Is it right to catch pedophiles on TV?

Im sure you have all seen the Dateline show "To catch a predator", but do you think it is really right to catch one in this manner? Im not defending the pedophiles as I think they are sick human beings, YET why are no other lawbreakers treated in this manner? Should lawbreakers really be publicly humiliated in this way? Shouldnt they be dealt with the way all other lawbreakers are dealt with? Also, dont you think this is kind of bad because it is very embarrassing for the family as well?

Doesnt anyone think we are really doing this for our own entertainment rather than to serve pedophiles justice?

One more thing, how is it really a crime what the pedophile did if in reality the young girl they were after is not actually underage?

Also, to hat robgently said, whatever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"?

Nobody should be lured and enticed into a crime. Nobody should be arrested for "thinking" anything. If you commit a crime, pay the price, but dont encourage them to do something they may not otherwise do. Thats just as sick

I don't care how they catch them.

Soliciting an underage child for sex is a major crime no matter who is actually on the other end of the solicitation.

You are innocent of trying to solicit until the jury finds you guilty. If you walk into a bank with a gun, take a bag of cash and shoot a teller dead and you're caught and the bank film shows it all, you are innocent as well; doesn't mean you didn't do it.

I can not believe you could even ask if it's right!!!These are child molesters preying on children of both sexes, yes i feel sorry for the families, but i feel more sorry for the children they have preyed on!!!! I feel no matter whether it's for t.v. entertainment or whatever the reason, catch them and get them off the streets and make sure any one with children know who they are!!!! Yes it's really a crime, they went there with the intent of having sex with an underage child!!! What's more plain than that!
Do you have children?

If a cop dresses up as a gang member to infiltrate the gang and bust him for drugs and other crimes is it really a crime to sell to him since he's not really a gang member? Same logic!

I think that it is embarissing that anyone would have it on their record that they were caught by the police, let alone these Tv shows. It's true that pedophiles get hammered but that is because almost no one will stick up for a labeled pedophile- even if not proven guilty.

For a tv show? Yes, any tv show needs ratings to survive so it seems likely that even if it's trying to catch criminals it's also trying to get people's attention.

That's a bit complicated to answer, I'll get back to you on the "not underage" part.

i totally disagree with everything you said!!!

THEY SHOULD BE CAUGHT!!!! AND PUT AWAY FOREVER!!! OR AT LEAST BE CASTRATED AND PUT AWAY!!!!

WHy? Because they are always REPEAT offenders!!!!

THAT show is great b/c it shows the audience that a pedophile can be anyone and that these pedophiles will go at any lengths to meet some kid.

AND it looks as though they have done it before! They never looked that surprised or shocked at getting caught. And they don't look remorseful!!! These guys are literally getting caught with their pants down! Look at all the stuff they bring with them! they're bringing condoms, alcohol, pills, whatever. They are very prepared to get their game on. They have put a lot of thought into their deed.

They should have a sting operation in every state and the laws need to be tougher. Once labeled a pedophile, their faces shoud be plastered on a billboard in every development that has children, just like they do for the victim's of drunk drivers. I'm all for sending them on a one wya ticket to Antartica.

These people drive hours to meet these kids!!! They are sick ba$tards that need to be put away forever.

If you had children you would understand.

And so it goes, the degradation of America continues.

Yes pedophiles are nasty little critters. But it seems that the old notion of "Innocent until proven Guilty" has become outmoded.

Perhaps the Muslims have the right idea? Perhaps we should adopt Sharia law, and treat those evil disgusting monsters some decency through a thorough horsewhipping?

I'm sure Jesus would've done the same!

Technically, it is preferable to catch paedophiles on the end of a pitchfork.

Sometimes I wonder if the stations aren't doing this just to get us to watch, it's all about ratings. It does kinda embarrass the family of the guy who gets caught too.
I guess it does send a message to these creeps that they could get caught and end up on national television.
there's lots of other crime going on out there, but I guess it doesn't get the coverage this kind of stuff does.

It's a good idea to stop pedophiles in any legal manner possible, but I do have a feeling that the Dateline show itself, and its host, are becoming a bit creepy themselves.

Police can arrest anyone who attempts a crime. These people thought they were going to have sex with a minor, so they did make an attempt.

If someone crosses the border with a bag of sugar thatthey actually thought was cocaine, they are guilty of possession and trafficking even though they brought no cocaine into the country.

If someone fires a gun at a person intending to kill them, they are guilty of attempted murder even if the gun is only loaded with blanks, if they thought the gun had real bullets in it.

PROVING what a person thought is always tricky, but in the Dateline case it's pretty clear what was in the person's mind. They were told the person was underage and yet they came out to the house anyway.

for your sake, please do not go near little children.

you seem to have sympathy for these pedophiles which makes me beileve that you are one too!

I believe not all crimes should be labeled in the same barrel, as such, in my opinion pedophiles commit such a egregious crime that they should be highly publicized in the arrest

Look its not like Dateline did not take elaborate steps to ensure these animals where intent on the crime, they spent days even weeks communicating on the web , explicitly talking about what they wanted to do, the poster made it clear their age, then to ensure their intention the girl would request the man brought either booze or condoms along, which they happily complied with

sorry under those facts you get what you deserve even if its only an arrest at that point and not a conviction

It's not the families fault but maybe their hoping this would deter pedophiles,truth is the pervs don';t care anyway. I said it before and I'll say it again tattoo each one caught right across their foreheads so that everyone knows. The crime is committed when the losers contact who they think is underage with intentions of having sex and possibly killing the victims and stuffing them in a hole somewhere and God knows whatelse.No mercy on these ba!t*rds! they don't deserve it. No I shouldn't judge before they're actually convicted but a little common sense never hurt any one!!! Better dateline traps them this way than for me to catch em!

I love datelines show, and hope some day that they will come to my town. they need to keep up what they are doing. I hope that the embarrassment of getting cault this way will deter these sickos in the future. but as the show has cault the same person more than once, i guess that just isn't so.

Now as far as we don't catch any other criminals this way. um.. have you seen cops? how about the dumbest criminal show. maybe they weren't cault that way, but they didn't agree to be put on TV.

Me and my girlfriend have talked about this and its entrapment. Because the girl is NOT 13 she is 18 acting 13. I would say she was acting 13 and i was acting like pedophile now were even. I would probably shoot that smartass reporter when he came out. Always carry a gun.