Comments on: A few thoughts on the Sandusky trial and verdict http://www.billdawers.com/2012/06/23/a-few-thoughts-on-the-sandusky-trial-and-verdict/ Sat, 23 Jun 2012 15:10:32 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 By: Anniken Davenport http://www.billdawers.com/2012/06/23/a-few-thoughts-on-the-sandusky-trial-and-verdict/#comment-24087 Sat, 23 Jun 2012 15:10:32 +0000 http://www.billdawers.com/?p=3225#comment-24087 I spend some time 25 years ago as an assistant district attorney in the adjoining county. I’m not sure all that much has changed in the prosecution of child sexual abuse. What has changed is public awareness and reporting. We owe that, I think, in large part to the bravery of Catholic Church abuse victims. No longer are they willing to remain silent in the face of power.

The next group that will benefit from this movement will, I hope, be the mentally ill. 20 years ago I attempted to bring some of those victims to justice, to no avail. They were lost in the mental health system and had been abused horribly (it would make your skin crawl to hear the details) by their psychiatrist. My job was to remove his license to practice. That required me to convince a board made up largely of doctors that one of their own was a monster. They chose not to believe the mentally ill victims.

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