Life is not Fair

We've all heard the expression, "A few bad apples spoil the bushel." This is not always fair in certain situations. There are a number of African Americans in prison but that does not mean that all African Americans are criminals. Policemen are often mentioned in the same sentence as donuts and coffee but there are many police officers that eat healthy. Unfortunately, people tend to lump similar groups together and cast judgment on the whole group instead of judging each person on an individual basis. This statement is especially true in the case of registered sex offenders. In my opinion, sex offenses are some of the most despicable crimes that we have. To purposely violate another person's body without consent is one of the sickest and lowest things a person can do. In addition to serving a prison sentence which I think should be significantly longer, they have to register as a sex offender wherever they choose to live. They have to let neighbors know that they have committed a sex crime so these families can take appropriate measures to protect their children. I usually don't have much sympathy for sex offenders, but there are a few exceptions that should be taken into consideration.

A few years ago, there was a young man named Janarlo Wilson who had consensual sex with another teenager. The problem was that Janarlo was 17 and the young girl was 15 and they lived in Georgia. In the state of Georgia, this is statutory rape which automatically carries a mandatory prison sentence of ten years. Even though the act was consensual, Janarlo was sent to prison to serve the ten year sentence. This was clearly a case of a teenager making a bad decision. We are all lacking in the judgment department when we are teenagers. This is a time when our hormones are on overload. Was it a stupid thing to do? Of course, but as I stated before, the teenage years are full of stupid mistakes. In a perfect world, our teenagers would choose abstinence until they are old enough to understand the consequences of sex. But our world is not perfect, and unfortunately we learn valuable lessons through our mistakes. In this case, I think the punishment was ridiculous. There is no way that a judge with any kind of compassion should have passed that harsh a sentence. It was clear that both kids were at fault, and to severely punish Janarlo like he was the only responsible party was very unfair. The most he should have gotten in a situation like this was probation, community service at an AIDS clinic, and a life lesson about unprotected sex. He clearly was not the predator that most sex offenders are. Now he has to live the rest of his life with the stigma of being a sex offender. These are the types of cases that should be given consideration on a case by case basis.

Sex offenders, especially rapists are some of the most vile, evil, and sickest people on the face of the earth. However, I don't think that all sex offenders should be lumped together under one law. Repeat offenders and people that actually hurt their victims should get the maximum penalty under the law. If it were up to me, they would serve a life sentence. But in cases like Janarlo Wilson's, judges should use discretion. When it is clearly a case of stupidity and not brutality, it is okay to single these individuals out. There is no reason to ruin their lives because of a legitimate mistake. Treating them the same as the violent rapists does not seem fair. Then again, life rarely is.