Mandatory Treatment versus Prosecution for First Time Non-violent Sex Offenses

I am requesting legislation that requires Mandatory Confidential Family Treatment for first time non-violent sex offenses such as Romeo/Juliet, Child Porn, and incest. Early intervention and treatment is effective but is not an option with our current laws.

Legislation for PREVENTION which provide resources:
1) Give children the opportunity to confidentially report to someone they trust; not a stranger who takes them out of the home and places them in foster care with strangers.
2) That person would call in the whole family and DSHS, for an Intervention and as a family decide how to handle the situation.
3) DSHS would decide who should receive Mandatory Confidential Treatment and follow through to assist the family through treatment. The law and the court would be the last resort if there is no hope for changing the behavior or keeping the family intact.
4) The family would be financially responsible for family treatment. Most insurance companies will pay but the cost of treatment is minimal compared to hiring an attorney to defend against charges that are undefendable.

Benefits:
1. Protects children by encouraging them to tell to stop and change the behavior versus the loss of family. (90-95% of offences against children are committed by a family member or someone close to them (first time offenders) and they remain silent because of harsh laws.)
These are the (90-95%) children we are failing to protect.
2. Abusers are unable to seek professional treatment because of Mandatory reporting laws. There is NO treatment available and they continue until many other children are harmed before they are reported. Stop Child Molestation by Dr. Gene Abel and Nora Harlow also states many are treatable and curable and give examples of effective treatment.
3. The cost of treatment paid for by Medical Insurance would diminish the State costs (to incarcerate) by billions. Children will be saved, the offender will be cured, taxes would go down, and the deficit would decline.
4. Cover-ups would be eliminated if treatment was an option.
5. The removal of all child porn sites versus legally monitored sites would decrease our cost to taxpayers.
6. There would be no need for a public registry because those truly a threat to children and Society would be incarcerated. People on the registry would not have to fear incarceration for failure to register and taxpayers would not have to support them again.
7. The cost of treatment is minimal versus building more prisons at the taxpayer’s expense. Guard against potential risks from first time non-violent offenders from outside the prison walls and lock up only the truly dangerous.

If an equal amount was spent on prevention as prosecution, incarceration, and lifetime registry, we would see a better community living in harmony with sex offenders (who are NOT a threat) and their families, who are innocent. Research studies state cognitive behavior therapy is the best treatment for offenders. The Child Molestation Research and Prevention state child molesters can be treated and cured before an act is committed but perhaps some do not realize they have a problem until a child is molested. I personally am advocating that laws be changed to mandatory treatment (for any non-violent sex crime) versus incarceration and allow competent sex specific therapists to determine if an accused offender is a threat to society BEFORE he is labeled in the eyes of the media, the legal system, and the whole family is labeled for life. Children want the behavior changed, not the loss of family. The family must be the first priority and allowed to stay intact to support each other with love, compassion and forgiveness as they navigate through recovery.

Just like Sandy Hook Elementary, there are children hiding in their rooms crying for help. Please send help immediately by asking Congress to attach a Certificate of Necessity, which allows the legislature to vote on it immediately