Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Unplug Hug-a-Thug

I actually didn't know the term "Hug-a-Thug" until today. Urban dictionary's definition sent in by Ron Berlin of Denver:

Hug-a-Thug

Piece of shit bleeding heart liberals who cuddle and comfort murderers, rapist and child molesters in a correctional facility.

"Chester the molester sexually assaulted a staff member. A week later Shari bought him a Happy Meal."

Hence, Shari is a hug-a-thugger. While there seem to be oodles of hug-a-thug programs out there and many hug-a-thuggers, there seem to be almost no "comfort-a-victim" (I couldn't think of a cute rhyme) programs to match. I just read this appalling bit for example:

"With Prison Break, volunteers such as Hepler meet with eight to 10 medium-security prisoners who have been on good behavior for an hour each Thursday, and help them learn better interpersonal and communication skills. As a result of these interactions, the prisoners can carry themselves well when in front of a parole committee, Hepler explained."

How sweet! Hepler, a criminal profiler wannabe, helps criminals get over on parole committee members! Lovely!

When will people start understanding that criminals are in jail because they deserve to be there and if they want help, they should get it after they serve their time and they should get help for no other reason then that they want to act right from that day forth.

Meanwhile, victims should be getting all the attention as they are getting a life sentence and no one seems to give a damn.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Nonviolent Offenders Act Violently

The Connecticut parole board apparently is surprised that two "nonviolent" offenders have suddenly committed one of the most heinous crimes in the history of the state. While it was true that each one of this team of offenders had at least twenty burglaries in their past, the board claimed they felt serving one third of their most recent sentences seemed appropriate. Robert Farr, the chairman of the board, was shocked saying their behavior didn't fit the normal mode.

But, now, Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, of Cheshire, and Steven Hayes, 44, of Winsted have been charged with assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, arson, larceny and homicide. Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, was strangled and her daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela, died of smoke inhalation. Mr. Petit was beaten but survived. Hawke-Petit and the youngest daughter, Michaela, were both raped.

This is the problem with prediction. Psychopaths are not predictable. Furthermore, the parole board only knew what the men were convicted of, not what they might have been charged with (like rape which was plead down to burglary when the evidence wasn't strong enough) and what they have never been arrested for (like other burglaries, possible rapes, and maybe serial killings).

When these men re-offended, they should have gotten a stronger sentence. When they offended again, they should have gotten a very long sentence. One crime might be a stupid mistake, twice proves you haven't learned your lesson, and three times pretty much tells me I don't want that offender to have another chance. While we were giving these two creeps a short sentence of a few years, we gave a mom and her two daughters the death penalty and her husband and all her relatives and friends a life sentence.

The next time we parole these criminals to halfway houses we better ask what they are half the way to doing and who they are going to be doing it to.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown