66 replies to this topic

[Melchoire]

I was having this conversation with my cousin earlier. The subject turned to that old NBC show, "To Catch a Predator". I argued that the culprits definitely deserved to go to prison and be punished, after all they were about to take advantage of a child.

But I argued that the arrests should not have been televised. It wasn't necessary to humiliate them for the choices they made, and that it was just a ploy on NBC's part to make money off them. It makes it that much harder for them to seek help in the future, or find a job, or try to fit into society after the incident.

Basically, I don't think anything was achieved from humiliating them and it shouldn't have been put on national television.

What do you guys think?

[Kyle]

If I wanted to get on a watch list, I could go on a rant of why I believe it's unfair and probably unconstitutional to have registry lists detailing these types of people.

[Fireball]

Wouldn't they be labelled as a sexual predator once they do their time anyways? I don't think it was wrong.

[Beeboobop]

I remember they would always get tackled to the ground once they left the house, regardless of how cooperative they were.

[WharfRat]

My concern was less with the fact that they were televised and more with the shows legality. (I believe it borders on entrapment, personally...) I suppose the courts don't feel similarly, though....

[Romy]

I was having this conversation with my cousin earlier. The subject turned to that old NBC show, "To Catch a Predator". I argued that the culprits definitely deserved to go to prison and be punished, after all they were about to take advantage of a child.

But I argued that the arrests should not have been televised. It wasn't necessary to humiliate them for the choices they made, and that it was just a ploy on NBC's part to make money off them. It makes it that much harder for them to seek help in the future, or find a job, or try to fit into society after the incident.

Basically, I don't think anything was achieved from humiliating them and it shouldn't have been put on national television.

Because attempting to take advantage of an underaged girl is totally forgivable right?
They should be castrated :l

[Melchoire]

Because attempting to take advantage of an underaged girl is totally forgivable right?
They should be castrated :l

"Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future"
-Oscar Wilde

In any case, the point isn't whether are not they can be redeemed, it's that the humiliation was unnecessary and irrelevant if they're going to be punished with a due trial anyway.

[Romy]

"Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future"
-Oscar Wilde

In any case, the point isn't whether are not they can be redeemed, it's that the humiliation was unnecessary and irrelevant if they're going to be punished with a due trial anyway.

Like 2013 said, they were going to go on a list anyway. IMO they deserve it either way.

[iargue]

"Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future"
-Oscar Wilde

In any case, the point isn't whether are not they can be redeemed, it's that the humiliation was unnecessary and irrelevant if they're going to be punished with a due trial anyway.

Given that they completely fucked over someone's life.

No.

So they do to jail for a few years and then get out? So what? The person that they did shit to will be suffering for their entire life. They will always have nightmares. They will always struggle with trust issues, and they will always always have to deal with unnecessary reactions because of this. Its not like they just stole some money, and that was it. They fucked over a person's life, and in that situation others peoples lives to because they now have to deal with this change.

I think that it's hardly enough what is done to them currently. They deserve much much much worse for how they affect other people's lives.

[WharfRat]

Given that they completely fucked over someone's life.

No.

So they do to jail for a few years and then get out? So what? The person that they did shit to will be suffering for their entire life. They will always have nightmares. They will always struggle with trust issues, and they will always always have to deal with unnecessary reactions because of this. Its not like they just stole some money, and that was it. They fucked over a person's life, and in that situation others peoples lives to because they now have to deal with this change.

I think that it's hardly enough what is done to them currently. They deserve much much much worse for how they affect other people's lives.

While I agree with you on the topic of sex offenders generally speaking, I disagree with regards to this television program. The people whose lives they are "harming" aren't children but paid sting agents. I don't really care about the humiliation part... (and to the OP, I'm almost certain that they all have the option of having their faces blurred or not...)

[Melchoire]

While I agree with you on the topic of sex offenders generally speaking, I disagree with regards to this television program. The people whose lives they are "harming" aren't children but paid sting agents. I don't really care about the humiliation part... (and to the OP, I'm almost certain that they all have the option of having their faces blurred or not...)

If they had the option, then that totally nullifies my argument. Why would they choose not to have their faces blurred? I don't think that's true.

Like 2013 said, they were going to go on a list anyway. IMO they deserve it either way.

The list isn't read out to people on TV.

[Charli]

While I agree with you on the topic of sex offenders generally speaking, I disagree with regards to this television program. The people whose lives they are "harming" aren't children but paid sting agents. I don't really care about the humiliation part...

The victims/bait on the show aren't children, but thats who the predators target, thats who they thought they'd found and were attempting to harm. IMO, even though there was an adult on the other end, they were still trying to abuse a child and are just as guilty as if there had been a child waiting for them.

And I think its silly to be concerned with the predator's embarrassment. Abused children have a lot more than embarrassment to deal with for the rest of their lives, and the predators were happy to trade that for their personal satisfaction. So why not trade their embarrassment for ours? They aren't the victims in this story, they're the protagonists. There wouldn't be a show if they weren't going after kids. Plus the show (hopefully!) acted as a deterrent to the other perverts out there. I know I cut back on my child molesting while TCAP was airing. (Joke! Sorry, I have no control over these fingers)

[Romy]

The list isn't read out to people on TV.

You're right.
It's on the internet. Much better.

Here: http://www.fbi.gov/s...safety/registry

I know I cut back on my child molesting while TCAP was airing. (Joke! Sorry, I have no control over these fingers)

Edited by Pikachuu, 10 June 2012 - 11:04 PM.

[Ladida]

The victims/bait on the show aren't children, but thats who the predators target, thats who they thought they'd found and were attempting to harm. IMO, even though there was an adult on the other end, they were still trying to abuse a child and are just as guilty as if there had been a child waiting for them.

I quite agree. The people being arrested thought they were getting at children. Personally, I don't care what embarrassment the perps will go through. They deserve a whole lot worse for what they had planned on doing.

[Bone]

Call me a sexual predator, but a lot of the situations definitely seemed to be entrapment. Even from the very short excerpts of the exchanges between the 'victim' and the 'predator' that they showed.

Edited by Bone, 10 June 2012 - 11:24 PM.

[Junsu]

I quite agree. The people being arrested thought they were getting at children. Personally, I don't care what embarrassment the perps will go through. They deserve a whole lot worse for what they had planned on doing.

Oh dear, he wanted to shave her ___ hair.
I know there are worse cases, but I don't think theres a need for publicly humiliating someone for any reason.
If you're going for the concept, just blur faces as Melchoire said.
There is no way for these people to redeem themselves or reintegrate themselves back into society .__.

Yay changed Display Name for times like these

Edited by ChildPredator, 10 June 2012 - 11:41 PM.

[Melchoire]

http://answers.yahoo...05143905AAUqLxB

You're right.
It's on the internet. Much better.

Here: http://www.fbi.gov/s...safety/registry

Never mind all the people on the list who don't deserve to be on there in the first place.

I quite agree. The people being arrested thought they were getting at children. Personally, I don't care what embarrassment the perps will go through. They deserve a whole lot worse for what they had planned on doing.

It's more to do with making it impossible for them to lead a normal life in the future which is a result of televising it.

[Romy]

http://answers.yahoo...05143905AAUqLxB


Never mind all the people on the list who don't deserve to be on there in the first place.

40 year olds that want to sleep wih 14-15 year olds deserve to be on that list.
People that take advantage of under-aged girls for sexual favors deserve worse then to be embarrassed on national television.

It is unforgivable in any situation no matter what.

Edited by Pikachuu, 11 June 2012 - 12:13 AM.

[Melchoire]

40 year olds that want to sleep wih 14-15 year olds deserve to be on that list.
People that take advantage of under-aged girls for sexual favors deserve worse then to be embarrassed on national television.

It is unforgivable in any situation no matter what.

Wanting to do something and actually doing it are very different things.

I never said actual child molesters don't deserve to be on the list. I'm talking about people who under various circumstances ended up on the list due to false accusations and what not. There's a guy on that list who had sex with someone while they were both in high school, he even ended up marrying her later. That thing isn't a list of child molesters.

[Waser Lave]

I think the main positive aspect to it is actually publicising that people do get caught doing that kind of thing quite regularly so if that makes even one more person think again about doing that then it's a good thing. If they didn't make things like that public then it's possible that people would think that most people get away with doing it.

[Yung]

I am going to have to agree that the show helped to curb some potential sexual predators and caught several who had every intention to do exactly what they thought that they were there to do, otherwise they wouldn't have arrived. "I was just going to sit down with her after she finished this six pack of wine coolers and show her what condoms look like, that's why I had two in my wallet. Then I was going to explain to her that drinking, having sex, and stuff like that is just inappropriate for someone her age." ...yeah I'm not buying that when they are traveling hundreds of miles when you could easily type that kind of message.

The show was entrapment, clearly, but I feel as though entrapment regarding malicious sexual intent is justifiable. The reason I feel this way is, as LW and several others have stated, if the show prevented even one predator from harming another person then it accomplished its purpose. I am convinced that it dissuaded more than a single predator from taking the stop from fantasizing to actively being a predator. Any single one of them that tries saying that it is entrapment should simply reexamine the simple fact that they went there with the clear and concise intent to have sexual relations with a minor. Televised simply to dissuade other predators and potential predators from doing (more of) the same.

[Romy]

Wanting to do something and actually doing it are very different things.

I never said actual child molesters don't deserve to be on the list. I'm talking about people who under various circumstances ended up on the list due to false accusations and what not. There's a guy on that list who had sex with someone while they were both in high school, he even ended up marrying her later. That thing isn't a list of child molesters.

I'm not disagreeing with you. I simply believe that these people (predators) deserve to have their face plastered on every news channel we have.

I don't care about flashers/public nudity people being on the list. I was speaking about people that want to steal the innocence from someone significantly younger then them.

[WharfRat]

If they had the option, then that totally nullifies my argument. Why would they choose not to have their faces blurred? I don't think that's true.



The list isn't read out to people on TV.

They are probably offered a reduced sentence for participating in the show, tbh... Remember the television show "Cops?" Some criminals would ask to have their faces blurred and that was their right. Even with this TCAP show, you are completely bypassing the legal system. Innocent until proven guilty.... Unless they wait to air the footage until after a guilty verdict AND sentencing has been completed, they couldn't do this legitimately.

And yes, I too want to dissuade sexual predators from assaulting children. However, I also hold value in due process and believe in a citizen's rights to trial. I'd like to see how many of those "predators" that were caught were actually sentenced and how long of sentences that they received compared to other "predators" with similar offenses in their area.

[Sweeney]

I've never seen TCaP, being English.

Did they target specific people with prior records? Or did they fish in chatrooms and such until they got a likely suspect?

[iargue]

While I agree with you on the topic of sex offenders generally speaking, I disagree with regards to this television program. The people whose lives they are "harming" aren't children but paid sting agents. I don't really care about the humiliation part... (and to the OP, I'm almost certain that they all have the option of having their faces blurred or not...)

so its okay to "Try" and rape a child, as long as it was an adult pretending to be a child?

Thats just messed up on several levels. How do you know they haven't done this in the past? Or planning on doing it more if this time it went well? The INTENT to do it is just as bad as actually doing it, simply because of everything that would have happened because he didn't go through it.

Do you know anyone closely who was abused as a child? I know several, and all of them have major issues, and as such I do not hold sexual predators as even being worth basic human rights.

Call me a sexual predator, but a lot of the situations definitely seemed to be entrapment. Even from the very short excerpts of the exchanges between the 'victim' and the 'predator' that they showed.

Please provide an example of entrapment from the show?

Wanting to do something and actually doing it are very different things.

I never said actual child molesters don't deserve to be on the list. I'm talking about people who under various circumstances ended up on the list due to false accusations and what not. There's a guy on that list who had sex with someone while they were both in high school, he even ended up marrying her later. That thing isn't a list of child molesters.

I thought you were talking about the show?

Obviously sexual predator laws need to be changed (At Least made into multiple categories so people know what they did). Just like punishments need to be worse. But the show didn't do anything wrong. They show caught people trying to have sex with younger girls, and not 16 year olds having sex with their girlfriends.

http://answers.yahoo...05143905AAUqLxB


Never mind all the people on the list who don't deserve to be on there in the first place.



It's more to do with making it impossible for them to lead a normal life in the future which is a result of televising it.

Once again. If they had actually done what they were planning on doing with a child.... The child wouldnt be able to lead a normal life either. Why should this person be allowed to leave jail and be happy again when that child will have to fight every single day to be happy? Thats completely unfair.