Convicted Rapist

* Re “Convicted Rapist Held in Recent Attacks,” Nov. 23: Will somebody in the criminal justice system explain why Gary Maurice Townes, sentenced to 20 years for raping a 5-year-old girl, gets out in 10 years? I’m sure that the parents of the 11-year-old girl he allegedly kidnapped and raped just five months after being released from prison would like to know, as well as the parents of the 16-year-old girl he allegedly kidnapped, assaulted and attempted to rape.

Doesn’t California have “no early parole” laws for sex offenders and other violent criminals, and if not, why don’t we?

What do we as a society say to parents of a raped child, when that child is raped by a creature already convicted of rape, released on early parole? If he had served his entire sentence, their child would not have been raped and would not be condemned to a life sentence of her own--living with the physical and emotional trauma of rape for the rest of her life.

ANNIE CAROLINE SCHULER

West Hollywood