You've probably heard the horrible story about the Austrian woman who was held captive for over twenty years by her abusive father. After everything he did to her, not to mention the terrible mistreatment of at least some of their seven children, I'm shocked to read today that "he faces up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted of raping his daughter, among other offences." What? Only "up to" fifteen years?! Admittedly, the guy isn't young, and he might not live out even a fifteen-year sentence, but I think this crime deserves a much more severe, "symbolic" punishment than that.
Then of course there's the whole issue of determining whether or not he has a psychiatric disorder. I can save them some trouble. Yes, the man obviously has problems. No normal person could be guilty of this. There has to be something wrong with him. But if he was clever enough to create a sound-proof cellar and manage to keep the everything hidden for so long (and possessed of enough awareness of the world and the laws of men to see the necessity of these measures), he obviously knew that what he did was wrong. Honestly! It's enough to make you wish you were a prosecutor, yourself!
Apparently the government thought he was capable enough to allow him custody of a few of his children (whom they thought had been abandoned by their mother). If he was deemed fit to raise those children, then you'd better believe he's fit for the worst punishment the law has to offer. (Which, judging by the whole "up to 15 years" thing is probably not all that bad!)
Maybe he ought to be locked away in the prison he himself created. . .
ETA: Yes, I actually do know how to spell "outrageous", when I stop to think about it. :oP
