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Like you, I am torn. On the one hand, the community should have the right to know if there is a threat to their children among them. On the other hand, what if it was a mistrial?

I think that I do support a life-long label, BUT better steps need to be taken to prevent mistrials. There's a lot of work currently being conducted right now in using children's testimonies. Many strategies have been developed to get valid data from underaged witnesses. This research has mostly focused on preventing "suggestion" from the questioners that might affect children's testimonies and I am not sure how it would detect whether or not a child has already been "suggested." But that would be the perfect world solution I would like to see.

That's what I mean, better ways of getting testamony. One could be looking at the child's vocabulary and making sure that the statement's vocabulary is consistent with the rest of the child's speech patterns.

And yes, I do think that people can be too quick to judge in these cases because there's so much emotionality involved. Of course, I am mostly talking out of my a**. I've never stepped foot in a court room, much less for a child molestation case.

Perhaps, if we made sentencing dependent on the case. For example, if it's one child's testamony and it's put in doubt (such as this case where the mother would have a motive for getting her child to say it), he could just be removed from the child but not have all the other stuff added on? Maybe?

What I really want to say is if yes, the person is actually guilty, then it should be on their record for life. But if the person accused is innocent and there were some way to prove it, then I think it should be wiped off their record. Of course, proving it would be difficult I assume.

Right. I think there needs to be a very extensive psycological evaluation to determine whether or not they pose a threat, whether they were convicted wrongly, or convicted rightly but reformed.

First off let me say I am sorry to hear about your friend but lets face facts how many people are faslely convected of this crime? And even so what about the ones who really did it? I see what you saying about the hole x number of years and then bye bye child molester wrap but what about those few sick people who dont stop the one who wait so many years before choosing a new victim. If we did it like that they you could be living next door to someone how raped so many kids but because it has been x amount of years youll never know, I mean it not like he is going to go around wearing a sign saying "I RAPE LITTLE KIDS" now is he? I know what your going to say: there are many UNREGISTURED sex offenders living in neighborhoods all across the US. But you still have to think about it from the point of view yeah what happened to your friend really sucks a** but because of the law being the way it is there are a lot of parents out there who can be aware of any sick people living around them. The why I look at it is you have to take the good with the bad in life and when it comes to your kids you have to do all you can for them.

I have read a lot of cases about child molestation, and have found that the people who do it can't simply 'reform'. It is a disease (for a lack of a better word) which compells them to act. They can say they won't do it again, but the fact that they did shows they are a threat. It doesn't matter if the threat is 1%, or 100%. There's still a risk.

Now, if they say they've reformed, I don't believe people should throw bricks through their windows or beat them up, but they shouldn't have their record erased, or have any job that involves children.

My little brother was in a similar situation we moved into this apartment complex and we met this family and they seemed to be in a rough patch and we had a little extra cash and resources so we took them under our wing. After six months of us supporting them I had the feeling we were being used and I let my mom and dad know about my suspicions cause I'm usually a good judge of character. Anyway my mom dismissed it as I'm angry with her for her getting me in trouble sometimes my dad, myself and my brothers were the only ones who felt that something was wrong. after two years we found out what it was. the family we took under our wing and helped was supposed to pay us back when they had the money and when they did give it to us they would borrow it right back to do god knows what with it and when we needed it back the most and told them we wouldn't be able to support them much longer they decided to accuse my little brother of molesting their daughter. my little brother didn't do this and it turns out it was the girls brother who molested her not me or my family. So she took us to court and my little brother was shy and quiet before this happened now he's a suicidal, volatile, angry person who lashes out now. We won the court thing and we are wondering if we get victims rights or anything, because they accused my innocent brother of this crime. He was on suicide watch for a long time and he was forcibly humiliated by the situation, because he didn't know what the charges were or what they meant. So they told him and he was even more humiliated. after we won the family proclaimed that they'd sue us civilly witch proved to my dad that they were after money in the beginning. Oh and the brother molested his sister also did this to two other girls too.

Anyway if he didn't do it they really need to work hard to prove that and if so take off the sex offender title