Thousands of convicted pedophiles in California have been released after only a few months in prison.
According to a research undertaken by the U.K. Daily Mail, such pedophiles have been convicted of “a spectrum of heinous offenses, including raping kids under 14.”
More than 7,000 people convicted of “lewd or lascivious conduct with a kid under 14 years of age” were released the same year. Convicts who committed even more severe crimes, such as sodomy and child rape, received low sentences as well.
“Thousands of young victims are being denied justice, and George Gascón with his cadre of radical prosecutors couldn’t care less,” said LA Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami, who works in the Complex Child Abuse Unit and whose criticism of DA Gascón aided in the recall drive.
365 pedophiles convicted of ongoing sexual assault of a child received light terms, with all serving less than a year in prison. There were 39 convictions for sodomy with a minor under the age of 16, and three for kidnapping a child under the age of 14 “with intent to perform indecent or lascivious acts.”
Samuel Dordulian, a former L.A. sex crimes prosecutor, told the outlet that the statistics was “terrifying for society,” adding that “facts clearly reveal that pedophiles do not get reformed. They’re going to come out and commit another act.”
One pedophile convicted of “chronic sexual abuse of a minor” spent just two days inside a county jail prior to getting released on a five-year probation, according to Megan’s Law data.
He currently resides one block from a daycare as well as three blocks from an elementary school, according to the Daily Mail.
According to additional data analysis, 76 percent of the 54,986 sex offenders in the database are pedophiles. Each pedophile spent an average of two years and 10 months in prison.
Dordulian noted that California Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D) intention to artificially reduce the state’s prison population is partly to blame for such compassionate punishment and treatment.
“That has been the aim for at least five years: releasing people considerably sooner than their sentences were for,” he told the Daily Mail. “However, studies have shown that these types of people are not susceptible to rehabilitation. They’re going to hurt another youngster.”
Indeed, convicted sexual offenders are almost four times more likely than most other criminals to be rearrested for a sex crime, according to Department of Justice statistics. People on the database who committed severe sexual offences received “similarly light” punishments to those convicted of offences like indecent exposure, according to the outlet.
