CT- Anthony Maulucci: Allow sex predators chance to redeem themselves

9-19-2008 Connecticut:

As every American high school student knows, Hester Prynne was forced to wear the scarlet letter “A” for her act of adultery in 17th century Salem, Mass. Now in Southbury, Connecticut, David Pollitt, a convicted serial rapist, is being treated as if he wore the same insignia. His crimes should not be tolerated, but should he be condemned as a threat to the safety and moral well being of the town where he resides?

Fear and loathing have taken hold of many of the residents Southbury, and in a sense Puritanism has once again raised its ugly head. The community is passing judgment out of hatred for a despicable act and the fear that the former rapist could strike again.

No one can know for sure if those fears are justified. Pollitt’s crimes were heinous and inexcusable, and it is understandable that many of the people of Southbury would rather not take a chance on his possible recidivism.

The presence of a criminal in their midst is forcing members of this community to do some soul searching. In a sense, they are America in microcosm.

Sexual predators are a plague on our society, and they are not going away. In fact, their numbers seem to be increasing daily. No one knows why this is happening, but the problem cannot be solved by closing ranks and shutting them out. The more they are shunned, the more likely their psychosis will deepen, and the more likely they will be to strike again.

So what do we do with the David Pollitts of our society? Castration and/or transport to Australia are no longer options. Once released from prison, they have to be placed somewhere — in someone’s neighborhood within the U.S. It may be understandable that the people of Southbury would rather not have to deal with David Pollitt. No one wants to deal with him — except his family.

And maybe the family should be left alone to take care of him.

Granted, Pollitt needs serious counseling. But counseling alone may not be enough. Has a sexual predator ever been cured by counseling? Where else could Pollitt be given a better opportunity for rehabilitation than in the bosom of a loving family? And his potential rehabilitation could be a model for the rehabilitation of others. Rather than ostracizing them, rather than casting them out as pariahs and having to live in fear of the repetition of their crimes, we should return them to their families whenever possible and encourage those families to take the responsibility for helping them to heal themselves.

It is indeed a thorny moral dilemma, as difficult as Hester Prynne’s adulterous motherhood. Although rape is a crime that is far more serious than adultery, perhaps the solution can nevertheless be found in Hawthorne’s tale. Hester Prynne was allowed to remain in the community. She spent years as a sort of hospice nurse, redeeming herself while helping a community grow and heal itself in the process.

Perhaps if Pollitt and others like him were allowed to remain conspicuous and perform similar acts of redemption, the community of Southbury, and other American communities faced with such a choice, would find a way to forgive and move on. ..Source.. Opinion of Anthony Maulucci of Norwich is a novelist, poet and painter.