But I would argue that probation or six weekends is far too lenient. Without getting into specifics of each case, some of ours sounded worse to me than the one in Anderson. In one case, the offenses were committed by someone entrusted as a babysitter. I think crimes committed against children are some of the worst. And sex crimes committed against children are the worst of those.
Children are innocent.
Those crimes strip that innocence from those children. That innocence can never be regained. I see convicts getting longer sentences for smoking dope, forging checks or stealing CDs than for putting an indelible stamp of shame on the life of an innocent child. It makes me wonder if maybe our priorities aren t a bit out of whack. I wish our county had that mess with a kid around here, you get hammered reputation.