A Response to the Cal-Rec Editorial

Here's my letter to the editor, which I expect will run this week:

To the Editor:

It has taken me a few days to respond to the misleading and patronizing editorial about the Community Safety and Sexual Violence Forum published on September 25th – I’ve been busy running the organization that offers support and resources to victims of sexual assault in the Northeast Kingdom.

One unique and telling aspect of the discussion about mandatory minimum sentences and residency restrictions for sex offenders is the diversity in the groups who oppose them, from law enforcement to prosecutors to victim advocates to defense attorneys. Fiscal conservatives belong in this group as well, since most of the provisions in Jessica’s Law require substantial new funding (without which they are unenforceable), and are not supported by evidence of their effectiveness. In fact, there’s evidence that these measures may decrease community safety, resulting in fewer convictions for a crime that already has one of the lowest prosecution rates and highest acquittal rates. The reality is that very few of the victims we see at Umbrella choose to report their crimes to authorities for a variety of complex reasons. The main focus of our efforts needs to be prevention and education, which promise much better dividends in community safety and the reduction of sexual abuse.

Advocates at Umbrella and around the state probably have contact with more victims of sexual violence than any other entity – including adults who were sexually abused as children. We are 100% supportive of efforts that will increase safety for victims and accountability for sex offenders. We believe that the most effective path to justice is the one guided by evidence and the experiences of the thousands of survivors of violence who have been served by Umbrella over the years – not by emotional reactions to horrific events.

The issues at hand are too complicated and important to be explored via editorials and letters to the editor. An audience member at the community forum suggested that the Caledonian-Record dedicate some resources to reporting on the current realities of sex offender management in our region, and educating the public on what to do if they suspect sexual abuse. I hope the paper will take up this challenge.

Michelle Fay

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I received a call from reporter Taylor Reed after submitting the article, expressing his continued interest in doing a series of articles.