Justice and Healing

The recent stories on the sentencing of my client Robert Rose contained statements of the district attorney’s office. Mr. Rose is called a pedophile by not only the district attorney’s office but the judge without any proof that any expert has given that this is what he is. There are psychological criteria which must be satisfied before someone can be classified a pedophile. Not all people who have been accused or even convicted of a molestation are, in fact, pedophiles. I submit that he is not a pedophile nor is he now or ever has been a danger to this or any other community.

This kind of rhetoric only serves to bring more pain to this man’s family and to inflame the public and the court against him and to hold his family up to public humiliation. These types of comments are irresponsible and display a lack of professionalism on behalf of the prosecutor’s office.

Over the years I have come to notice that there is a meanness that exists in some of the prosecutions in this county which show absolutely no understanding of the weakness of individuals who are accused of crimes. This kind of attitude only continues to polarize our community and creates embittered and angry individuals.

Our function in the criminal justice system should be as peacemakers and healers, not the creators of divisiveness and hatred. It is sad that this tough-guy rhetoric and in-your-face attitude which is so prevalent in our society is used by our public officials and other professionals, and I believe at times for their own self-benefit. The rest of society learns from this and thinks that this is proper to do. This only perpetuates evil that exists and does nothing to heal the divisions in our community.

I am not casting blame on the prosecutor, nor am I casting blame on the judiciary. What I am casting blame on is the system that has grown so callous and indifferent that this kind of pain is handed out to all of the parties in a trial whether they are victims, defendants, victims’ families or defendants’ families--they, too, feel the pain.

JAMES MATTHEW FARLEY

Ventura