Dru Sjodin - Lets close this case. - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

JBX · 12-05-2003, 05:58 AM

Why can't we just get a pair of vise grips and a power drill and ask Alfonso Rodriguez Jr.where she is? They found her blood in his car. They need to get this information out of this bastard rapist. If they can't find someone to use the power drill, I'm availble. http://www.finddru.com/

Quote:

NEW YORK — The disappearance of Dru Sjodin (search) and the arrest of a convicted rapist suspected of kidnapping the 22-year-old University of North Dakota student raises a delicate question: Should convicted sex offenders ever be allowed to leave prison?

Some in North Dakota and Minnesota, where Sjodin grew up, are angry that Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. (search) was ever let back on the streets following his 23-year sentence for an attempted kidnapping and assault of a woman in Crookston, Minn., in 1980.

"Somebody like him [Rodriguez] should have never gotten out of prison — that is a menace to society," said victims advocate Kathy Redmond. But "until society gets a grip on the fact that there are sexual predators out there and they have tens of victims, it's not going to change."

But others say sex offenders can't simply be locked up for life if they've done their time.

"To be fair, you can't lock people up for crimes they may commit in the future," said Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl.

The search continued Thursday for Sjodin, who went missing from a Grand Forks, N.D., mall parking lot on Nov. 22. Rodriguez, 50, a three-time convicted rapist, had a bond hearing Thursday, where he said through his lawyer that he wants to remain in custody for his own safety.

Rodriguez was released from prison in May after serving his sentence. He has a history of sexual contact and attempted kidnapping with adult women, including a guilty plea to aggravated rape in 1975. He has used a weapon in at least one assault.

He is considered a Level Three sex offender in Minnesota, meaning he is believed to be at the highest risk of committing another sex crime.

Although sex offenders are required by federal law to register with local law enforcement whenever they move to an area or change jobs so that their whereabouts are recorded in state sex offender registries, many say a predator of this type shouldn't be freed to begin with.

"We wouldn't have had the two convictions afterward and Dru wouldn't be missing now" if Rodriguez was kept in jail, said Tracy Oetting, founder of Citizens for a One Strike Law (search), which advocates life sentences without the possibility of parole for the "most heinous" acts, such as raping children, the mentally disabled and the elderly.

And the rate of recidivism — the commission of more offenses — may be fueling this argument.

Studies conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (search) prior to 1997 found that convicted rapists were found to be 10.5 times as likely as those who had no rape records to be arrested on violent sexual assault charges. And people who served prison time for sexual assault were 7.5 times as likely as those convicted of other crimes to be arrested again for new assaults.

Another Justice Department report released last month studied the records of 9,691 male sex offenders from 15 states who were released from prison in 1994.

That study found that 5.3 percent of the released rapists were arrested for a new sex crime within three years of their release. Of those arrests, 40 percent allegedly committed the new offense within a year or less of their prison discharge.

The study also examined recidivism rates among 4,300 convicted child molesters who were released from prison in 1994. About 3.3 percent were arrested for another sex crime within three years of their release. Child molesters were, on average, five years older than predators who attacked adults; nearly 25 percent of child molesters were age 40 or older.

Although communities have tried to take stronger actions to tell residents a convicted sex offender is in the area, some groups say a few steps cross the line.

The American Civil Liberties Union (search) objected to a requirement in Corpus Christie, Texas — the state with the second-highest number of sex offender registrants — for these released criminals to place signs in their front yards that read "Danger! Registered Sex Offender Lives Here."

The ACLU won an injunction against the Sex Offender Alert Program in Albuquerque, N.M., which requires these ex-convicts to notify employers, landlords, home sellers and mortgagors of any convictions dating back to 1970. They also must register with the police and may be required to submit DNA samples, shoe size, and dental imprints.

But this type of punishment affects "the civil liberties of each of us individually," said George Bach, an attorney with the ACLU in New Mexico.

Keeping Offenders in Check

So what can society do to make sure sex offenders are kept in check?

For one, current laws for sex offenders need to be reformed, experts said.

"I know that's a surprise for everyone to hear, but I think you do need new laws," said former sex crimes prosecutor Pamela Hayes. "And you need laws that fit that type of behavior. And you need harsher laws that protect these people from society."

Former Polk County attorney Wayne Swanson, who put Rodriguez behind bars in 1980, suggested that more long-term treatment programs should be encouraged after prison sentences as a way of "keeping people that are still regarded as dangerous off the streets."

Of Rodriguez, he said: "He served 23 years. So, I don't know if increasing the length of the sentence by itself is going to solve our problems without creating huge prison overflows."

Jeff Goldenflame, who served five years in prison for molesting his 5-year-old daughter, was released from prison in 1991. He said Megan's Law (search), which requires sex offenders to register with local communities, works. If people know a sex offender is in their area, they should privately tell the felon his identification is known and he will be closely watched, Goldenflame said.

"Megan's law is not a panacea, all it does it let people know where the sex offenders are," Goldenflame said. "I think all of us have to be known to the public so that the community can keep its eye on us."

MSD · 12-05-2003, 09:13 PM

Rape is one of the few crimes for which I'd rather see someone die than be rehabilitated.

phredgreen · 12-05-2003, 09:16 PM

not death. castration. if the hand offends, cut it off. something along those lines.

people who commit heinous crimes like these, especially those who are repeat offenders, shoud have their genitals removed in order to prevent future offenses.

skier · 12-05-2003, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by phredgreen
not death. castration. if the hand offends, cut it off. something along those lines.

people who commit heinous crimes like these, especially those who are repeat offenders, shoud have their genitals removed in order to prevent future offenses.

my sentiments exactly- procreation, furthuring our genetic line, gives us a sense of immortality, of power. Cutting that off (pardon the pun) i believe would be a very effective deterrent.
Also, those members of society who perhaps have the genes that incline them towards violence/theft would no longer be able to contribute? those genes. I am not too sure though, how much power this would give the government? they would have us by the balls.

ReggErving · 12-05-2003, 10:19 PM

First we must determine guilt. I don't want to sound like a crying lefist but we are innocent until proven guilty and this might be a closed case but these principles need to be adhered to because who knows when you might find yourself in a position of wrongly accused.

JBX · 12-06-2003, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ReggErving
First we must determine guilt. I don't want to sound like a crying lefist but we are innocent until proven guilty and this might be a closed case but these principles need to be adhered to because who knows when you might find yourself in a position of wrongly accused.

Screw Him! He already kidnapped and raped...to late for rights.

Holo · 12-06-2003, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by phredgreen
not death. castration. if the hand offends, cut it off. something along those lines.

people who commit heinous crimes like these, especially those who are repeat offenders, shoud have their genitals removed in order to prevent future offenses.

Thing is rape is a crime of violence by one who hates women. I know it's hard to do but put yourself in the rapist's place. If you had all your junk cut off wouldn't you be even more pissed than you were before you went in jail? I know I would be livid regardless of my crime. I don't think mutilation of a rapist is rehabilitation, I think it's just inciting them to upgrade to murder of women since they can't hurt them in their preferred method. There is also a chance an offender might never rape again, regardless of his level of relapse probability. He has paid his debt for his crime to soxiety, if not the person/s he raped, which he can never really atone. I would want to get out on time If I got busted robbing a bank even if all the state's bankers protested my release. There are rapists who learn to control themselves and deal with their hate of women that drives them to do this. You have to give a chance to the person to rebuild his life that he has ruined after his crime is paid for. To do anything less is the destruction of the meaning of rehabilitation.

If the prison system would do it's job and not just use the prisoners as cheap labor to line the pockets of the state or other officials ala Shawshank Redemption and actually really attempt to rehabiliate these people instead of just letting them rot and work free and learn new crime tactics from other prisoners. But how do you rehabilitate so many ppl? I submit you legalize pot so non-violent pot users wouldn't get busted and help fill up the jails. you can also have lighter sentences for petty and non-violent theft. The prison population would go down considerably and there would be more room and resources to rehab violent offenders such as him. I know ppl like to punish the guilty but I'd rather see a felony pickpocketer go free a year early than have rapists get a deal and get out before they are rehabilitated. We gotta do something about violent crime and the easiest way to do it would be what I outlined above.

We as a soxiety need to find ways to deal with these problems effectively, and we better do it fast. Crime is always on the rise as a whole, and they need to figure out a way to rehab these ppl and give them the same opportunity to have a life as any person who isnt' a criminal.

thingstodo · 12-06-2003, 02:26 PM

Nail this dude for the answer and let us go on with our lives. Plus, cut him up and lock him up - for good - all alone.

santafe5000 · 12-06-2003, 02:33 PM

I still can't figure why this guy was released in the first place. I know he had served his term, but the phycologist said he was not safe out on the streets. In cases like this, the perp should be sent to a minimum security facility for the rest of his life. Then we wouldn't have to see cases like this. Third time loser, lock um up for life, no parole.

gabshu · 12-06-2003, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by skier
Cutting that off (pardon the pun) i believe would be a very effective deterrent.
Also, those members of society who perhaps have the genes that incline them towards violence/theft would no longer be able to contribute? those genes. I am not too sure though, how much power this would give the government? they would have us by the balls.

wow wow, sounds sorta like Nazi Germany.

I think rape is one of the worse offences a human being can do, but punishment of this sort is not the best thing, I think we're too civilized for that. Like holo said we have a flawed justice system that does not help make people that go to jail come out as better human beings that can contribute to society.

This guy did a horrible thing and needs to be further punished for it, and I agree with santafe, this guy should never have been let out of jail in the first place.

12-05-2003, 09:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
phredgreen who? Location: the phoenix metro	not death. castration. if the hand offends, cut it off. something along those lines. people who commit heinous crimes like these, especially those who are repeat offenders, shoud have their genitals removed in order to prevent future offenses. __________________ My country is the world, and my religion is to do good. - Thomas Paine

12-05-2003, 10:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
ReggErving Addict	First we must determine guilt. I don't want to sound like a crying lefist but we are innocent until proven guilty and this might be a closed case but these principles need to be adhered to because who knows when you might find yourself in a position of wrongly accused. __________________ ...sitting on your bed with a samauri pose.

12-06-2003, 02:26 PM	#8 (permalink)
thingstodo A Storm Is Coming Location: The Great White North	Nail this dude for the answer and let us go on with our lives. Plus, cut him up and lock him up - for good - all alone. __________________ If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves. Stangers have the best candy.

12-06-2003, 02:33 PM	#9 (permalink)
santafe5000 EVIL! Location: Southwest of nowhere	I still can't figure why this guy was released in the first place. I know he had served his term, but the phycologist said he was not safe out on the streets. In cases like this, the perp should be sent to a minimum security facility for the rest of his life. Then we wouldn't have to see cases like this. Third time loser, lock um up for life, no parole. __________________ When all else fails, QUIT.

12-05-2003, 09:13 PM	#2 (permalink)
MSD The sky calls to us ... Super Moderator Location: CT	Rape is one of the few crimes for which I'd rather see someone die than be rehabilitated.