Justice

I, like most of the world, am completely incensed by the Jaycee Dugard case. I was under the impression that the Federal, State, County, and City authorities are paid to protect our children from these types of incidents. I'm not, in any way, attempting to lay blame on everyone for this horrendously atrocity, but "the system" seriously failed this poor girl and her family. And personally, I don't think the old "oops, we screwed up and feel real bad about it" defense holds water here!

Although the facts of this case are still unfolding, I feel compelled to create a blog for the purpose of venting my frustration over this dispicable incident.

We already know that her kidnapper, Phillip Garrido, was on what is basically lifelong parole. Regardless of what other crimes this animal committed that haven't yet been publicized, that part is a fact. He apparently visited with his parole officer a number of times over the 18 years he held Jaycee in confinement in sheds and tents in his backyard. We also know that, in 2006, neighbors reported to police that he had people, including children, living in his backyard, despite being a sexual offender. Reportedly, the police officer who investigated this incident didn't feel compelled to search the yard.

From what I understand, the parole officers had the authority to search his property at any time because of his lifelong parole status. Why didn't they? Too busy? Seemed like a nice enough guy? Didn't want to bother him?

In the end, this young woman and her children will have to live with this for the rest of their lives. He'll go to prison and be protected from the rest of the inmates for the rest of his life. His wife will get the same "harsh treatment," although I'm sure a savy lawyer will try to get her a lighter sentence by trying to assert she was insane or had some form of diminished capacity for fear of her husband, despite the fact that SHE was seen as the abductor by the stepfather. And like Caylee Anthony, Jaycee Dugard will fade from the headlines.

Will justice then be served? What about the police officer that came to investigate the neighbor's call? What about the parole officers who "kept an eye on him" while he held this girl for EIGHTEEN YEARS, sexually and emotionally abusing her the whole time? In my humble opinion, anyone AND everyone involved with Phillip Garrido's parole should be held accountable! Obviously, many had no conceivable way of knowing what he was doing. But because there is such a thing as "lifelong parole" can't we assume it should come with a certain amount of supervision? In this particular case, there seems to have been none! And those that are paid to provide it should be held accountable for their failure to protect this young girl. It starts with the judge that released this maniac and ends with the last parole officer that saw him. (From what I've read, Garrido actually took Jaycee with him to see his parole officer and SHE told the PO who she was.)

If the governing agencies refuse to dismiss any and all employees who were paid to protect, but couldn't/wouldn't do so for this poor child, I would hope some enterprising lawyer would step forward and file a lawsuit against any and all governing agencies that failed this family. I would hope that they would refuse ANY settlement that didn't include the immediate dismissal of the aforementioned civil servants.

As for Phillip and Nancy Garrido, what can be said? We all know what we would want done to these animals if it were our daughter/sister/neice/mother who had been abducted, held and sexually tortured for 18 years against her will. But we're too civilized to say and/or do it. Instead, if we're lucky, they'll spend the rest of their lives being fed and housed on our tax dollars and we'll call it justice. And we'll forget about. And Jaycee and her family will be left to try to learn to cope with it.