catholic church. The Catholic fights against victims because they have unquestionably the highest rate of child molestation that any other organization. Reports can not get to the public because courts refuse to hear cases -> over 20% of RCC clergy molests children and I can back that statement.

You see, if our judges were fair, they would allow for the "Mentally ill" rule due to trauma. They refuse to and that is unbelievably unfair to victims and society. Judges have no idea of how wrong they are. A child raped is traumatized well into late life at times. It is not possible in any way for these victims to come forward any sooner. More so, it is many times easier to prove pedophilia than any other crime when the perpetrator is outside the family. The reason, is they average such a high number of victims enabling a high volume of witnesses.

Understand violent pedophiles and understand trauma, and then maybe judges will act with some sense of responsibility. Right now Judges allow violent pedophiles freedom in NYS. Pedophiles will traumatize the victim so far into the future that there is no way the victim will get justice, meanwhile the violent pedophile is traumatizing new children.

I will hold an argument with anyone, no matter their credentials, on this topic. The population IS NOT over reacting, in fact the media under reports. <– Fact.

"You can teach your children to tell you everything. If they never come home, they can tell you nothing"

BTW Judge Reason

If you understand the three levels of pedophilia, you might realize that there are two levels that are almost 100% uncurable and will repeat their acts if given the right chance to do so. It is all about opportunity for those. Google as you wish, however make sure you google with the right key words.

Thank you Cheryl-Lynn for a wonderful post.

One other point that has been twisted as a result of the Catholic Church finding a place to hide behind; FMS. False Memory Syndrome is an organization whose founder was out to protect a family member who was accused of pedophilia. This person was an alcoholic with a tainted past. Another founder was caught in Europe stating it was OK for grown men to have relationships with small boys.

This organization was created to enable the criminal to call the raped victim a liar. There is no medical term called FMS although the Catholic church loves it. In fact false memories are nearly non-existent when trauma from rape is involved. If someone broke an arm as a youngster, they would remember wearing the cast, no able to ride a bike and maybe friends signing it. These memories have too many events around them. If we applied FMS to all cases, then we would never prosecute anyone for any crime, after all witnesses wouldn't be believed.

Trauma is another reason that victims do not come forward. A traumatized victim lives a life of utter "thought chaos". Pretending to live a life is their reality. Acknowledging a rape is nearly impossible as the mind continuously hops from thought to thought, a horrible life.

Our judges do not treat victims of severe trauma fairly. Imagine getting robbed of your life. You finally wake from your trauma realizing you never had a chance to live your life, and now you are raped again by a judge who unfairly rules statutes of limitations to protect the most violent pedophiles.

Wish people would stop for a moment and stop pretending they know all, listen instead. People pretend they can mentally place themselves as a victims and act out differently. Doing that is fantasizing. Same as those who think they would have overtaken the terrorist in the 911 jets, wrong. We had enough sampling of people in the planes to unquestionably know they would have acted the same.

Also, victims of violent abuse who live a life in trauma without anyone finding out they are in a trauma are different than those who are discovered at an earlier age.

"Nearly 25% of child victimizers were age 40 or older, " ..Dept of Justice

How long have they been abusing children? Since their 20's more often and we didn't catch them for those crimes. Pedophiles are cunning which is why they don't get caught. The violent ones will abuse children to the point the child is traumatized well into late life, unreported cases. Do they re-victimize? Most likely YES.

Recidivism rates apply only for those caught. They simply don't get caught most often. The over 40 number validates that. If for one moment people believe the rates published, the pedophiles have them fooled well. After all, the most deceitful and cunning of all criminals is found among pedophiles.

We are unlikely to catch the vast majority of the most viscous pedos, Now look at the few here that have been fooled including a proclaimed judge. Until we get this right, we all lose.

Cheryl-Lynn Steernberg,
A few cases of violent crime by SVPs compared to few cases bubonic plague as flue do not make any sense.

About your profession you do need to come up with a better solution rather than give a death sentence to SVPs or other sex offenders like you have advised here.

I agree ... everyone is afraid of SVP's who live in their neighborhood. What about the people who are not classified as sex ofenders but have been abused when they were children ?? Do u need to be afraid of them too??

Think about it.... you cannot just give everyone of those a death sentence. Please get a better solution that this one just cause the recividism rate is high for such people, you want them to take the death penalty. If u had said that life in prison till they get healthy, i would have agreed. But u cant even make them healthy, can you???

Then i dont know why u are even in this profession if u cannot give such people a better healthy life.

To give them a death for their past behaviour will mean you just killer of people who might harm other people. That will probably wipe out 50000 to 100000 people who have been abused in their childhood and now they HAVE TO DIE cause u determined that they have a high recidivism rate.

Wow.... Great idea....is it ??

"I agree ... everyone is afraid of SVP's who live in their neighborhood. What about the people who are not classified as sex offenders but have been abused when they were children ?? Do u need to be afraid of them too?? "

This statement implies that all who where abused become abusers. False statement. You should first understand that 17% of those abused become abusers, and understand why. An abused child will either identify with their abuser or as a victim. Yes, those who identify with their abuser many times become abusers. What is also known is those who identify with the victim aspect, become child protectors.

While I do not advocate inhumane punishment on those who abuse, I do advocate we keep them from children, most would agree with this.

What we should all be most offended by is that the Catholic church has been the biggest obstacle in identifying the worst of child abusers. They fight against laws that would otherwise expose them, they moved priest who abused to new communities and they cover up crimes.

At best all Americans should demand our lawmakers hold this organization responsible for the cover-up of crimes. It seems their reputation is far more important than children's safety.

A question about the litigants on your show. Do you (the show) pay for them to come to LA for the show, and do you pay for the results of their case?

On Judge Judy's disappointment with President Obama.

A couple of thoughts:

1. What politician doesn't promise more than he can deliver on? Is anyone really surprised? If so, why?

2. There's little if anything a sitting President can fix on his own. It is a partnership between the people, the Legislative and Executive branches. Unfortunately, it's a partnership heavily burdened by partisan politics on both sides and influential lobbying organizations.

Things are definitely broken - but we all share responsibility for it - not just the sitting President!