Them "Sick Bastards"

Trey Smith

The Greek government is being denounced by the National Confederation of Disabled People after it added pedophiles, exhibitionists, and kleptomaniacs to the list of disabled people entitled to state benefits. They have joined pyromaniacs, compulsive gamblers, fetishists and sadomasochists as persons entitled to ask for government assistance.

For example, a pyromaniac or pedophile is now entitled to disability pay up to 35 percent while a diabetic is entitled to only 10 percent disability. Presumably, a diabetic pedophile could received 45 percent disability, so it might be useful for diabetics to claim an interest in child or fires or both.
~ from Greece Declares Pedophilia A Disability Deserving State Benefits by Jonathan Turley ~

Whenever you read or hear of a news report about an adult sexually victimizing a child, a common retort is "Them sick bastards..." Yet, despite the fact most people consider pedophiles to be "sick," I bet the vast majority of folks think this is a horrid idea.

You see, when most people describe a pedophile as "sick," they don't mean it in a legal or clinical sense. No, they mean that their behavior is sick and disgusting. From my experience in the public commons, I think the vast majority of people think that pedophiles should be summarily put to death or transported to some wayward island where they can take turns victimizing each other!

So, I realize that what I am about to write will not be popular: I think the Greeks have adopted a good and sound policy.

As a former child abuse investigator who investigated quite a number of pedophiles, I can tell you that most of them have no clue as to why young children turn them on sexually. Most of them would prefer NOT to be the way they are, but their brains are wired that way. Try as they might -- and a lot of programs and strategies have been tried over the years -- it seems like nothing works to change their innate desires.

That certainly sounds like a disabling condition to me.

What's worse is that, once you've been arrested and/or convicted of sexual crimes against children, nobody wants to hire you and nobody wants you to live in their neighborhood. Not surprisingly, a lot of pedophiles who are paroled become homeless and jobless. With nothing to occupy their minds (like a job or even TV), they end up spending most of their time fantasizing about young children and, if the opportunity arises, victimizing them.

Providing pedophiles with a modicum of income would, at least, provide them with the opportunity to put a roof over their head and food on the table.

And from a practical perspective -- one that safeguards society from their predilections -- it's a lot easier to monitor their whereabouts and activities if they have a residence as opposed to living on the streets.