Excellent point about idiots versus truly dangerous child molester. What the writer misses, however, in discussing the average jail term for the latter is that a lot of these cases are settled by plea bargains, which by definition means less jail time, because children make lousy witnesses. Unless a prosecutor has adult eyewitnesses and/or overwhelming medical evidence, he or she would rather offer a plea to a lesser crime and get the guy off the street for however long s/he can.

Of course, if the prosecutor does have adult witnesses and overwhelming medical evidence, a defendant will leap at an offer.

JEFF EDELSTEIN: Coming soon, pervs in the 'burbs

http://www.trentonian.com/articles/20 ... a2f549f0f8c4493140774.txt

Published: Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Once again, our state lawmakers are making a lot of noise for very little result. They’re like a bunch of kids playing with pots and pans and calling it music.

The latest? Banning Megan’s Law registrants from living within 500 feet of schools, day care centers and playgrounds.

They are doing this because the state Supreme Court struck down more than 100 local ordinances that dictated where convicted sex offenders could and could not live.

Now on the surface, it seems like a wonderful idea. Keep perverts away from our kids!

Scratch the surface, and it’s just so much crud.

First off, let’s consider what this means for non-city dwellers — I’m talking to you, surburban folk. This law gets passed, there will be a steady influx of released sex offenders living in your leafy conclaves, as you can drop a nine-iron shot in any New Jersey city and hit a school, child-care center, or playground. So there’s that. (Not saying we should shuttle sex offenders into the cities, either; just pointing out the facts.)

In addition, let’s consider what 500 feet actually is. I measured it and walked it the other day. At a “leisurely stroll,” it took me 110 seconds to cover the ground. At a “jog,” 45 seconds. At “half-jog, ‘hey little boy, want some ice cream?’ and full sprint,” it took me less than 30 seconds.

So it’s nothing. This law would only protect our kids from wheelchair-bound and/or morbidly obese sex offenders.

And let’s not forget this legislation would do nothing at all should a convicted sex offender decide to move in next door to you.

So when the lawmakers pass the law, and the governor signs it with a flourish, know this much: our kids will be no safer from the scum of the Earth than they were before this toothless law was signed into existence.

So what should we do?

Glad you asked.

First off, we need to overhaul Megan’s Law. A 38-year-old man who molests a little kid is much different than a 22-year-old who beds a high school sophomore, and they should be treated differently once they get out of prison.

Basically, there needs to be some kind of cutoff between an idiot and a pedophile. Shall we call it high school? While not a perfect solution, it’s at least a start. We need to deal with the idiots, but lumping them together with true pedophiles is not the answer.

And when it comes to the true pedophiles, the people who prey on children too young to make decisions concerning their bodies... well, we need to deal with them a lot more harshly than we do right now.

According to the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, the average sentence a child molester gets is seven years, and the average child molester is released after three.

Run those numbers through your head. Mess with children, ruin lives, and you end up doing three lousy years.

This leaves two choices, then.

One, pass mandatory minimum laws for child molesters. We lock up drug users for mandatory terms, no shame in locking up child predators for a mandatory stretch of... well, how long? How about 30 years. Or life. Take your pick. You ask me, messing with kids is barely — barely — a step below murder.

Of course, there is another option on how to deal with this brand of the devil, though I can’t really describe it in detail in this space. Let’s just say in involves a rusty butter knife.

Or ... we can continue down the path the legislators are proposing, and let these freaks loose into our communities after a few years and force them to live at least 501 feet away from Mrs. Jones’ Tots ’R’ Us Daycare Center, but next door to you and your family. Yep. That sounds super.

Read Jeff Edelstein every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He can be reached at jedelstein@trentonian.com.