Progressive DA Declines to Prosecute Sex Offender

The newly-elected District Attorney of Arapahoe County Colorado is facing a recall after announcing that her office will not be prosecuting sex offender Solomon Galligan for attempting to kidnap a little boy from a school playground last year. Jennifer Taer of the New York Post reports that District Attorney Amy Padden announced last Friday that it has been determined that Galligan, 33, is not competent to stand trial and will be released to a mental health facility.  Galligan, who is currently receiving gender transition treatment, was caught on video approaching a group of students at an Aurora elementary school playground and grabbing an 11-year-old boy.  When the child broke free, Galligan ran off.  His older sister told reporters that her brother has been in an out of jail for twelve years and that it’s not safe for the community or Galligan to be out on the streets.  She said he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder when he was 16, he was deemed unfit to stand trial in previous instances and wasn’t institutionalized because of a shortage of beds in mental-health centers.  Another relative said “This has been like the fourth time that we’re sitting here thinking, ‘How the hell did he get released? Who’s letting him out?’ “

Parents initially blamed the school for not doing enough to protect their students from predators like Galligan.  But their are limits to what can be done when Colorado law allows mentally ill criminals to avoid prosecution while failing to fund mental institutions to keep them from roaming neighborhoods in search of victims.  District Attorney Padden ran for office on the promise to reduce crime by diverting criminals to rehabilitation programs but that model has certainly not worked for Galligan.  Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky has joined concerned residents and parents to recall Padden, but they also recognize that state law must change as well.  Concerned parent Dante White told reporters, “There’s plenty of cases where this is happening currently. Other people who might be victims of DUI crashes, or attempted murders, things like that and if these people are deemed incompetent and there’s no space in the mental health facilities, they get to go.”

This incident also raises another question. A registered sex offender who has been repeatedly found too mentally ill for prosecution is considered by doctors to be mentally competent enough to receive gender transition treatment?