Persons convicted of a pedophilic crime ought to be treated and not incarcerated in all instances

1)Your premise #10 is clearly stating that our medical knowledge is not ready to successfully treat and cure all pedophiles permanently. However, we do have research that clearly describes the adverse effects of imprisonment on any individual. 2)Again, I agree that incarcerating the most serious of offenders is a must. However, it is illogical to incarcerate someone who might be considered a pedophile who has not committed a physical act and not offer that individual any form of treatment. 3)Treatment should also apply to individuals who commit a physical act; even behind prison they might still be able to benefit from some sort of services. 4)To offer treatment behind bars for this particular population of offenders would be impossible since other inmates would target them and they would be unable to fully participate in their treatment because of the fear that they will be attacked. 5)Treatment is a right that every offender is entitled to regardless of the offense. If there is not life sentence attached to the sentence then there still remains the possibility of assisting an individual through other forms of treatment. 6)Also, the fear of them possibly being attacked might also cause pedophiles to lash out against other individuals in prison for self-defense. This will increase the violence within the prison and risk the safety of other inmates along with the correctional officers. 7)Since prisons are already understaffed and under resourced it would only hamper the ability of correctional officers to maintain order while in prison and effectively carry out their duties. 8)You state that not punishing the pedophile may cause the family to take justice in their own hands because they will feel that the justice system has "failed." 9)To allow a pedophile to undergo harsh treatment and stigmatization on top of having been deprived of their liberty would be barbaric. 10)It is possible to consider other models of treatment that will hold the pedophile accountable while at the same time working with the victim. 11)There have been studies in other countries where "restorative justice" models of treatment have been used to work with individuals who commit sexual offenses. 12)Restorative justice views crime not as a violation of a law, which requires punishment, but as harm to people and relationships and, as the term suggests, seeks to redress or restore that harm (Van Ness & Strong, 1997). 13)Restorative or Reintegrative approaches are usually based on the following core aims: engaging with offenders to help them appreciate the consequences of their actions; encouraging appropriate forms of reparation by offenders towards their victim or the wider community; seeking reconciliation between the victim and offender where this is desirable; and the reintegration of the offender (Zehr, 1990; Braithwaite, 1999). 14)Although the use of restorative schemes with sexual offences is not widespread, a few isolated initiatives have developed which are based on reintegrative or restorative principles. In South Australia, for example, young people charged with sexual offences, who admit their behaviour, are diverted from court processes and instead participate in a family conference (Daly, 2006). 15)Restorative justice processes which involve the abuser"s family and the community can meet the affective or expressive need for censure in sexual offences cases. 16)The current criminal justice system does little to hold offenders accountable and address entrenched forms of offending behavior, restorative justice seeks genuine engagement with offenders to help them acknowledge the consequences of their actions; it focuses on the empowerment of victims in a supportive environment in which the victim can make clear to the offender the effects of the abuse on them; that by offering constructive rather than purely penal solutions. 17)If there is an alternative to the punitive response of incarceration it should be pursued. If the goal is to advance justice and to punish the pedophile then it is important that the pedophile who does not commit a physical sexual act be offered to treatment to help him recognize that what he did was wrong outside of prison. 18)It is also equally important to offer treatment to those pedophiles who commit physical acts in order to provide them with an opportunity to acknowledge their crime and possible prevent them from committing a future offense through enhanced supervision and supportive services. 19)Treatment in general should be offered to all pedophiles wherever possible. 20)However, those who have already committed a physical act must be removed from society. 21)Therefore, pedophiles ought to be treated and incarcerated unless the crime involves the rape and/or murder of a child