Time and time and time again, we hear stories of convicted sex offenders striking again. Now we have the case of Kenneth Glenn Hinson, a useless piece of garbage if ever there was one. Hinson was released from prison 5 years ago after serving 9 years for raping a 12-year-old girl. At the time, South Carolina officials recommended Hinson be placed in a program for violent sexual predators, a move rejected by the Judge Edward Cottingham, who doesn’t remember the case.

Hinson is now accused of kidnapping and raping two 17-year-old girls in a dungeon he constructed below is home. One can rest assured that these two girls will remember Hinson. Fortunately, the two teenaged victims managed to escape from the underground confinement, meanwhile Hinson remains on the loose. Authorities consider him extremely dangerous.

Exactly how many times must this happen before society awakens to the reality that these sexual predators cannot be rehabilitated and should not be allowed to roam free? The premise that 9 years in prison is sufficient for the brutal rape of a 12 year old is ridiculous to say the least. At a minimum Hinson’s punishment should have been life in prison, now two more children have had their lives irrevocably altered due to the release of this madman.

The Phalanx is never one for the expansion of federal authority at the expense of the states, but if states remain unwilling to confront the overwhelming problem of violent sexual predators, then perhaps the federal government should intercede.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/17/underground.dungeon.ap/index.html