Too Young for Justice
Too Young for Justice
An analysis of 5200 child sex offender cases during 2006, just one of the 18 years Michael Waller has been Lake County State's Attorney, found some disturbing trends. Most notably, the average time served is just two years before the offender is back on the streets.
Is 30 Months Enough?
Of 244 felony child sex offender cases which could have produced a maximum of 4,000 years in prison, the average sentence given a child sex offender in Lake County is just over two years.read more
Are victim advocates too cozy with the 'system'?
Denise Rotheimer wanted to help survivors of sexual assault. Her child was raped in 2001, and both mother and daughter found strength and support at LaCASA, now the Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center in Gurnee.read more
Ground Zero- Lake County Hot spot for offenders
The one-square-mile area south of Rollins Road, near Cedar Lake Road, has just over 30 sex offenders living in it. Similarly sized residential areas here and elsewhere rarely have more than a dozen sex offenders.read more
Predator Case Study
Michael Dunkirk sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl twice.. and received 18 months of periodic imprisonment. "Additionally", Dunkirk was sentenced to other limitations.. including 36 months of sex offender-specific probation, to write a letter of apology to the girl and pay $250 to the Lake County Child Advocacy Center.read more
"It's like a murder," says survivor
"It's like a murder," the area high school student said. "It's forever in the sense that any time something really profound happens in your life, it changes who you are. You can't ever go back to the life you used to have. That life no longer exists."read more
Child sex assault victims feel lack of control in legal system
When a victim of violent crime enters Lake County Circuit Court on a quest for justice, she may assume the prosecutor is on her side. But court documents list the "People of the State of Illinois" as the plaintiff, not the victim.read more
Series Editor - David Rutter
Letter from Too Young For Justice Series Editor, David Rutter.read more
Lake County News-Sun Oped
Opinion by News-Sun in support of Victims' Rights.read more