Author Archive

Rene’ Bray (pictured) is a talk show host and child advocate. Her organization Kids In Danger Of Sexploitation was instrumental in promoting Florida’s Chemical Castration Law.

That is the question asked by the many citizens who helped to lobby the chemical castration bill. Chemical castration, also known as MPA treatment, was passed and went into effect on October 1, 1997. Basically the law requires anyone convicted of a sexual battery with a prior conviction, MUST be sentenced to MPA treatment. The MPA treatment may be ordered on any conviction of sexual battery. MPA is simply a weekly injection of depro prevera, a birth control substance for women. When given to a male it lowers the levels of testosterone and prevents erections. This treatment has been used in Denmark for over 30 years and has lowered the recidivism rate to 2.2%. In light of the recent molestations and murders of Sarah Lunde and Jessica Lundsford by repeat offenders, one has to question why our justice system isn’t using all the tools available to it, such as MPA.

It has taken an inquiry by WFLA –TV reporter, Mark Douglas, to get those questions and others answered and the answers are rather disturbing to those of us who work everyday to prevent sexual assault. The state court administrators have reported that over 50 repeat rapists escaped MPA for no good reason. More than 2000 sex offenders could have been given the treatment, but weren’t. The Florida Civil Commitment Center in Arcadia, which houses those who are being held under the Jimmy Ryce Act, isn’t using it either. They say at $600.00 per month, it is too costly. However the cost of incarceration is $6000.00 per month per inmate. Dr. Fred Berlin of John Hopkins is an expert in sex offenders and MPA and he says he is amazed that MPA isn’t being used in this state. The excuses from judges and prosecutors is that they didn’t know of the law or felt like it wasn’t necessary to impose it due to the length of sentences or age of the defendant at the time of release. Ignorance or disagreement of the law is not an excuse to ignore it. One judge in our state took a stand. Judge Anthony Johnson of Orange County sentenced a first time offender to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years of MPA treatment. Johnson said, “ I want to insure the safety of the public and that’s what I am doing in this case.” We can only hope that other judges and prosecutors follow his example.

By Traci Fonte

Drowning in the hellish pit of Parental Survivorship of murdered and sexually abused children, Mr. Lunsford has managed to focus on the root of the evil that propelled him there. For him it is the miracle of his daughter that keeps the rage within from consuming every fiber of his being. As it is for many other parents of a victimized child, the proactive stance he has taken in honor of Jessie is the lifeline out of that hellish pit. This pain and anguish is all too familiar. In 1999 my daughter, then 11 yrs old, was a victim of a man who, to date, remains un-prosecuted therefore unrecognized as a sexual offender. This monster was arrested then released, only to be rearrested weeks later for the 1985 murder of a 15yr old Connecticut boy.

Founder and President of a local grassroots, non-profit organization Protect Our Children Inc. and editor of the Guardian Brevard Newspaper, Kevin Gillick offered me a medium in which I was able to vent my frustrations and affect change on a local level. It was on! I climbed out of that pit and jumped into the battle to protect and save our children. Over the past seven years I have served this small organization with the powerful voice as Secretary, Founder of the Internet Sting Team, Member of the organization’s Court Room Monitor Program and now as Executive Director. “The Guardian Brevard” is published by Protect Our Children and released quarterly. It identifies Brevard County Sex offenders by photo, mapped address and the crime they committed against somebody’s child. The victims are never identified. We drive infinite miles delivering countless copies of The Guardian to the driveways of residents in neighborhoods where these sex offenders live. This system works but it is not enough.

Current registration and tracking methods of these sex offenders are failing our children and their families. There are far too many offenders for our already taxed system to keep up with, and the numbers are growing. Legislation must be passed in which these individuals are tracked by Global Positioning Satellite Systems. Bracelets or Ankle Monitors are only effective if the offenders keep them on. Once removed, though an alarm would alert in the monitoring system, the offender would have ample time to disappear. A surgically implanted chip strategically placed beneath the skin of the offender would rectify this issue and would allow for consistent effective monitoring of these dangerous offenders. In addition to registration, if insertion of these devices were imposed as a condition prior to release, we would not have to rely upon sex offenders to notify law enforcement of a change of address or their movement through out our communities. This legislation should also allow for free public access to map and trace the offenders’ beacons via the Internet.

Protect Our Children’s Court Room Monitor Program boasts of diligent conspicuous adults who advocate for the greatest possible prosecution and sentencing of sex offenders of children. These advocates attend the bond hearings, trials and sentencing of the sex offenders who harm children of Brevard County. Their purpose is to ensure the offender is prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent allowed by law. Your participation is needed! Call 321-638-3711.