March, 2008
Jessica Lunsford
Frank Colosi
If you came across a picture of Jessica Lunsford, would you recognize her? It was a mere 3 years ago. In 2005, 9-year-old Jessica, was kidnapped, raped and murdered. John Couey was sentenced to death later that year for the atrocious acts that he committed.
Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, has now been campaigning around the country to pass Jessica's Law: a law mandating all sexual offenders whose victim is a minor be sentenced to a minimum 25 years in prison. The law also requires twice-yearly registration with the database and electronic monitoring if they get released. Failure to comply with the monitoring of addresses is a felonious act. Legislators in Florida, as well as 31 other states, have passed the bill.
This is one of the greatest tools we can equip the justice department with to combat violence against children. Any person who would molest or rape a child does not deserve the great rights and privileges that we as Americans all cherish.
Those who oppose the law (and yes, surprisingly people do oppose it) argue that the punishment is way too severe. I say it isn't severe enough. John Couey got exactly what a perverted person like him deserves: the death penalty. No group of society needs protection quite like children, and we should all do everything we can to protect them from dangerous criminals who wish them harm.
People like John Couey are in every city across the county. Within 5 miles of my house there are over one hundred and fifty offenders walking the streets able to offend again. Some are under supervision, a few even incarcerated, but the vast majority of these criminals are out.
John Couey (right) abducted, raped, and murdered 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford (left) in 2005.
In most cases the crime escalates every time it is committed. Couey was arrested in 1978 for breaking into a house and molesting a small girl. He was paroled far before he served his 10-year sentence. Joseph Duncan is another shocking case of how lenient judges who let child molesters off cannot be trusted. He raped a boy and served 16 years, but during his second offense, a judge released him on bail for $15,000. Duncan promptly skipped bail and fled to Idaho from Minnesota where he not only raped another boy, but molested the boy's sister and killed both their parents. This tragedy could have been avoided if the judge locked Duncan up for a quarter of a century, instead of setting him free.
Cases like Duncan's are all too common, yet 19 states still have not enacted Jessica's Law. Ten others have passed partial versions of the law and six states have yet to take action: Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont, Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming. The lawmakers, judges and governors have done nothing to ensure that any predator who attacks a child will not get another opportunity any time soon.
Thankfully, our leaders in 2005, including Gov. Jeb Bush, took action to ensure that every child in Florida is protected and that we will not stand by idly while our children are victims to repeat offenders. I urge every parent to take the time and figure out who lives around them. You might be surprised. To check your neighborhood for predators, logon to www.fdle.state.fl.us and follow the link to the online sexual predator database.