To Catch a Predator - Exploitation, or public service?

[Gauntlet offline]

For those who haven't heard of it, To Catch a Predator is a "hidden camera" television show that focuses on locking up child sex offenders. Decoys enter online chatrooms under the pretense of being a minor, and attempt to draw the sex offenders, adults over the age of twenty, from behind the keyboard. During the show, snippets of the transcripts--most notably the graphic segments--are shown to the viewer, trumping any lies that the suspect may come up with during Chris Hansen's investigation.

This show has gone under a bit of criticism, most notably for working with a criticized anti-pedophile organization and entrapment, but it still has high ratings. Is this really justice, publicly humiliating these child sex offenders for ratings, or is Dateline NBC actually interested in helping the community? Should this show continue airing? What changes should be made, if any? Praise; criticism?

[mitchmcmichael offline]

It's a public service. They are catching internet...hmm what is the word...it's not rape...perverts. They are helping people by trying to get those internet pervs off the internet.

[TB3]

Though it may perform a 'good' service, the cynical side of me argues that this is probably only being done because it makes for entertainment.

Also, it's entrapment, tricking people into this (regardless of the person's motives), and publicly humiliating them and their families seems morally wrong to me, and only a few steps away from vigilantism and shotgun-justice.

[Malkmusian offline]

It looks like entertainment, but he may be doing good and scaring all of the pervs from the Internet.

[Kamekai offline]

But there not catching pervs, they're making them. While I admit it's entertaining, this show puts some people behind bars who otherwise would've never been there. Maybe 2/5 of the people have done the crime before, and some might have never done it if it wasn't for this show. I dunno, I'm kinda neutral on this issue, as it doesn't apply to me. Me, I know what I'm doing on the net, and I'm safe.

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I hope.

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No one on here's a 40-year-old gay pedophile, huh?

[TB3]

No one on here's a 40-year-old gay pedophile, huh?

Damn, they're onto me!

But yes kamekai, you've neatly expressed my concerns - it seems to be the equivalent of a certain president's 'preemptive strike' military tactics, and as I said before, should qualify as entrapment.

South Park did a very nice riff on these kind of shows though (chuckles)

[Gauntlet offline]

No one on here's a 40-year-old gay pedophile, huh?

*strokes your shoulder* I just wanted to talk about the weather... sports... you know...


Ahem. Anyways--the show is actually funny to watch at times (not because the child sex offenders are losing their lives, but their reactions and explanations are priceless), though it is kind of sad to see them realize their lives are destroyed. It's a bit heartbreaking to see them breaking down and quivering in fear, but then you realize that if they were left alone with the children, something horrible would have happened.

About the entrapment, in a legal sense, it's not considered entrapment, particularly because the adults bring up sexual topics in the first place. I feel this video sums it up pretty well.

I'm really mixed on the whole subject, but I think, without this TV show, these offenders would not be brought to justice, simply because Perverted-Justice and similar organizations would not receive a monetary benefit. It sounds cynical, but there are other ways to help the community with a paying job than joining a volunteer organization (aka, no pay) and hunting down pedophiles; this show just offers this particular public service a chance to earn some cash.

[TB3]

I honestly can't find it acceptable - regardless of the morality of the 'offenders', what I find sickening is making it into entertainment, and viewers getting their pleasure from watching these peoples lives being destroyed - it's barely any different from snuff films.

[Kamekai offline]

Actually, in most cases, the decoy will come on strong. Not the other guy, in most cases, he will only do so when he realizes his opportunity.

[Gauntlet offline]

I honestly can't find it acceptable - regardless of the morality of the 'offenders', what I find sickening is making it into entertainment, and viewers getting their pleasure from watching these peoples lives being destroyed - it's barely any different from snuff films.

Snuff films are purely for entertainment; they don't offer anything except for fulfilling sick fantasies (and perhaps money, in some cases). To Catch a Predator takes child sex offenders off the street--it is nothing like snuff films, aside from the entertainment aspect.

It's unfortunate that money is the only reason this show is actually airing--without it, many of these child sex offenders would still be on the streets, and Perverted-Justice would not be as successful an organization. I'd like to think the thought of saving countless children from these situations would be enough incentive for people, but the entertainment aspect of the show sells, and with that money, criminals can be taken off the streets and children can be helped as this show is funded.

I don't like the idea of publicly humiliating these people; just because they may be criminals does not make it acceptable to laugh as their world crashes, but, hopefully, in the process of this show, some children may be spared and some would-be sex offenders are frightened away from the scene. I feel it is a necessary component of the show--they get money, the show continues running, several child sex offenders are placed in jail, some children are spared, and the criminals may get the help they need.

So, yeah, I'm in the middle. I think it's a bit of both: A great public service, but also an exploitation of a serious issue. I feel it's necessary for funding the show, but on the same token, I don't agree with the idea of shaming these people.