About two years ago, after graduating high school, there was girl that I knew who I found out had been raped. When I found out, it made me think for days. Many thoughts would go through my head, the way it happened? Why it happened? How it happened? How she was dealing with it?

Surprisingly, weeks later, I saw one of that girls friends at my little brothers soccer game. She was with her family so I did not want to bring it up when we saw each other. However, she did, which was very unexpected, but I guess she could tell by my face that I was really curious. She started talking about it, starting off saying, “I am sure you heard about the incident that happened….” I replied yes, and said sorry. She told me that her friend was jogging outside and it all happened from there. I asked how she was doing now, she said she is well but still in shock. She won’t eat, barely sleeps and is getting help. She also told me how her mom keeps crying and her family is in a lot of pain. We then started talking more and more about these sexual assaults that happen and got further into it. She then explained to me about these civil commitment centers. At that point I had no idea what these commitment centers were. I just nodded and smiled.

When I came home that night I asked my older cousin what it meant and she told me they were commitment centers where sex offenders can be held involuntary if met the mental requirement, after their prison sentence was over. After hearing this I did some further research on it. I saw how much money the government was spending on these commitment centers. The one in California looked just like a shopping mall. From having a gym, library, a music room etc.

It really hurt me to see this. Why were these sexual assaulters being treated so well. I understood even at that time that the government didn’t think they were ready to be put out in the real world yet, but then why would they make a place after their sentence so luxurious?

These criminals are put in a center that for some, are nicer then their own homes. They don’t have to worry about bills, food, anything. They eat for free, go to the gym, play music, do pretty much anything in these centers. For some of these criminals they might enjoy this life at these civil centers, stress free. Not even “trying” to change for the real world, while our tax money is being spent on these criminals. While millions and millions are being spent on these centers, it could be used for making public school systems better in many states.

These criminals hurt another human, hurt another person’s family, hurt and damaged another humans life. I come from a Muslim family. In Islam, it is against the religion to have sex before marriage. Sometimes I think if this ever happened to someone in my family this would horrifying. To Anyone a crime like this is absolutely horrible.

Till this day, I still think about that girl that I knew who got raped. It makes me wonder how she is dealing with the pain and misery. I wonder If she’s still scared, upset, how often she thinks about it? Many questions run through my mind and I feel so awful for all the victims of these sexual assault cases. And it makes me ever more depressed to know that after prison, some of these sexual offenders are put in places where they are being treated so well. While so much money is being spent on them, and less in places where it is really needed, for people who really deserve it.