Convicted child molester marries woman with children while in prison
By wvchell78
@wvchell78 (564)
United States
December 14, 2006 10:47am CST
I am just curious of your opinions. There is a guy that I went to school with that was convicted of molesting his step daughter. He has been in prison for around 7 years. I seen in our local newspaper that he had got married while in prison and it listed the womans children in the announcement. Being that he is a convicted child molester should the prison system have allowed him to marry a woman with children while in prison for this crime?
2 people like this
7 responses
@margieanneart (26423)
• United States
29 Dec 06
I think that the prison system should have kept him behind bars, and should have thrown the keys away.
1 person likes this
@wvchell78 (564)
• United States
29 Dec 06
Thank you for responding. So far he is still in prison. I just can not understand why she would marry him and he is still in prison for child molestation. I believe this woman has 5 kids and I noticed that there were girls names. It scares me to think what will happen when he does get out.
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
20 Dec 06
I don't think the prison itself can stop him from marrying her although I admit I'm not sure. Most child molesters when they are released have to stay away from kids. How does he do that if he's married a woman with kids. Makes very little sense.
Personally though I question the mother and her thinking, if she even was. I know I wouldn't want to bring a man like that into my home where my kids will be. That is putting them in danger. The recidivism rate for child molesters is quite high and placing him in a house with kids is just asking for trouble. I think the mother should be checked out to make sure she isn't putting the children in any other dangerous situations.
1 person likes this
@wvchell78 (564)
• United States
20 Dec 06
Thank you for your response. I was wondering what this woman could have been thinking. I know that she met him while he was in prison from what his brother had said. He said they met thru some prison pen pals system. Surely she had to know what he was in there for before she married him. I worry about the children too because what if he would be a repeat offender.
@wvchell78 (564)
• United States
17 Dec 06
I couldn't believe it when I read this. I went to junior high school with him and was shocked when I had originally read that he had been charged with this. Later I spoke to his brother and he told me that he beleived he was guilty and they were a close family. I keep checking to see if he is out yet. It scares me to think that this woman would chance this.
@wotcha01 (14)
• Australia
19 Feb 07
I don't know that the prison authorities could prevent him marrying, wvchell78, but I would like to think that your local child protection agencies would be very much interested in the children's welfare upon his release.
@beckish (641)
• United States
11 Mar 07
That is a given, at least in Washington State. And he won't be allowed to be around the children without an approved sponsor who is aware of his criminal history.
@princeworthy (1909)
• United States
12 Mar 07
I don't understand why any woman in her right mind would marry such a man. I would certainly not! What is going to happen to those children? I wish that there were laws in place to stop this from happening.
@beckish (641)
• United States
11 Mar 07
They probably couldn't stop the marriage from happening. It may also be that the woman married him while he was in prison but never really intends to have him in her life when he releases. In some states women are eligible for state assistance if their husband is in prison. I hate to think that is why she would marry him, but it is possible. If she does stay with him, when he releases she risks having her children taken away by Child Protective Services.
@DavidReedy (2378)
• United States
8 Mar 07
Tough social question. On the other hand, do we just start taking more rights away from people, criminals or not? Now, I can't speak for the specifics of this guy or this particular crime, and I loathe molesters, rapists, and those who hurt the defenseless in any way, but myself having been put in jail on false charges (not of this kind of crime, by they way) and knowing several others who have also been accused of things they didn't do, I'd hate to think that we'd make the world worse for anyone, convict or not.
