Viewers Weigh In On Whitmore

Concerns about why he was let out in the first place and how to contain predators like him are pre-occupying many thoughts. Here are a few of yours.

“I am thoroughly disgusted with this!!…Some more serious action needs to be taken when it comes to pedophiles and child pornography.  These people CANNOT be cured, fixed or whatever you want to label it…

“These people need to be locked up permanently, whether it be in a jail or a psychiatric facility.”

“I have children myself and CANNOT imagine the pain and worry and feelings of helplessness.  Something needs to be done to protect our children, and it needs to happen NOW!”
Ashley

“Ironically, if he had committed a robbery or was caught with a gun he would be put away for a much longer period of time.  When will the courts take crimes against people (especially children!!!) seriously?”
Anonymous viewer

“To make matters worse, the children they damage suffer for life and these sick bastards only get a few months or a few years. What is wrong with life without parole or even capital punishment?”
Jennifer Thomas

Institute a 3-time “loser law”. On third conviction for this type of crime, they go directly to prison WITHOUT ANY CHANCE OF PAROLE. Gone for life, period. It may be the only thing a pedophile will truly understand.”
Jim

Jaime Dagenais

“There aren’t as many murders as sex offences because, in my opinion, the punishment is harsher.  If the lives of the sex offenders are easy, when they are released after an easy penalty they will do it again.
 
“Punishment should be harsher and their lives should not be that easy whenever they are released.”

Shaneza Thomas

And finally, two people on the opposite side of the issue, who condemn Whitmore but don’t want to see the public have access to a National Registry.

“I feel that something that was failed to be mentioned as a reason to not make the registry available to the public is that we would be creating an online network for offenders to easily contact others throughout Canada by simply visiting a website.

“I think that this should be the first argument as to why this information should only be available to the appropriate authorities.”

Melissa

“The Sex Offender Registry should absolutely not be made public.  The fact is that most sex offenders will be released back into society, whether people like it or not.  The goal of our system, which most people seem to forget, is to rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders back into society when they are released. 

“History has shown that reintegration is made extremely difficult, if not impossible, when the public is aware of an offender’s presence in their community.  They are often stigmatized and harassed to the point that leading a normal life is impossible.  How does that promote successful reintegration?
 
“People also need to remember that many of the people who are entered into the registry are not repeat offenders like Peter Whitmore, but are successfully rehabilitated one-time offenders who have served their time.  They need to be left alone by the public once released, to promote their chances of a successful and crime-free future.”
 Alison Craig