Vachss is 49 now. He chain smokes. He can move his right hand in jerky spasms so it looks like a robot's hand. He broke it once, punching the wall in the courtroom to show how a baby's pelvis was broken. He has a heart tattooed on his right hand.
Some people wear their heart on their sleeve.
My fist seemed the right place for me. He was not molested as a child, he says. His rage springs from the shock he first felt when he saw babies despoiled by human predators before they even had a chance in the world. He has no illusions that he is going to transform society. But he thinks he can make a difference.