Child molester and killer Westley Allan Dodd is remembered as one of the most evil men in modern history. What I find interesting about this case is how early in his life Dodd began to have sick urges and how his behavior progressed from exposing himself to murder virtually unchecked.
After his murder convictions, Dodd revealed that he had been molesting young children since the age of 13. In his final interviews, he admitted that there was no treatment for him and, if set free, he would offend again. Then he declined an appeal, becoming the first person to be hanged in the United States since 1965.
At the quiet end today, Doctor Dick and I will go over the childhood and crimes of this predator as we try to make sense of how this kind of human being is constructed. Also, what can we as a society do to protect children?
It has been a long-held belief that pedophiles are untreatable and must be kept away from our children, but is there a way to prevent pedophilia, or at the very least, make early diagnoses before anyone is hurt?