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From: aeq@pucc-h (Jeff Sargent)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: 60 Minutes on Rape
Message-ID: <505@pucc-h>
Date: Tue, 31-Jan-84 22:28:16 EST
Article-I.D.: pucc-h.505
Posted: Tue Jan 31 22:28:16 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 7-Feb-84 08:37:31 EST
References: <787@inmet.UUCP>
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Lines: 41

Geoff Fitch (inmet!fitch) writes:
  
>      Regarding the case of the man convicted of rape and sentenced only
> to a regular dosage of a hormone-reducing drug, the defense attorney said 
> something like this:
> 
> >    Normal people don't do this. Therefore he [the defendant] has some-
> >    thing wrong with him. Therefore society should treat his illness.
> 
>      Am I to infer from this that we should only give criminals the 
> appropriate drug to eliminate their violent behavior, then set them free?
> 
>      There has be a personal price to pay for this and other criminal acts.
> People who rape should pay for it. Giving them drugs for their crime is 
> a reward, not a punishment.

My reaction to this is ambivalent.  On the one hand, there is certainly
something wrong with the rapist, and he does need treatment of some sort--
if only an opportunity to go away by himself and rage a while to get the
anger and hatred out of his system.  On the other hand, sometimes the only
thing which will deter someone desiring to rape is the thought that he will
likely end up in jail; the prospect of treatment, even sympathy, might
actually increase the odds of someone's committing rape, just to get the
attention he craves.

I speak from experience.  Since I've probably already got a reputation as one
of the less stable network personalities (especially among net.singles
readers), I can afford to mention that I once experienced a brief spell
(< 2 days) of criminal insanity, or the next thing to it.  My emotions were
so mangled that I was seriously considering not only raping but murdering a
certain young woman of my acquaintance.  The fact that this would have been a
horrible and unjustified thing to do never entered my head; the only thing
that stopped me was the realization that I would probably go to prison, which
I most emphatically did not want.  I eventually managed to dissipate the rage
harmlessly; as far as I know, the young woman is happily alive & well today.

I hope this inside information is of some value to someone; it's sure to start
a) more discussion, b) the men in white coats converging on the Mathematical
Sciences building here at Purdue....

-- Jeff Sargent/...pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq