15 year olds know right from wrong. They don't necessarily comprehend the enormity of all their actions or make good decisions. Should he be condemned for this? Yes. Should he be considered a monster for his entire life? I don't know. It rises well beyond "mistake," but it's not necessarily proof that he's pure evil.
I've taught a lot of Jr High School...my least favorite level to teach and there are some kids at that age who are not mature nor handle their hormonal changes well. They SHOULD be adjusted by then but we don't focus a lot on that in early education.
It was messed up and certainly the little girl was the true victim. With that said he has performed his duties as prescribed by the court and has not had another incident since then. The story itself says that recidivism is close to zero if the perpetrator gets past 3 years without another act after going through rehab. I am not excusing what he did, but he deserves another chance especially since he was 15 at the time. He still has to register as a sex offender which is a pretty severe punishment in my opinion.
I wonder--do people believe that child molesters are irredeemable? Or, is there an age after which commission of molestation indicates irreparable character? Is someone born with a predilection toward molestation, or is it the product of external factors? The low recidivism rate mentioned seems to suggest that teenage molesters may have a correctable failing.
Yes, what he did was horrible and it was a crime. So, I'm not "cutting the kid some slack". He deserves the punishment he got at the time, and because he failed to keep his registration current he deserves the negative publicity he's getting now. No one did this to him. He is not the victim. He broke the law - twice now, and rightfully suffers the consequences. However, the one encouraging thing I learned is that juvenile sex offenders rarely become repeat offenders: "Research shows that the vast majority of juveniles convicted of sex crimes do not reoffend in subsequent years. After about three years, the likelihood of reoffending is "very small," said psychologist Michael Caldwell, who lectures at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At five years, the recidivism rate for another sex crime hovers at 2.75 percent, according to a study that Caldwell published in 2016. That's because juvenile sex offenders tend to mature and respond well to intervention, Caldwell said." "It's referred to as a redemption threshold, the point at which the person is no more at risk than any other individual walking around on the street," he said. Heimlich was ordered to register as a Level 1 sex offender in Washington beginning Aug. 27, 2012. Washington characterizes Level 1 offenders as having "the lowest possible risk to the community and their likelihood to re-offend is considered minimal." I did not know that the recidivism rate was so low for juvenile sex offenders. So, it's terrible he did what he did, but it's good that he got caught and had to go through the treatment program. Hopefully, the treatment program was successful and he will not become a repeat offender. That doesn't help the little girl he molested, but hopefully it means there won't be other little girls he molests in the future. BNM
I don't think anyone's defending him. Molestation is indefensible. What is defensible is whether or not a molestation conviction at 15 should preclude someone from being able to play baseball.
I made this post in the OT forum, so I don't really want to re-write the whole thing, but should pro athletes be held to a higher standard than the average person? Should someone that did what he did be allowed to become a role model for other kids? Should he be allowed to attend college? Sure. Should he be allowed to have a life? Sure. Should he be allowed to move past his mistake? Absolutely. Should he be allowed to make millions of dollars and work in the spotlight as a role model? I don't think so. There are plenty of people that can throw a baseball. This guy can go do some other perfectly mundane job and fade into obscurity. He doesn't deserve the right to be a celebrity.
The people who defended him went through that process when he was 15 the way I see it...I'm a Beaver fan but I'm not putting this kid on trial again because I don't like pedophilia...when things like this come out there's usually a lynch mob waiting around the corner
no, but coaches, teachers and priests etc should....they have authority that should be against the abuse of minors they influence.
Don't lump us all together just as I didn't lump all duck fans together that defended Dana Altman after recruiting and playing convicted rapists. I have no remorse for the kid and am just as disgusted as you are, trust me.
No, I don't think so. Playing a sport for money is not a position of trust. Who becomes role models is a matter for society to determine.
I'm not saying all Beaver fans are defending him, I'm saying that all people defending him ARE Beaver fans. Huge difference.
Crimes against children are not defensible IMO. And he molested her twice before he was arrested. My question would be if he wasn't caught would he still be attempting it? It makes me question the recidivism argument because I'm guessing no unaccompanied child was allowed within 20 feet of him since he committed these crimes. I have no horse in this race, but the controversy this brings will overshadow him, the team, and ultimately college baseball. I would bet he's plummeting in the draft boards. Back in the day, I lost my love for the Trail Blazers when we signed Ruben Patterson even after his guilty plea for attempted rape of his nanny. I would hate to see OSU fall into this category for me.
I'm not defending him. I'm saying he was 15 years old, performed his court ordered duties, and deserves a second chance! He wasn't a grown man like Ruben Patterson.
Let's not pretend like this is one of those stupid situations where a kid sends nude photos to another kid and ends up a convicted sex offender. 15 years old is old enough to understand the gravity of this situation. It's not a statutory rape situation where he slept with a girl just a few years younger than him. This guy took a 6 year old girl to his bedroom and molested her. Do you think there aren't crimes that a 15 year old can commit that deserve a second chance? Kip Kinkel was 15 years old when he did the shooting at Thurston High School in Springfield. Does he deserve a second chance?
