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Judge bans predator from cruise, ruling raises questions
An Illinois man is accused of being a sexual predator, gets arrested and is out on bond. A condition of his bond is to stay within the continental United States. He asks the judge if can go on a cruise with his wife. The judge says no. End of story? Not so fast. Questions are being asked.
"Should sexual predators (accused or convicted) be permitted to cruise?"
"Should cruise lines perform background checks on passengers?"
"Should cruise lines warn passengers when a sexual predator is aboard the cruise ship?"
These are all questions being raised by maritime attorney Jim Walker who has focused on safety at sea since 1983.
"This situation illustrates a problem that most families do not consider, namely that there are sexual predators on cruises." say Walker, referring to a case in June where a sexual predator abused a 6 year old on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas.
Walker's questions highlight the reality that cruise lines do not perform background checks on passengers or attempt to discover if guests have been convicted of crimes during the normal registration process.
Cruise industry organization the Cruise Lines International Association points out that "the industry takes every measure appropriate to ensure that its passengers are safe and that they have an enjoyable vacation experience." Indeed, incidents of crime do represent a small percentage when considered among the millions of passengers who sail every year.
But Walker urges caution. "The danger as I see it is that responsible parents often get caught up in the excitement of the cruise. They let their guards down."
Flickr photo by tom.snaps
Filed under: North America, United States, Cruises, Caribbean, Travel Security
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bruce Dec 18th 2010 7:22PM
Accused, NO. Convicted, definitely yes.
jphripjah Dec 19th 2010 12:57AM
Maybe hotels should perform background checks on guests, too. And maybe Chuck E. Cheese and Disney World should check backgrounds before letting people in.
Jack Dec 19th 2010 2:09AM
In a hotel, Chuck E Cheese or Disney World one can walk/run out the front door/gate to go someplace else. Not so much on a cruise ship at sea.
A frightened child, perhaps too scared or embarrassed about some horrible thing a stalking predator on board manipulated them into doing in the closed environment a cruise ship offers might not say anything to parents or security personnel until after the event, or even after the cruise or later.
Ya, big difference between cruise ship stalking ground and land stalking ground
Amanda Dec 19th 2010 1:04PM
I agree with this. Perhaps another analogue, considering Jack's comment, would be a long-distance flight? No option to leave, but airlines don't check for convicted sexual offenders either, and there are opportunities for predation here as well (although fewer than on a cruise ship).
Cornell Dec 19th 2010 1:40AM
1. If a person is accused of, but has not yet gone to trial for, sexual predation, that person is an alleged sexual predator. Unless a person has convicted of such, he is alleged.
2. If I'm correct, I'm inferring that the cruise would not be solely within US waters. As such, I agree with the judge's forbidding the accused from taking a cruise. By taking a cruise, the accused leaves the boundaries of the USA and becomes a potential flight risk whenever the ship docks at a foreign port.
Slappy Dec 19th 2010 5:41PM
Excellent point, the issue of whether the accused can leave the country is rightly something to the judge should be concerned about.
Jack Dec 19th 2010 4:25PM
1. You have a point there! It could be a total mistake. I think in that particular case it was the "going out of the country" part that was the logical reason for him to be held back. I think that they're saying that suggested the other questions maybe?
2. Yep
Slappy Dec 19th 2010 4:19PM
This is a slippery slope:
1)
There is a presumption that the "sexual predator" was not rehabilitated after their conviction.
2)
Why just sexual predators? Why not ANY criminal? Should a thief or a robber be banned from the cruise?
3)
What about malls? Parks? Flights as mentioned above?
Jack Dec 19th 2010 4:33PM
1) Oh like its not fair to say "once a predator always a predator"? Sounds like a good question for some kind of doctor. I don't know what the stats are. If it is unfair to assume then yeah they should change that.
2) Maybe, hard to say. Seems like there are always thieves and robbers around if you want one. Anyplace. Sexual predators too probably. But if they have a chance to get rid of one of those I'd vote for predators. Some guy might get his wallet lifted but some kid exposed to a predator can mess them up for life.
3) Wouldn't that be great?
Crissy Dec 20th 2010 9:35AM
Most convicted sexual offeners, if it involves children, are not allowed to go to places where children congregate - schools or parks. I think a cruise ship would fall under that category.
One fairly simple thing cruise lines could do is change their booking conditions to exclude anyone who is convicted of a sexual offense and their terms of release prohibits them from going to places children frequent. They could even have a form (or a check box on a website) affirming that they are not prohibited from going to such locations.
It's not going to eliminate the problem, but it may be a step in the right direction.