Child Molester's Stalker Evokes Little Children
The issue of reentry into society after a prison sentence is a transition that often proves difficult. With a criminal conviction on record, many ex-cons are refused legitimate jobs, and are pushed onto the fringes of society-often with no choice but to make money illegally and return to jail.
While some states have initiated programs meant to address this very problem, most places in the country provide few if any transitional programs for those reentering mainstream society after a prison stint.
For those convicted of sexual offenses, the stigma of a prison sentence is often compounded.
Ohio.com reports on the case of Michael Harig, 45, a man who served nearly a year in prison for a 2003 conviction of fondling three adolescent boys. After his release, he apparently faced problems when his next door neighbor, James Z. Cody, began harassing him.
According to reports, Cody launched a "crusade" against Harig: Cody and his wife reportedly erected signs on their lawn indicating in red letters that a child molester lived next door, shone a spotlight into Harig's bedroom window, blared a radio at Harig's house, entered Harig's home, and made threats.
For those familiar with the Todd Field film Little Children, the situation probably rings a bell. In the movie, based on a novel by Tom Perrotta, a convicted child molester who has served time in prison is harassed by his ex-cop neighbor.
The movie neighbor, like Cody, publicizes the presence of a convicted child molester in the neighborhood. And, in both film and real life, an unusual view of child molesters is presented.
Little Children's child molester experiences serious guilt about his criminal behavior, and the audience is able to sympathize with his status as an outcast. In the Ohio case, Harig was reportedly found to be the victim of a stalking case in court.
Cody, 50, was sentenced to 30 days in jail after a jury ruled that his actions amounted to stalking. The judge hearing the case apparently spoke to the jurors before Cody's trial began to specifically address the issue of Harig's former molestation conviction.
According to reports, the jurors agreed to judge the case based solely on the relevant evidence, and not on any character judgments that might be tempting to make considering Harig's criminal history. The judge reportedly noted that the case was unusual in that a convicted child molester was the victim in court.
So why did Cody react so strongly to his neighbor's conviction?
According to sources, Cody has claimed that he witnessed Harig molesting a 16-year-old boy after Harig's release from prison. Cody allegedly believed that police officers failed to investigate the matter thoroughly.
The officers involved, though, have claimed that they questioned the boy and found no evidence of inappropriate behavior on Harig's part.
The stigma that lingers after a jail sentence can be devastating to someone's personal life and private affairs. Often, the best way to protect yourself in the criminal justice system is to hire a criminal defense attorneys to make sure your legal rights are protected.