Southern Baptist Sexual Abuse Scandal

Just wondering, what is the penalty for protecting pedophiles from prosecution? Is there such a thing in criminal law?
That is too broad a statement to analyze without specific legal facts, the word Protection does not necessarily mean it is criminal conduct.
 
It's sad when trusted institutions are used by some people to prey on children, the weak, or the disenfranchised. Covering it up is a fault that cannot be pinned on predators. The institution is seriously flawed.
 

actually, "seems" is the correct word. The percentages of sex abuse, pedophilia in church institutions is the same percentage of these acts in the general society.

Sexual predators look for easy opportunities. So, if they want to molest children, they become soccer coaches, ice cream vendors...and, of course...the clergy.

The clergy is basically perfect cover. Who would think someone in the clergy would do something like that?

And it is not limited to sexual abuse.

In the East, there have been problems with the Tongs (Asian Mafia) infiltrating Buddhist temples to use them as cover for heroin smuggling!!!

We can't throw out the baby with the bathwater. Corruptions exist in every institution, touched by people.

That does not mean that we can just get rid of the institutions themselves.

My wife works for a major Catholic university. We are well aware of the pedophilia issues. That makes the press. What doesn't make the press are the endless, endless acts of charity, by the priest community...all over the world. Some of these folks literally go into war zones, risking their very lives to deliver food and medicine. And they stay there. And they live with them, at their economic level...living in poverty in order to respect them.

That kind of thing has been happening for the entire 2000 year history of the Church.

No institution is some kind of cartoonish bastion of evil.

Except New Jersey. That is a huge bastion of evil. I live here. I want out. Someone get me out of here! Please!

"The clergy is basically perfect cover. Who would think someone in the clergy would do something like that?"


Actually clergy is always my first suspect .... in any unlawful sex abuse case.
 
Em in Ohio said:
Just wondering, what is the penalty for protecting pedophiles from prosecution? Is there such a thing in criminal law?
That is too broad a statement to analyze without specific legal facts, the word Protection does not necessarily mean it is criminal conduct.
I'm simply asking about religious entities that know or have reasonable suspicion to believe that allegations against their clergy are true, but choose to bury that information rather than take action that would cause the pedophile to be subject to a police investigation, detained, and/or arrested - and would tarnish or discredit the legitimacy of the religious organization as a whole. Can the entity be held liable, or would the burden to report be upon the victims?
 
Em in Ohio said:
Just wondering, what is the penalty for protecting pedophiles from prosecution? Is there such a thing in criminal law?

I'm simply asking about religious entities that know or have reasonable suspicion to believe that allegations against their clergy are true, but choose to bury that information rather than take action that would cause the pedophile to be subject to a police investigation, detained, and/or arrested - and would tarnish or discredit the legitimacy of the religious organization as a whole. Can the entity be held liable, or would the burden to report be upon the victims?
They could be guilty of several crimes, one being, generally, failure to report a felony, or as posted before, Obstruction, I am sure others depending on the facts. Under the Doctrine of Prosecutorial discretion, although the facts seem clear, he or she may believe a conviction would be difficult. But yes, it could be criminal.
 


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