Accused Child Abusers

1. Accused Child Abusers By John Barrett, Nat Marrinson, Nick Rock, and Will Fleming

2. L-Look for the Facts What facts do you need to make a good judgment? To make a good judgment we must be able to know all of the facts pertaining to the case. If we come to the conclusion that Sandusky poses a risk when being around children, we must have concrete evidence proving this, because he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Why is it happening? This moral dilemma is happening because he has been accused of sexually abusing young boys. More importantly, it is occurring because Sandusky’s former daughter-in-law is accusing Sandusky of sexual abuse towards her children, whereas her ex-husband disagrees. Who is involved? • Jerry Sandusky • Sandusky’s grandchildren • Several judges • Sandusky’s son • Sandusky’s former daughter-in-law Why are they involved? Sandusky is involved because he is accused of sexually abusing many children and teens. The rest are involved because they are either determining what is the just thing to do in this situation or will be affected by the decision.

3. L-Look for the Facts(continued) What are their motives? Jerry Sandusky – To prove his innocence and gain the right to visit his grandchildren. Several Judges – To make the best decision proving Sandusky either innocent or guilty. Sandusky’s son – To prove that Sandusky should be able to see his children. Sandusky’s ex-daughter-in-law – To prove that Sandusky should not be able to see her children. When is this situation happening? This situation is currently happening. Where is this situation happening? This situation is happening in courthouses.

4. I-Imagine the Possibilities What are all the possible choices I could make in this situation? • Sandusky should be allowed to see his grandchildren until being proven guilty. • Sandusky should be allowed to see his grandchildren under supervision until proven guilty. • Sandusky should not be allowed to see his grandchildren until innocence is proven. What are the consequences, short and long-term, for each possible decision? • Sandusky could continue to abuse his grandchildren, like he is accused of. Also, he could advise them to testify in a way that would prove his innocence. • Sandusky’s grandchildren would be exposed to the man that allegedly sexually abused them, which could scare and confuse them. • The safest solution. Sandusky would not be able to see his grandchildren and therefore would be unable to abuse them or scare them. However, this would mean taking away his right to be “innocent until proven guilty”. What is the most loving response I could have at this time? The most loving response differs for Sandusky and his accusers. For Sandusky, the most loving response would be to allow him to see his grandchildren unsupervised until he is put on trial and proven guilty. For his accusers, the most loving response would be to not allow Sandusky to see his grandchildren until he is proven innocent and until his grandchildren say they want to see him. How can I be creative in my approach of this decision? It would be wrong and irresponsible to make this decision “creatively”. This decision should be made abiding to the law and should not go outside of the set rules of the law.

5. S-Seek Insight Beyond Your Own What would my family advise me to do? My family would most likely advise me to make the decision that is fair to both sides and takes both sides into consideration. What would my trusted friends and community say I should do? My friends would most likely advise me to make the decision that I thought was right, however the community would want me to take the safest approach towards making the decision. What has my reading/research said? My research has shown me that this decision could go either way since Sandusky is not yet proven guilty, however we are not sure whether or not he should see his accusers. Is there a legal issue involved? There is a major legal issue involved since a court of law will decide which decision is best. What would Jesus do? Jesus would most likely ask Sandsuky’s grandchildren and his other accusers to forgive Sandusky of his alleged sins and then allow Sandusky to live freely. However, we are not sure if this is the safest approach. How could the values in the 10 commandments or Beatitudes lead me to a good decision in this situation? The values in Catholic teachings could lead me to a good decision because they would tell us to make the decision that helps others. What is the church teaching (moral authority) on this matter? The Church usually does not teach about child sex abuse, and the Catholic Church is known to have a high number of priests who have allegedly molested children.

6. T-Turn Inward In this situation, my conscience is telling me that although what he did was morally wrong, he should still be able to see his grandchildren, only if the safety of the grandchildren is guaranteed and the grandchildren want to see him. My motives for thinking like this are that the severity of the crime that was committed should be weighed against children's benefit and the safety that could be guaranteed to the children. If the situation were different and Jerry Sandusky were a murderer, for example, the safety of the children could not be guaranteed, even with supervision, and therefore Jerry Sandusky should not have been able to see his grandchildren. In all, the benefit of the children is the most important aspect in this case. The descision I would need to make to make progress in the case would be if the visitation of the grandchildren by Jerry Sandusky would be beneficial to the grandchildren and would be guaranteeing them safety. From this descision, I could come to a solution that could work out for Jerry Sandusky and his grandchildren.

7. E-Expect God's Help God is with me when I make my descisions on this case in many ways. He is watching over me to make sure I make a descision that is morally right and just. He is also helping me see both sides of the arguement and helping me to be fair and not be biased to one side of the arguement over the other. He is watching over me and helping me make this descision in every way he can. I can pray to God to help me be fair in making the descision and I can pray to him to help me to make the best descision possible that benefits both Jerry Sandusky and his grandchildren.

8. N-Name your Decision In this case, I am going to decide that he should be able to see his grandchildren under supervision. The reason I made this descision is because Jerry Sandusky should be able to see his children as they are part of his close family and it would benefit him and his grandchildren by seeing each other. However, he should not be able to see them by himself because the safety of the grandchildren would not be guaranteed and the something bad could happen to the children. Jerry Sandusky, because of the terrible crime he committed, cannot be trusted with seeing his grandchildren by himself and without any supervision. The values that I am living out is being fair to all. I am living this out because in the end, both Jerry Sandusky and his former daughter got what they wanted. Jerry Sandusky would be able to see his grandchildren and the safety of the grandchildren would be insured with the presence of supervision while the visitation is taking place. I think the descision I made was very fair and just as everybody in the case got what they wanted. To carry out this descision, I would have a couple of events take place. One day before he plans to visit his grandchildren he has to alert the police. Then once he is about to go he would be escorted by the police to the house of his grandchildren. Then the police would come into the house with him and watch Jerry while he meets his grandchildren.