Editor, Gazette-Journal:

I am writing to express my concerns about the lack of mandatory minimum sentencing for sex offenders. I feel that the laws regarding such crimes should be as strict as those regarding firearms and drugs. Convicted felons who are caught in possession of a firearm can face two years’ imprisonment and five years, if they are considered a violent felon. The same scenario applies for drug offenses. Yet those who commit some of the worst crimes imaginable against others, mostly children and women, are sentenced based on the discretion of the courts.

Hypothetically, a first-time sex offender can be given a lengthy sentence only to have it reduced or to have a majority suspended. This bothers me, because no matter how much time the convict may serve, his victims will never get back what is taken from them. Oftentimes these victims suffer through life with long-term mental issues and substance abuse, all because of what was done to them.

I understand that all c...