MaleSurvivor Responds to Reports That in 1998 Sandusky Labelled "Likely Pedophile"

Washington, DC, March 28, 2012 --(PR.com)-- "The revelation last Saturday that university police and the district attorney chose to not prosecute former Penn State University defensive coach Jerry Sandusky in 1998 does not come as a surprise to the many survivors of childhood sexual abuse who have been ignored and silenced in the past. The decision not to pursue prosecution of Sandusky then was a tragic and all too common mistake that led to more children being harmed over the course of the next 10 years.

"We at MaleSurvivor find the evaluation of Sandusky as a 'likely pedophile' made by Dr. Alycia Chambers in 1998 to be entirely credible. Sandusky’s behavior prior to the reported incidents with Victim #6, and his actions in the wake of the investigation, are entirely in keeping with what we know about sexual predators. While Sandusky apparently said he would not continue his disturbing conduct, he seems to have taken the admonishment he received as a guideline rather than a serious warning, and promptly ignored it. Mental health experts who specialize in working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse overwhelmingly agree that this behavior is typical in predatory, serial pedophiles. There is no question that Sandusky’s behavior did indeed 'fit the profile' of a pedophile, as Dr. Chambers said in her 1998 report.

"The threat of abuse is far more prevalent than we realize - more than 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys have been sexually abused in this country. This number will never decrease until we begin to treat victims with as much respect as is given to their accused molesters. Surely we have learned by now that serial pedophiles' promises to mend their ways cannot be taken seriously when they are neither charged with their crimes nor treated for their psychopathology. While no one wants to believe that children can be sexually violated, the sad truth is that it is an all-too-common occurrence. We hope that other law enforcement personnel will learn from the errors made in 1998 and since then, and that in the future children's cries for help will be heeded."

Richard Gartner, Ph.D., Psychotherapist and MaleSurvivor Advisory Board Member
Author: Beyond Betrayal: Taking Charge of Your Life After Boyhood Sexual Abuse and Betrayed as Boys: Psychodynamic Treatment of Sexually Abused Men