“Put them all in prison forever.”
That wasn’t said by an internet commenter. It was said by Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters while discussing people convicted of sex offenses following “Operation Checkmate.” According to News4JAX, the Sheriff stated: “I think you should put them all in prison forever. That’s just my opinion. Or, we get rid of them completely because my experience tells me that they can’t be cured. And if you get one, you interview them. If they’re honest with you, they’ll tell you they can’t be cured. They’re probably in the safest place that they can be.”
The Sheriff is not saying people should be punished according to the law. He’s not saying people should serve the sentence imposed by a judge. He’s saying an entire class of people should be imprisoned forever, regardless of what the law provides, because he personally believes they “can’t be cured.” That is not law enforcement. That is prejudice!
The reality is that decades of research have shown that people convicted of sex offenses are not a homogeneous group and that already low recidivism rates decline dramatically with time, age, and offense-free behavior. Most never reoffend at all. Yet here we have the chief law enforcement officer of one of Florida’s largest cities publicly declaring that every one of them belongs in prison for life and can’t be cured!
Statements like this should concern everyone — not just registrants and their families. We expect sheriffs to enforce the law fairly and objectively, not to substitute personal bias for facts and evidence. When a sheriff openly declares that an entire group of citizens is beyond redemption, it raises serious questions about whether those individuals can ever expect fair treatment from his agency.
Whether someone is popular or unpopular, sympathetic or unsympathetic, justice requires facts, evidence, and individual assessment. Not blanket assumptions and fear-driven rhetoric. A sheriff who believes an entire class of people should be imprisoned forever despite what the law says has forgotten his role. His job is to enforce the law, not rewrite it based on personal opinion. Someone like this should not be in office because he’s a danger to the community.
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Typical grandstanding and trolling for votes.
Nothing like biased law enforcement and the “everyone’s guilty of something” mentality.
No wonder I have no interest in taking my family to Florida. That man must have mental issues and should not be in a power of authority.
These types of statements are exactly why those who have committed a sex offense and have not reoffended should be allowed a seat at the table when discussing the creation of laws. In addition when someone is so deeply prejudice towards one group to an extreme I question what skeletons are in their closet.
I think I might email that sheriff the link to FAC’s website lol.
He most likely would dismiss it unfortunately
But no one speaks out against his ignorant rants.
WE DO!!! You have no clue how much work is going on behind the scenes. We are busting our butts on this end.
I really appreciate everything y’all are doing! I give as much as I can.
Thanks None Ya – That’s REALLY, SINCERELY appreciated. Aside from routine operating costs, we’re allocating 100% towards the new lawsuit and moving full steam ahead!
Well, I have some disappointing news for this sheriff. My crime took place when I was 16. Never had an offense before or after. Im now 53. Come talk to me and ask me if I would be better off in prison.