Progressives Don’t Seem to Care about Sexual Assault Victims – The American Spectator

Many advocates for criminal justice reform decry “mass incarceration” and sympathize with those who commit some of the most heinous crimes, such as rape and other sex crimes. 

Progressive justice reform in cities across America reveals a similar trend: Soft-on-crime policies create more victims. But progressive organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union ignore this, frequently criticizing the bail system by asserting that it disproportionately affects working-class people and minorities. (RELATED: Soft on Crime, Harsh on Pronouns)

“Poorer Americans and people of color often can’t afford to come up with money for bail, leaving them incarcerated in jail awaiting trial, sometimes for months or even years,” reads the ACLU website. “Meanwhile, wealthy people accused of the same crime can buy their freedom and return home.”

Zero-Bail Policies Hurt Victims of Sexual Assault 

Other activists advocate for a zero-bail policy, in which the incarcerated do not have to pay to be released from jail prior to their trial. Zero-bail policies, however, have repeatedly resulted in crime increases. 

A zero-bail policy in Yolo County, California, contributed to a 163 percent increase in total crime overall and a 200 percent spike in violent crime. Police rearrested 70 percent of those released under the zero-bail policy, and 20 percent were rearrested for a violent crime.

In many cases, bail funds released violent rapists. 

For example, in Massachusetts, one repeat sex offender was arrested for rape, kidnapping with intent of sexual assault, and assault and battery after the Massachusetts Bail Fund paid $15,000 for his bail. In another case, the Minnesota Freedom Fund paid a repeat rape offender’s $350,000 bail. 

Greg Lewin, the interim executive director of the MFF, said that he did not often consider a person’s offenses before bailing them out. “The point is the system that we are fighting,” Lewin told local news Fox 9 KMSP, referring to the bail and criminal justice systems.

Weak District Attorneys Overlook Sexual Assault

American cities have also seen crime skyrocket under soft-on-crime prosecutors. The most lenient prosecutors, including Baltimore District Attorney Marilyn Mosby, Chicago’s Kim Foxx, and the Bronx’s Darcel Clark — many of whom are funded by George Soros — have declared the criminal justice system racist. Consequently, they charge fewer cases and let criminals walk free. 

St. Louis’ Kim Gardner prosecuted less than a quarter of felony prosecutions brought forth by the police. Under Gardner, St. Louis hit an all-time record-high homicide rate. 

Under Clark, only 26 percent of rape arrests led to convictions, compared to conviction rates of over 60 percent in Queens and Staten Island. And after receiving a plea deal from Manhattan’s Alvin Bragg, a man accused of raping a teenage girl went on a sex rampage — harassing five different women.

Misplaced Sympathy for Criminals

Studies indicate that many rapists reoffend frequently. 

A case study from the Esfandi Law Group found that 30 to 40 percent of sex offenders reoffend after 20 years. Recidivism rates for sexual crimes were 10 to 15 percent five years after the first offense. Rates rise to 20 percent after 10 years. 

Prosecuting petty crime would also decrease the frequency of rapes, since rapists are likely to have committed other crimes. Thirty-seven percent of rapists have already been convicted of a felony, and 10 percent have committed at least five felonies prior to their rape conviction, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. 

A former convict reflected on Substack on the sympathy he received from people after being released from prison.

“I expected scorn, judgement, mistrust and had prepared for years to carry it,” he wrote, “instead I found fascination, curiosity, sympathy and strangers making excuses for me. You explained my crimes away TO ME when I made no attempt to do so myself.”

Those guilty of even the most heinous crimes receive an overwhelming amount of compassion, from nonprofit organizations to everyday citizens. However, the outcomes of these policies — motivated by “sympathy for criminals” — speak for themselves. 

Mass incarceration of violent criminals, especially rapists, is not such a bad thing.

Emma Verrigni is a rising sophomore at Hillsdale College studying history and journalism. A member of The American Spectator’s 2023 intern class, Emma enjoys reading philosophy and the news.

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