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Experts: Prevent, incarcerate first

NEW ORLEANS — The day after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to reconsider its June refusal to allow the death penalty for child rapists in Louisiana, two experts on pedophile priests said society should focus on prevention, education and incarceration of child molesters — rather than Draconian measures.

The high court’s decision overturned the death penalty for Patrick Kennedy, 43, of Harvey, who was convicted five years ago of raping his 8-year-old stepdaughter. Experts say the court’s decision affects all families, loved ones and survivors of child sexual abuse in Louisiana.

“We think that Draconian punishment for the 10 percent of convicted child molesters isn’t the solution,” said David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, a national support group based at St. Louis. “Instead the focus should be on the 90 percent who are never exposed charged, convicted or jailed. The overwhelming majority of child molesters don’t ever face charges of criminal charges.”

Among survivors of sex abuse, some favor the death penalty; others do not, he said.

“But the overwhelming fear is about that 90 percent” who elude jail.

Among parents and loved ones of sexually abused children, the “universal goal is prevention. They say ‘I just want to make sure our perpetrator doesn’t hurt somebody else.’ ” Clohessy said.

He said SNAP’s major concern in most states is the statute of limitations for prosecution of child sex offenders because many victims do not come forward until they are older.

“We are interested in prevention rather than punitive measures,” he said of SNAP.

Jason Berry, a New Orleans-based investigative author of the pedophile priest crisis in the Catholic Church, has interviewed hundreds of families and survivors of child sexual abuse.

“My impression is what most survivors want is genuine justice,” Berry said. “They want people put behind bars and children made safer. They want rigorous employment background checks. They want training for children about how to get away from these molesters.”

An opponent of the death penalty, Berry said Louisiana is “obsessed with punishment” to solve its social ills, whether the issue is victims of child abuse, children in drug-ridden environments or adults who are unable to care for their children.

“It’s obviously deplorable when anyone rapes or abuses a child, but to take that (crime) to the level of capital punishment is like throwing meat to a hungry crowd,” Berry said.

Both Berry and Clohessy said they could not recall a single case nationwide in which a prosecutor even mentioned the possibility of the death penalty for a clergy member accused of child sexual abuse.

“Very few priests have been sentenced to long terms in prison,” said Berry.

The latest Supreme Court ruling means prosecutors and judges in Louisiana will no longer face “the prospect of having to try a priest (convicted of child rape) as a capital case,” Berry said.