Editorial
—A
Scarlet letter warning
a sign of the times
An FBI report recently listed Portland as one of the most
dangerous cities in the country, ranking the Rose City above
larger cities such as Cleveland and Washington, D C. "It
goes back to the old story of where do you put these people
(criminals) and what do you do with them." Police Chief
Richard I). Walker said
Finding a place to keep and rehabilitate criminals in a
society that demands safety and fair punishment has become
increasingly difficult, jail overcrowding and a rising crime
rate only perpetuate the problem.
But early last June. Multnomah Circuit Court Judge
Dorothy Baker came up with one solution to end this cycle.
When Baker sentenced Richard Bateman to one year in
jail and five years probation for molesting two neighlxirhood
children, she added an unusual condition. Bateman is re
quirnd to post signs on the doors of his home and t ar stating:
"Dangerous sex offender, no children allowed."
If Baker had sent Bateman to prison for the maximum
possible term, he probably would have been released on
parole within months. In passing the sentence. Baker said
the signs will better protect the community
While this may alert the neighborhood to Bateman's
crime, it certainly will not solve Bateman's problem. As
Arthur La France, a professor at Northwestern School of
Law. argues, Bateman has become a prisoner within the
society and the community has become his jailkeeper.
The basic idea behind this nations's penal system is not
only to punish people, but also to help them overcome their
past and re-enter society. Branding Bateman with a "scarlet
letter" works against this principle by making Bateman a
spectacle.
Instead of trying to overcome his problem, the sentence
emphasizes Bateman’s crime in bold, three-inch letters. It
invites the community to shun and ostracize him — to judge
him for his crime without the benefit of an explanation
Bateman protested the sentence to the Oregon Court of
Appeals, arguing the signs will prevent him from getting a
job or a new place to live Mis concerns art; justified The
distrust and hatred generated in a community can be very
strong.
As a result, these signs do not work to help Bateman or
the community; they ordy stress the point that Bateman is a
convicted sex-offender and will not lx; welcome into the
community. This type of negative reinforcement will not
change Bateman's ways or prevent him from committing
morn crimes. Instead it only perpetuates the problem it is
trying to solve.
Bateman's case is only a small reaction to a much larger
problem. Our society is searching for a way to punish and
rehabilitate its criminals while keeping our communities
safe.
But this example should not lie ignored or accepted. Im
prisoning Bateman within the society is not an affective or
fair punishment. It shifts the burden of trial and judgment to
society. We should not condone such a desperate action.
Rather we should recognize the overshadowing problem and
work for a better solution. If we do not try to achieve this
ultimately we all will become victims.
HEMS
&■
si^sis
Letters
Deadly theory
ilnim I must say that in his
latter to the editor, Jon
Wollander has shown the
world. !>oth gays and straights,
that he lives in what is obvious
ly a fool's paradise (ODE, Nov.
4)
Wollander is against (Gov
Neil (Goldschmidt spending tax
payers' money to educate the
public on AIDS prevention
through the use of posters ad
vocating the use of condoms.
How is this different from the
government spending our
money on advertisements pro
moting the use of a seatbelt
while driving? There is no dif
ference. Both condoms and
seatbelts help save lives (when
used properly). And if one life
is saved, isn't it worth it? I think
so. I've always bean taught that
the gift of life is priceless. And
if (Goldschmidt's ad campaign
saves lives, he's given the
greatest gift of all.
You say that the posters
should show a body ravaged by
AIDS with the caption: "Con
doms fail — AIDS doesn't."
(Nice scare tactic, by the way; it
brings out the Republican in
you.) Well, yes, condoms do
fail But then again, so does
Oregon Daily
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your precious institution of
marriage.
A recent survey done on a na
tional level has shown that 4ti
percent of the population has
cheated on its marriage part
ners It does not take a genius to
figure out that your wife or hus
Itand can bring you AIDS from
one of their extracurricular
activities.
And it does not take a
mathematician to figure out that
a 40 percent cheat rate is a lot
w'orse than a condom breaking
Your wedding ring theory is
deadly, Let’s hope nobody
bought it.
Dan (>ruber
Knglish
Technology
There is a misconception that
technology alone can solve im
portant problems. Technology
in a vacuum solves only the im
mediate financial needs of the
institution that receives the
grant to develop the technique.
Institutions have a higher suc
cess rate at being awarded
grants if they appear able to
translate a discovery into
something useful. This is ob
viously the University’s motive
for supporting a research park.
But we should not confuse
the word useful with ap
propriate. Applying the
technology of atomic energy to
the construction of bombs hard
ly seemed appropriate in the
beginnings of atomic science:
Even Einstein felt this applica
tion to be foolish
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Sometime after VVW11. a new
technology of plastics fabrica
tion came about. Today, the use
of persistent plastics in con
sumable products is creating a
solid waste problem and caus
ing considerable damage to the
environment. The application
of computer technology in the
area of stock trading recently
demonstrated a complete lack of
foresight
It has been common
knowledge for several years that
styrofoam products release a gas
that damages the protective
layer of ozone in the upper at
mosphere. though styrofoam
coffee cups are used at all the
public forums on campus.
In many ways, our society is
ill-prepared to control inap
propriate uses of the
technologies we already have.
Short-term economic benefits
should not determine ap
propriate uses of technology
and the myths surrounding the
utility of future technologies
must be examined.
Francis Saffell
Eugene
Parking problem
The parking situation for
scooters and motorcycles
around campus is inadequate.
The few designated areas left
are crammed and overflowing
with motorcycles and scooters.
Thus all scooters parked outside
or even partially outside the
boundry line get tickets.
All the construction around
campus has made the problem
even worse.
There is no parking on the
corner of 13th Street and Kin
caid Avenue or between Univer
sity and Kincaid Streets on 13th
Avenue. Students with classes
in Gilbert, Fenton. Chapman
and other Halls end up walking
several blocks.
Thirteenth Street should lie
opened up for scooter and
motorcycle parking, thus reliev
ing a large part of the problem.
Mike Kademacher
Student