It’s time to shift gears on Bradley

Twisted mind.  Wires crossed. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Demonic. Maniac. Lunatic.

Every word, phrase or literary allusion describing insanity can safely and accurately be applied to the case of Earl Bradley.  Even the defense strategy – a plea of not guilty in the face of irrefutable guilt, to build an appeal – is the manifestation of the sick, irrational mind that drove his unspeakable crimes.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that it will be our tax dollars that continue to finance both the prosecution and defense of a man who should undoubtedly spend the rest of his days in a prison. Rather than finance this judicial charade, the state should up its pressure on Bradley to broker a psychiatric incarceration deal in exchange for short-circuiting the judicial process.

Of course that would continue to beg the question of whether Bradley’s crosswired mind could see the reason of such a deal. And that begs the ultimate question: is anyone so thoroughly deranged, as to commit the crimes that his own video recordings confirm, even capable of standing trial in a judicial system built on rational thought?

The evidence is clear.  Any more money and time spent on trying this case is a complete waste.

At this point, all resources and time should be turned to settling the civil side of these crimes. That’s a far more complicated and important initiative for the state, community and all other associated parties to pursue. Any settlement must provide, of course, for the ongoing care and counseling for the victims and their families.

Through the process of determining the best course for caring for the victims and doing whatever is possible to fully restore their mental and physical health, there also exists an opportunity to benefit the greater community and society. Sexual abuse, of which the Bradley case is as extreme as could be imagined, runs rampant through our society. Rarely a week goes by, even at the local level, when headlines don’t detail another instance of abuse.

In addition to assisting Bradley's victims, Delaware and the local medical community should lead the nation in studying and addressing proper care for victims of this chronic problem and, to protect children in the future, learn how to identify the problems leading to these crimes.