What? No mention of what my Representative did this year in passing Jessica's law??? Come on! That should have been the biggest story of the year, and the media keeps forgeting about it. As a delegate who pays attention to policy in Utah, I am disappointed in the things that get forgotten.

Whoa. Is this what I wanted to read on a Sunday morning? Or any other morning? The world is such a sad place.

Let's not assume that "money, acclaim and notoriety" can heal the wounds of any sexual abuse survivor. That just diminishes the suffering of every survivor, regardless of status. And I also thought this article was biased toward offending males. There are plenty of female perpetrators. They are either increasing or becoming more reported. Perhaps both.

So the net of the story is things are pretty bad, lots of cases go unreported, and treatment dollars are inadequate, even if some treatment can be found that really works, which is doubtful. What about prevention? What is being done to de-sexualize childhood? Okay, you've sensationalized the problem, now what's your solution?

Treatment is not very effective with the vast majority of sex offenders. In fact, the recidivism rate is as high as 95%. These programs need to show valid and reliable evaluations that treatment is effective in preventing recidivism and THEN we should consider increasing treatment options. Otherwise, incarceration may be the best way to protect potential victims.
Treatment for victims should be our first priority as that will treat the innocent and prevent the victim from becoming an abuser later on.

Also no mention of the negative influence that the mass media that stimulates these perpetrators to evil. Stop the root cause. But alas, all the neo-cons are squawking about same-gender marriage. That issue does not lead to all of these felony crimes being perpetrated on our children.

Many studies show the junk on the internet and tv and movies is a serious contributing factor. How come legistators at fed, state and local levels do nothing about it? How come there are not any publis service announcements to warn the public.

How do you stop all of these felonies.

As the mother of four daughters, it frightens me to realize that statistically at least one of my daughters could be a victim of sexual abuse. I am glad the Deseret News put this in the Sunday paper. Shying away from the reality will not solve and obviously escalating problem. It may not be what we want to read, but kudos to the DesNews for putting it front and center on the highest circulation day so that the most people would have to pay attention (or at least notice the title).

Keep them locked up!!

Not wanting to read it on a Sunday or any other morning in the paper! This is a fact of life - one that needs to be dealt with. Yes it is a sad world and people not wanting to be informed so that people in these sad events can be helped make it an even sadder world. If you don't want to see more of this in the papers then get out there and do someting to help!!!

Everyone talks about harsher and harsher punishment, but when that is the case it makes the choice to come forward much harder for a victim who knows their perpetrator.

I didn't want my brother-in-law to go to prison, even though I knew what he had done with me was wrong.

He went on to raise a fine family with eight children.

What if I had told?

I meant to say that familial abuse has a recidivism rate of only 2%. Sorry.

I have known several families where such abuse happens and the families fawn and flutter about how it is "not that big a deal". Children are being hurt and people are uncomfortable dealing with the issue, so they don't. I was a victim of sexual abuse by a friend of the family. Looking back, I can't understand how my parents didn't confront it. There were so many signs. And I grew up in an upper-class neighborhood of good church-going, educated people in PROVO.

Families need to be more careful. They need to see abuse for what it is and not try to justify or under-react to troubling issues, especially by predatory loved ones. Uncle Joe may have mowed your lawn for 20 years, but just because he is a 'nice guy' doesn't mean he couldn't be a child predator.

I applaud the LDS Church for taking a tougher stance in recent years and implementing new policy that makes it more difficult for children to be hurt in youth settings.

Forgiveness should not supersede justice where sexual predators are concerned.

This is especially for Bill O: the DOJ statistics are that sex offender recidivism is the lowest of virtually all categories of offenders. What you say is true for the very small minority of predatory offenders - the sexual sadist, the narcissistic personality disordered and the antisocial personality disordered - they are rarely helped by treatment whether they are burglars or DWIs or sex offenders. The actual highest recidivism rate is from domestic abusers - wife or husband beaters.

With that in mind, I agree that treatment of targets of sexual abuse is far more important than any other single step. But we must stop calling them "victims" for their entire lives. One can recover and become a survivor, but not if one is allowed to make the abuse the primary and only focus of anyone's attention to them. People recover from all sorts of terror and negativity to become good, productive and healthy people - please give these targets that same option.

Bill O. Your data is incorrect. Recidivism rates are exactly the opposite. According to a US Department of Justice Study recidivism rates for sex offenders are actually 5% in the first 3 years after release (the time period studied.) Treatment DOES work but they need funding and education. You are a prime example. If 95% reoffended then we would see a decrease in sexual abuse victims as the prison population increased. Just the opposite is happening.

Education is our only hope. We have to educate our children and ourselves on where the real dangers lie.

I can't help but wonder if I helped ruin his life by insisting that we call the police when we discovered what he had done to a younger relative. Perhaps we should have treated this as a "family" matter?

Anyway, he will be in prison for at least ten more years, and he will ALWAYS have to register as a sex offender.

Reading this article about how many sex offenders now fill our jails makes me wonder if we, as a society, as handling this the right way.

I made a couple of posts that were not allowed for whatever reason. I stated facts and not fiction but evidently DMS doesn't want all sides to this issue.

I abused my daughter by inappropriate touching almost 20 years ago and I am so very sorry for what I did. We have a good relationship now but that doesn't mean I don't feel the shame for what I did.

That said, society doesn't want to allow sex offenders who have straightened out their lives and made the changes needed to be part of society again.

What most laws concerning sex offenders deal with is the emotion and not the reality of the law.

Bill O has no idea what he is talking about with his saying that 95% of sex offenders are recidivist. He can say it but he can't back it up.

Most sex offenders are first time offenders that know their victims because they are family, friends, teachers, church members, and others.

Reality bites but treatment works for most that want to get better. Don't go lumping everyone in the same category.

To what if I'd have told.

Hopefully your brother-in-law is not raping and violating one of his eight beautiful children from this "fine family" that he has raised. I hope one or more of them are not living a nightmare at the hands of their father because of the wonderful decision that you made to not tell. I have my doubts about this father of eight children.

For years before current times, sex abuse in families had been treated internally. It is good that much of that is out in the open.

But the laws of today do hinder them getting the help they need. As more and more people see what these laws are doing to the families they are supposed to protect, we are going to see families start to handle it internally again, especially where young offenders are concerned.

The public wants to put scarlet letters on these people. Yes, there are those that really need to be locked up for life, and there are some that need to be constantly supervised for life, but most will not offend again and be law abiding the rest of their lives. That is, unless society won't let them.

Bill O.'s statistic is incorrect. According to Rod Decker in a 2 news story about 6 months ago, of sexual offenders who COMPLETE treatment successfully, only about 5% ever offend again. And the DOJ statistics are also reflective of this.

Which gives credence to an argument this article makes: Find ways to fund the treatment of these offenders so they won't keep harming people in the future!

I know it is not an easy decision, but your inaction allowed a predator to go free. Just like was said before- Just because he's a nice guy doesn't mean he won't hurt another kid.

HE chose to abuse, you chose to keep it quiet. The accountability is lost, and I hope his kids (or grandchildren) will not suffer because of it, but statistics say he will abuse again, and again, and again. I would be mortified if I married a man who his family knew he had predatory past behaviors and didn't inform me.

I seem to remember something about a millstone...

An excellent article that is relevant to anybody in or out of Utah. I agree that something can and should be done to help sex offenders. I'm not sure exactly what, but some mercy can be extended to these people without violating the law. Having said that, I still feel the need to be protective of our children so they are not hurt by sexual abuse.

As a former bishop, in another state, I have had to deal with the "baggage" of middle age women who were abused as children. This sin (not theirs) had damaged their souls. It has effected everyone of their decisions and their decision making ability, the view of their self worth, worthiness, and abilities to succeed at anything.

With all the trash, readily availoable on the internet, feeding their (the abusers) lust and making people want to act on things they probably wouldn't even know about, we are faceing a terrible "harvest" as more of these crimes against children happen.

Families, talk with your children about good touching and bad touching. Arm them to be able to say "no" and tell someone who will help.

Bless the victims!
Lock up the abusers! But treat them.

As a long-time foster and adoptive parent, our family has dealt with these issues.

The first step in dealing with any problem is to face reality and say, "We have a problem." You do, Oregon does, everywhere does.

We need a two-pronged attack: 1- Help the victims, 2- Ensure that the rapists cannot re-offend.

Depending on which you prioritize determines what you do. Please make the victims, all of them, your number one priority.

How can we help?

I don't want my son to EVER hurt another child. (His second offense, with a relative--no intercourse) But I hate the thought of him wasting the next 14 years in prison.

Yes, it was wrong, and we needed to distance him from the younger relative, but now his life seems ruined, because of his 20 year old actions.
(And the victim seems oblivious to what happened)

I wish there were some "less restrictive" yet safe place that he could be. Wouldn't a "work farm" or some such place be a more efficient place to house non-violent sex offenders?

Maybe you all think they DESERVE to be locked away for life in a maximum security prison, but I just don't think our society can afford this much longer.

Society can never benefit from his potential talent and abilities as long as he's locked away. And what happens when he gets out? No one will want to hire him or allow him to live near them.

I'm afraid he'll just end up back in prison. Such a loss to us, and to society.

One of the most destructive things we do is maintain laws on our books that make it impossible for someone who has committed a sexual act against children to get treatment --- when he seeks help, the law requires that a therapist report him.

Now I understand why no therapist would ever continue to treat someone who was continuing to abuse, without making a report. And I also understand why a therapist needs to be free to report whenever they believe children are at additional risk. But they also ought to be free to NOT report in those circumstances where a perp comes to them for help in not doing it again and is not currently abusing.

And every child abuse victim needs to receive effective treatment too. But if they go to a therapist, the therapist again has to report it, whether or not the victim or the victim's parents want the child to be caught up in the system.

Let's face it; we don't "really," care for kids in this country. The richest nation on earth with an infant mortality rate like ours? C'mon. Our educational system? We need a Childrens Bill of Rights. We need to start considering the children of Katrina, "our kids,"--which most do not. We need to stop dressing them up like tiny prostitutes and giving them role models who tell little girls that the finest thing you can be in life, is someone guys want to have sex with. If we truly set our goals toward giving each child the chance have a productive, educational and decent childhood, it could happen. PS--Men, quit walking out on your family when your daughters are pre-teens. Makes it tough on them.

Most parents would not mind another child in their home, or even an adult, be held accountable if they were able to get help, be held accountable and then go on with their lives if they turn them around.

But our laws make that now impossible. If you were acting out abuse that was done to you and you get effective intervention, and are no longer a risk, you none the less will need to continue to be registered as a sex offender --- the equivalent of wearing a scarlet letter --- for the rest of your life.

If this was necessary for public protection, or even reduced the risk, it might be defensible. But it does neither.

Our current laws express our fears, but they don't really address the problem of over sexualized children or child sexual abuse.

I think a good way to reduce the amount of child victims is to know the signs of abuse. As a victim of abuse I WANTED someone to know, but I didn't feel like I could say anything because the abuser was a teacher who I loved a respected. I felt like it was my fault for getting too close to him, and that I was the dirty one who had brought this upon myself. It seems ridiculous to someone that has not been abused, but it's a very complicated thought process. As a result, I became recluse, I acted out, I was unreachable by friends and family. If you see this happening you cannot be afraid of the consequences of saying something. I tried to hint to friends, family members, and even my bishop, but the consequences of accusing someone unjustly were scarier than erring on the safe side. I don't blame anyone, but I urge those of you that want to help to be alert and aware of signs of abuse in children or women that you know. It could save them from a lifetime of painful memories and flashbacks.

Parents need to supervise their children better. There are too many poorly supervised sleep-overs. If there is a teenage boy in a house, there should not be a girls sleepover. There should not be a sleep-over without a very alert mother in the house. We do not loan out our new car to even relatives, but we think nothing of giving access to our kids to people we hardly know. It terrifies me to see kids at church making arrangements for sleep-overs at the drop of a hat and parents not even thinking twice before sending them off. That's what we can do: become and stay alert parents, and prevent a lifetime of tragedy.

I hate having him in prison, but I am happy that I no longer have to worry about his behavior.

To experienced with the system, I think you're right "Our current laws express our fears, but they don't really address the problem of over sexualized children or child sexual abuse."

On the plus side for us, we're saving a bundle on health care and diabetic supplies (not to mention food and shelter) for our son. Hope the state knows we do appreciate their un-asked for assistance.

I applaud the D-News for this series. It's a tough subject and one that needs to be looked at realistically - even when the facts are painful. I look forward to stories in the coming days. Thank you for this public service.

Another aspect of abuse is dating. I know a lot of girls who were abused by guys they were dating. No, it never does get reported, or rarely anyways.

Teach your girls that it's okay to say "no" to a guy that you don't want to go out with. It is confusing for young girls that are learning since birth to have charity, be kind and sweet, be sensitive. When it comes to dating, please don't encourage kids to go out with anyone they don't want to just to be nice. Teach your kids that when it comes to kissing, hugging, even holding hands...you don't have to be nice anymore. If you don't want to date him, say no. Stop it right there. Don't say yes to a date or activity with someone that your gut tells you that he's not your type, but you don't want him to feel bad.

What happens when all of these offenders are released?
Or are they ever going to be released?
Perhaps the legislature should consider what to do with a barrage of men that no one wants to hire or live anywhere near, once they are let out again.
With 1 out of 99 of us Americans currently in prison can we afford to keep going with the current system?

Sexual preditors thrive on secrecy! As a mother of a victim I know all too well how unsupportive the government, police and churches can be.

Make this crime and the offender as visible and public as possible and you will see a dramatic decline. Prominently post large pictures of offenders in their local post office, in schools, in newspapers; anywhere possible. I was told by a police officer and my ecclesiastical leader that I could tell no one...not even warn other mothers of children who associated often with this person. I did not listen to this!

Here are the changes we have made in our family to hopefully guard against this ever happening again.

1. No sleepovers!
2. Drive your child everywhere they need to go and pick them up on time or better yet stay close by.
3. Make play areas in your home in places where you can see everything going on.
4. Teach your child to quickly get away from anyone talking in a salicious manner
5. Scream and run away from anyone who tries to touch the private parts of their body.
6. Be wary of friendly hugging and backrubs

As a male elementary school teacher I prefer to have parent volunteers or aides in the classroom and leave the classroom door open as much as possible. We need to as parents, adults, educators, etc. look at ways to remove opportunistic encounters where abuses happen.

Don't give your kids cell phones unless you have all text message and numbers sent to you and your child aware you are watching. The same should be said of the internet.

Parents be frank and open with your kids as well as aware of what they are doing at all times. I was the only one who became aware of an eight-teen y.o. trying to lure a friend's twelve y.o. daughter to his room at a convention. She caught my heavily sleep-deprived reaction to the second time he said something unusual to her in my presence. She caught that I knew something was wrong and came to me with her friend later when I was not with her dad, and the two of them told me a smidge of what was happening. It was enough to act upon, but I learned an extremely valuable lesson. cont....

The issue is trust. Sex offenders have proven they are not trustworthy in this aspect of life. They must prove themselves again. Are you willing to allow us to do that?

Of course it takes years to do this but will you allow us that? As I mentioned I have been almost 20 years without re-offense. I have regained the trust of my children and I am involved in the lives of my grandchildren. I do not allow myself to be left alone with my grandchildren as I always want my wife with me.

A strong treatment program will work with sticks and carrots. They make progress on treatment or they are returned to prison or sent there if on probation. Offenders must work at their rehabilitation to prove their willingness to change.

However, anyone given a second chance that re-offends, then I am in favor of locking them up for life as they have proven they are not to be trusted.

My friend's daughter felt she was to blame for this man's actions. This caused her to not tell her father though she had an idea she should. I went to her dad and retold all she had and then had my friend talk to the other girl's parents since I did not really know them.

Her innocence was shattered by this experience though nothing physical happened. But what I learned about her fear to talk to her dad worried me. How many won't speak up because of guilt? She had done nothing to cause this man to pursue her, yet felt blame.

I am just glad she came to talk to me so I could in turn do something about it and inform her father and have them start talking about safety. My only regret was that I hadn't been able to be at the site the next morning in time to talk to the officials running the event (I finally got sleep), because my friend was uncomfortable in going into detail with the officials. Because of that, no charges were filed and they should have been.

Please stop the insane emphasis on "Stranger Danger" in our schools. Children and parents are falsely lulled into a sense of security if they avoid "strangers."
(Even though, according to the article, 98% of perpetrators are known friends or family members.)

What happens with this extreme "stranger danger" is children who are afraid to ask a "stranger" for help.
(Remember the young boy who was lost in the woods, but kept hiding from rescuers because of his fear of being kidnapped?)

We have become so fearful of each other, that we think anyone not part of our group needs to be locked up. Perhaps if we weren't so fearful, we could find a way to treat people (especially family and friends) without locking them all in prisons, especially when they are non-violent offenders.

Perhaps we need to give these men medication that decreases their libido instead of increasing it, with things like Viagra.

This has nothing to do with libido. It has to do with many other issues. In my case it was anxiety, depression, no self esteem, and the inability to understand healthy relationships.

Others have been stuck on a certain vision of a 'perfect girl' which is under the age of consent.

For some, anger at having no control in their lives as well as for others, it is a power trip where they can control everyone but themselves. Of course, there are many with many of these issues.

The real issue is that ultimately, most sex offender are released from supervision and when that happens you want to make sure they have had treatment so they can deal with those respective issue.

If, however, they cannot find a job or a place to live, if they cannot be around a supportive family or be able to get therapy, then the chance of recidivism is greater.

Politicians have taken the easy way out buy passing emotional feel good laws that ultimately weaken the effects of tracking offenders. There are more people falling off the registry because of these laws, making all children less safe.

Our son is in prison for sexually abusing a relative. He was given a 14 year sentence, and has already served several years. But he has NOT received any therapy for his problems yet. They won't do that until he is much, much closer to being released. Seems like such a waste of time.

So he spends 10 years learning deviant behavior from fellow prisoners before they can start any kind of therapy? And they expect to have a hopeful outcome? What do they expect will happen when his time is up?

I meant "too many of the comments ignore the victims"

Not all VICTIMS are the ones that put through the cases,they can also be the ones that are ACCUSED! My husband was accused,and she has lied every time she was on the stand. Why can't anyone do something about the liars that do this to innocent people. So anyone can say this and that happened, and you need no proof. Even having a eye wittness did not help us. But she will be found out soon since she lied to the court it is in the transcripts.In this case we are the VICTIMS and she is the guilty party.

America, not just Utah, is full of people who watch or allow watching sex predator training every day of the week.

An average of at least 2-3 shows every day, on publicly available commercial TV incite, excite, and demonstrate overt sexual behavior -- the kind that should be totally private and between married partners. And then they show it between unmarried people, casual acquaintances, any combination.

It's as if it were just another form of recreation, without responsibility, without commitment, without consequences.

Then they hide behind 'freedom' of expression. Are the victims, the children, in your news story free?

Don't tell me to "turn it off if I don't like it."
Even when we do, other kids are still watching it, and live in the same world with mine, and grow up thinking pre-marital and extra-marital sex are OK. And why not try it with a kid, they'll never tell....

Wake up! Start preventing the cause! There will never be enough band-aids or treatments or punishments to solve the resulting problem.

Sow the wind, and you will reap the whirlwind.

To Stranger Danger | 2:16 p.m.,

Excellent post. This is such an important point it needs to be repeated:

80% of abuse is committed by a person known to the victim. Therefore, we should be teaching our children to beware of FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND CHURCH TEACHERS AND SCOUT LEADERS, not strangers!

We are visiting from out of state. Opening the Sunday morning paper and reading about sexual abuse is very depressing and more appropriately printed on another day!
The article or the comments: I haven't heart anything mentioned about pornography. Abusers are users of porn first and abusers second. Stop the problem where it starts! A study taken of rapists and child abusers will state that they (perps)first become involved in porn--child or otherwise).

I believe that "some" sexual abusers can repent and should be given the chance.

Not reporting, either to family, bishop or police, is NOT acceptable. Regardless what the man may go on and do "raise a fine family of eight"! This man may be abusing someone else--that is how we stop--telling!

Parents must talk to their children--knowledge is power--which the best prevention.
Thanks for listening.

The Real Source at 3:37 is right on target, but understetes it.
Perpetrators, who never start out to be, get stimulated in about 75% of the programming on TV espcialy in primetime but even on news shows, Today, GoodMorning America, etc,etc. Worse are thesoap operas, and most modern movies, but the heaviest dose to young minds is the popular channels, at night. Even KSL-NBC-Ch.5, and the other local biggies.
And the key word is stimulated. Pressing the gas pedal, with no stering and no brakes will cause lots of wreck.

Many comments about the perps, their feelings, and the difficulties of changing.

Very few comments about the victims, how to help them, how devastating it is.

Have perpetrators been required to do anything to repair the damage they have done? Do they know how their victims feel about all this? Have perpetrators paid the money to have their victims go through therapy? Why not? What have perpetrators done to restore their victims to a normal, healthy life?

What do we do to fix the damage that has already been caused?

If 98% of perpetrators are friends or family. why are we spending billions on GPS monitors for stranger-danger? What a waste of $$$.