Judge Orders Release of Sexual Predator

This is a victory, of sorts, for those people who think that violent child sexual predators can be rehabilitated.

From SacBee:

A sexually violent predator whose release has been delayed for more than a year was ordered set free within two weeks by a judge who blasted state officials Friday for making little effort to find suitable housing for the convicted child molester.

Timothy Lee Boggs, a 51-year-old Sacramento man who has two convictions for molesting 9-year-old boys in the 1980s, must be released by July 28. He will be allowed to live wherever he wants in Sacramento County as long as he adheres to a series of restrictions and takes part in at least a year of group therapy, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Ronald W. Tochterman ruled.

"I recognize that there is a significant danger that Mr. Boggs may reoffend, that there's cause for legitimate concern," Tochterman said as the mother of one of Boggs' victims sat staring in disbelief. "On the other hand, he has paid his debt to society, and then some."

His debt to society is not the issue, in my estimation. Boggs is considered a significant threat to molest more children and is, therefore, not somebody that should be let loose willy-nilly. I see Judge Tochterman's ruling as a political shot at the state mental health bureaucracy rather than a move to protect Boggs' rights. In any event, the judge has spoken and society, in general, is less safe.

By the way, I believe that rehabilitation of violent sexual predators is a fantasy.