I can’t help but be reminded of these lines from Rihanna’s song while watching Dateline’s infamous series, “To Catch a Predator.” This is a reality show which features undercover investigations on online predators, adults who chat with individuals whom they believe to be minors and engage in sexual conversations with the latter. An "entrapment" operation is set where the adult is invited to meet with the supposed minor with the intention of engaging in sexual relations with the latter. To their utter mortification, upon reaching the house of the supposed minor, these men are confronted by the host of the show, Chris Hansen, who berates them about their illicit plans. Most of them can only manage to say, “I’m sorry…” And they find even greater reason to be sorry once the hidden cameras and microphones are pointed out to them. Upon leaving the house, these men are arrested and charged accordingly.
This is supposed to be a good thing for all of us who want to feel protected from the psychos out there. Through their efforts, many have been successfully prosecuted and incarcerated. But the show has also been met with a lot of criticism, particularly on the manner by which the offenders’ identities are exposed to the public, the show’s partnership with the police and a private organization called Perverted Justice, with others viewing the motives of the network as nothing more than ratings-driven. Many of the men who have been caught in flagrante delicto are respected members of the community including a 6th grade teacher, a rabbi, a military staff sergeant, a church music director, among others. Arguably, the most controversial would be an assistant district attorney who shot and killed himself when police went to his home to serve him with a search warrant. His case was different, as he refused to show up at the undercover operations and ceased communicating with the alleged minor online, the police, instead, sought him in his own home. His sister filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the show, which resulted in a settlement. While the vigilante in me couldn’t care less about the human rights of sex offenders, I can’t help but feel alarmed at what lengths the show could go. Constitutional rights are guaranteed not only to law-abiding citizens, but even to scumbags and perverts, as undeserving as they may be. We thank the fine men from the media and the police who try to protect society from these predators. But when it is the authorities themselves who become the predators, who, now, will protect us from them?
This is supposed to be a good thing for all of us who want to feel protected from the psychos out there. Through their efforts, many have been successfully prosecuted and incarcerated. But the show has also been met with a lot of criticism, particularly on the manner by which the offenders’ identities are exposed to the public, the show’s partnership with the police and a private organization called Perverted Justice, with others viewing the motives of the network as nothing more than ratings-driven. Many of the men who have been caught in flagrante delicto are respected members of the community including a 6th grade teacher, a rabbi, a military staff sergeant, a church music director, among others. Arguably, the most controversial would be an assistant district attorney who shot and killed himself when police went to his home to serve him with a search warrant. His case was different, as he refused to show up at the undercover operations and ceased communicating with the alleged minor online, the police, instead, sought him in his own home. His sister filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the show, which resulted in a settlement. While the vigilante in me couldn’t care less about the human rights of sex offenders, I can’t help but feel alarmed at what lengths the show could go. Constitutional rights are guaranteed not only to law-abiding citizens, but even to scumbags and perverts, as undeserving as they may be. We thank the fine men from the media and the police who try to protect society from these predators. But when it is the authorities themselves who become the predators, who, now, will protect us from them?
1 comment:
I think I have to watch TV more often. The show may have noble intentions but it has Bill of Rights violations written all over it. I know I should've been desensitized by now but a rabbi or a grade school teacher engaging in child prostitution is just disturbing.
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