In a $28 million settlement a pedophile priest’s records have become public and now society can explore the mind of a molester. If they want to.
Van Handel, who is accused of molesting 17 boys, is that 65-year-old pedophile priest being laid bare before the world today, and he resides in Santa Cruz County in California.
Handel’s 27-page “sexual history” now available for others to see was originally a therapeutic tool between him and his therapist in regards to the victimization of male children, according to the Houston Chronicle. Now, however, it has become the latest scandal sheet for public consumption, while also giving a glimpse into the mind of a pedophile.
http://liarcatchers.com/pedophile_tracking.html
And his attorney, Robert “Skip” Howie, thinks it is a big mistake that will have negative repercussions for the identification and treatment of sex offenders.
“You want the person to be open in an interview,” Howie said, “But you totally destroy that avenue if you make these records public.”
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And the pedophile’s attorney has a valid point, as Van Handel, like many other pedophiles in the country, is still alive and living among the rest of America.
But now he will have to live through the backlash of revealing his depraved mind (which some think is only fair), and it could prevent others like him from giving medical professionals the data they need to treat such persons.
However, it can also give parents, schools, churches and law enforcement the information they need to do a better job of protecting the young from such victimization, regardless of the pedophile’s job.
And the greater good would appear to outweigh the limited bad that can come from such disclosures. One victim of Handel’s supports this position, saying “It is really validating to read—in his own words—that what we’ve been saying really did happen.”
And that, if nothing else, appears to be sufficient reason for the records to have been released, since, after all, it is the victims who deserve justice and closure in such cases, since they are the ones who experienced the crime.
