Louis has gained access to Coalinga Mental Hospital in California, which houses more than 500 of the most disturbed criminals in America, convicted paedophiles. Most have already served lengthy prison sentences, but have been deemed unsafe for release. Instead, they have been sent here for an indefinite time. Spending time with those undergoing treatment, Louis wrestles with whether he can ever allow himself to believe men whose whole history is defined by deception and deceit.
8.29
Rating: 8.29/10 based on 251 votes cast.
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Love the Joanna Newsom track at the end “oh my love , oh it was a funny little thing..”
LOUIS YOU ARE SO HOT…MARRY ME!
What is there to understand? These parasites hurt the most vulnerable among us, and i for one am not impressed with this documentary at all . I do not care that they are locked up and hope they stay so, for the protection of all society.
I was really unimpressed with that guy at the beginning, who said he was not sure what was legal,HUH? So, it is okay to hurt a child if it has not been made a law yet or your not sure if it is legal or not!?!?!
Also the comment, i am not trying to judge you here, HUH? Have we become so delude we are not able to judge that child molestation is wrong and that your bad person if you do this? I did not see all that much anguish on anyone’s face, Mr.Theroux even commented that he believe some of the men to be sincere? O really? Does he want them living near his family, in contact with his children? Would he count on their sincerity then? There is a reason people do not want them to live in their neighborhoods.
Sorry this one was pointless. There are child molesters? They get locked up? Really? I did not know! Thank goodness for Mr.Theroux!
I don’t think child molestors are bad people. I think they’ve done abhorrent things.
We’d love to lump them all in as monsters and satan personified, but there’s likely some good in them.
In my opinion there are really very few Richard Ramirez types in the world.
As soon as this ended I was relieved it was difficult watching this knowing what these men have done. The conclusion to this was distressing, I wouldn’t trust anyone of these men to be outside and be around anyone’s children. I don’t know why these people do this but this facility seems like its still a work in progress. I don’t think these men are mentally ill, if this perversion was not something they wanted but knew was wrong, that still doesn’t take away the fact that they still did it knowing it was wrong, that makes it a criminal act. As a mental facility, it really fits the bill. It does look like a looney bin. They have baseball, carpentry, art room and celebrating every other festive day on the calender year? Please, they’re not retarded, it’s like another universe in there. I can understand why that man would prefer jail over that facility, in jail you know your place, there’s ethics among inmates and wardens, you know if someone crosses the line there will be consequences. In there everyone looked like they were on gasoline. Erh, I’m feeling a lot of negative energy over here, do you maybe want to take a few deep breaths?! These people have no reason to be treated like they’re mentally ill, they’re criminals.
They all fit the typical paedophile stereotype, does this have something to do with the fact that they are attracted to children? Have they been homosexuals all their life and then turned to children because no one else wanted them? I highly doubt they will ever be ‘cured’ or not relapse if they got the chance if/when they get out.
Paedophiles are not gay. Gay men are attracted to other gay men, while paedophiles are men or women who are attracted children, either male/female or both, but children. You cannot mix the two.
Its not about them being gay but about what attracks them as sexual beings, they get turned on by children unfortunately…and if u compare that to other peoples sexual needs u will figure out they will never stop being turned on by children, like I will not suddently stop liking men because somebody tells me its wrong and I should turn to women or whatever.
@Guest You are an idiot if you think that all of them were homosexual. You are also an idiot in thinking that a question like “Have they been homosexual all their life?” is a valid question at all considering what homosexuality is. Paedophilia has no direct connection with being homosexual and it is insulting to insinuate that it does.
Wow…someone really needs to educate themselves. Being gay has as little to do with being a paedophile as being straight does…. or were you being sarcastic…it’s hard to tell on the internet sometimes…
agreed, its quite disturbing! Louis is such a daring and inspirational investigator! soo inspirational I wrote a song about it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRxxe0tO61c&feature=channel_video_title
No need for any left-wing ethics. Paedophiles of all forms are scum and should be dealt with before they deal with an innocent child.
Difficult and highly disturbing subject matter indeed. What these men have done is vile and incomprehensible, but as it happens i agree with what one of them alluded to when he said its not so much a mental health issue, and that mental health help won’t help, whats happened is criminal. and that it is, murderers i’m sure aren’t incarcerated after they’ve served their sentence into a warehouse to receive treatment that doesn’t determine whether they’ll ever get out. though at the same time i agree the majority of communities if not all would feel very uncomfortable to be at a close proximity to any or one of these men. From what i can see the state is thus trying to create a happy medium, however the blip in all of this is that human rights are inevitably affected. No-one can ever be satisfied. the question that remains i suppose is which is better universally? and perhaps the coalinger mental hospital is from a utalitarians point of view a form of doing the greatest good.
I don’t have a problem with most of these guys being warehoused for the rest of their lives. They are highly likely to re-offend.
I’d love to see a long-term study to see if the numbers of those released from Coalinga hospital and those who are not likely to re-offend are similar. I’ll bet they are. I have a feeling the hospital staff is very careful about who they recommend for discharge.
Louis has no understanding of the political….how he continues to work is beyond me.
I feel sorry for these guys being locked up for 15 years+ at a time i believe after that amount of time and therapy they have to be at least must not be attracted to children i wouldnt be if it got me into that much trouble jeeze
do you feel sorry for the kids or the women who have to live with their actions for the rest of their lives waking up having nightmares every night some women can never trust a man again they destroyed families and lives. your being silly they have it handy in there they should never see the light of day.
They’re creepy and they’re kooky, Mysterious and spooky, They’re all together ooky, LOL
They’re creepy and they’re kooky, Mysterious and spooky, They’re all together ooky, LOL
They’re creepy and they’re kooky, Mysterious and spooky, They’re all together ooky, LOL
They’re creepy and they’re kooky, Mysterious and spooky, They’re all together ooky, LOL
They’re creepy and they’re kooky, Mysterious and spooky, They’re all together ooky, LOL
i love louis’s face of disgust all the time…… keep these beasts out of our society…..
i love louis’s face of disgust all the time…… keep these beasts out of our society…..
Who paid the 40 million dollars to build Coalinga, the government or a private corporation? Who pays the 200,000 a year to “house” these guys? Why don’t these individuals have to accept and participate in therapy? Wouldn’t money like this be better spent on schools and affordable health care? Is it me?
Actually. Coalinga was built established in 1906 as a little coal mining town originally referred to as Coaling station A. Coalinga State Hospital however, is the place you’re referring to. Thats one thing that really bugged me, is he’s calling it Coalinga the whole time. Coalinga is the town! Jeeze… It makes me look like a child molester when I say I live in Coalinga.
Who paid the 40 million dollars to build Coalinga, the government or a private corporation? Who pays the 200,000 a year to “house” these guys? Why don’t these individuals have to accept and participate in therapy? Wouldn’t money like this be better spent on schools and affordable health care? Is it me?
luis doesnt see them as human
There’s an incredible disconnect between the perp and the action(s). It’s disturbing quite honestly, but also a clear sign of brainwashing or manipulation of some sort…no?
I feel that Louis goes to great lengths to present the idea that he is in fact disgusted with the crimes of these inmates himself, while at the same time appearing to be less disturbed than he puts on. This is only furthered by his own statements early in the film that individuals might be bothered by noncriminals interacting in respectful ways with the inmates. I have enjoyed several of Mr. Theroux’s films, however, feel this one is quite disingenuous and insincere.
Very disturbing to hear them talking about ‘abstinence’. This implies that they are never really cured. Most alcoholics or drug addicts will relapse many times before they find the right balance… if ever. But at least they are a danger primarily to themselves.
With these guys, one relapse would be enough. The idea that they would be released and spend the rest of their lives in a state of abstinence is kinda creepy… And too much of a risk if you ask me…
Don’t know what the solution would be however. It really is a conundrum.
I don’t think abstinence is a goal here, neither for treatment nor for them to function in society.
The job of the offender is to become aware of their sexual leanings, aware of their fantasies, and hyper-aware of how their actions might hurt others. They’ve got to come to grips with their pain, their proclivities, and their childhood attachment to this type of sexual behavior.
Then they’ve got to accept that this is who they are, or were. The rest of it is just either avoiding the temptation or in some cases, realizing the success of their biological and sexual change – ie, they’re more healthy so they won’t be in a situation where impulse control is an issue, and they’re also keenly aware of that their potential is…and have learned to both cope with this and to remove themselves from potentially harmful situations.
Nurse Ratchet??
Seriously reminded of ‘One Flew Over…” in the scene where the guy had to apologise to her. She seemed more deranged than him.
Seriously reminded of ‘One Flew Over…” in the scene where the guy had to apologise to her. She seemed more deranged than him.
Why do pedophiles have nicer housing than most American citizens? What kind of a joke is this??
Agreed. This hospital is located in the town I live in, and our high school doesn’t even have nice enough tables to write on. They’re so old and carved in that you if you were to try and write on it, you poke holes in your paper.
I can’t imagine they could think of anywhere else to put the thing – it had to be way out west and away from most of the bigger cities.
But there are two different points here – Coalinga HS deserves much better facilities, as do all public schools.
But since we’re warehousing most of these men just for potential public safety, they do deserve some form of decent accomodations. Remember, they’re technically not being punished anymore – just kept away from society.
Yes but personally I feel that priorities of schools should be met before luxuries of these men.
Why do pedophiles have nicer housing than most American citizens? What kind of a joke is this??
The fundamental problem with this warehousing approach is that the State is having it both ways. They were sane enough to be tried and sent to prison for years, but now that prison sentence is ended suddenly they are insane and have to go to hospital. This is really a political solution to a very hard problem. Like most other people I agree in the abstract that these people should, on the whole, be released now but not anywhere near my kids.
that is the problem with releasing them, since you don’t want them near your kids, I don’t want them near mine, i’m sure no one does and so where will you send them. So this is the best the govt has come up with
The prisons are run by corporations. They are paid mucho dinero by the government, charging per prison capita. Extend their stay, pass go-collect $100!
The prisons are run by corporations. They are paid mucho dinero by the government, charging per prison capita. Extend their stay, pass go-collect $100!
the song at 24 minutes in is Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix for anybody that was wandering
the name itself sounds like a sexual act lol
I’ve lived in Coalinga my whole life and its not that bad. And I mean the actual town of Coalinga that the hospital is located at. Not the hospital itself.
the name itself sounds like a sexual act lol
think I am going to vomit. Some guy says Oh now I “realize kids grow up” to be real people” you got be fecking joking in fairness. Deluding themselves they can change. I only think people who are abused as kids and are messed up can be helped the rest are just sexual deviants.
Despite myself, I feel sorry for these guys. It seems to me that unlike any other system I am familiar with this one is unfair. Is this worse than their offenses? No. But I still find thw whole business wrong.
And I HATE that they are using Joanna Newsom as part of the soundtrack….
I found this very disturbing and uncomfortable =/
I agree with the intentions of the law, but I don’t agree with the law itself. Furthermore, I strongly question the methodology of these clinicians. Really? Suppress sexual stimuli in order to “cure” sexual urges? Christian fundies have tried that with gay people, and it doesn’t work. And no, I’m not equating gay people with child molesters; of course not. As far as desire goes though, it’s the same principle. And I ultimately see two solutions here. Do as Mr. Lamb did and get yourself castrated, chemically or surgically (and good for him, I say), or recognize that you have a sexual problem that presents a danger to others and find an outlet, and I seriously doubt the outlet is going to be non-sexual (though it’s possible for some people, maybe). If they’re masturbating to a Sears catalog or a painting of a ballet dancer, good! Just don’t rape the kids. I know a lot of people will consider this last part controversial, but just think about it. The problem is the ACT of child molestation, but these therapists are trying to treat it as a thought crime by trying to limit masturbation or suggestive images, and they WILL fail.
At the end of the day this come down to what is acceptable to the rest of the civilized world, putting it plainly this behaviour for whatever reason is not. I understand the limbo issue with people deemed too dangerous, so never again been allowed to be released but we also need to remember the damage and lasting mental effect this kind of abuse can have on an individual (victim).
Giving someone material for personal use as a deterant to combat this I can only see doing more damage. If anything I see it possibly pushing someone’s curiosity a step to far. Also it cant be deemed normal to have an attraction, sexual or otherwise to someone who is too young to understand or reciprocate your feelings in any consensual way. In my eyes that’s just someone who has a fetish for rape or having complete power and control over someone (the victim).
I didn’t see where the therapists/clinicians were trying to suppress sexual stimuli. That’s just what one guy said he was doing in the group session, and we didn’t get to see any response to that – clearly that isn’t going to be part of the offender treatment for all the reasons you just stated.
Personally, if the one guy wants to whack it to the ballet painting, I’m fine with that – as long as no one gets hurt or abused (and no actual photos of children are taken).
I absolutely agree with everything you just said there. Paedophilia is nothing more than a fetish, and practically all of us know that there is no “cure” for them, as they are “diseases” of a very different kind from any other. Child porn that doesn’t involve real children is great (e.g. anime), in order to prevent any real children from being harmed, by satisfying the urges of paedophiles. People need to get that into their thick skulls before uttering cries of hate. The issue here is plainly summed up by the fact that no one chooses to be a paedophile. And no, I am not one myself, but I know what a fetish is.
What Louis seems to be missing, and what should be the message of this documentary, is thought is not a crime no matter what.
What Louis seems to be missing, and what should be the message of this documentary, is thought is not a crime no matter what.
The guy that was making punch made some legitimate points. Objectively, what’s going on in there is wrong. It goes against everything our justice system is supposed to stand for. These guys are in such a strange limbo where they are being treated unjustly, yet no one on the outside would dare stand up in defense of people who have done what they’ve done. We can dislike these people as much as we want, but they deserve justice just as much as you or I would want justice if we committed a crime. The alternative is allowing justice to be suspended indefinitely whenever opinion sways that way.
Weird… they’re all intelligent, articulate, middle-aged white men and many of them have mustaches or beards. Seems to me like we’ve got a recipe for molestation!
It’s so true! Ask someone to picture a paedophile in their mind and that’s what they would look like. They fit the stereotype.
It’s so true! Ask someone to picture a paedophile in their mind and that’s what they would look like. They fit the stereotype.
I kind of feel that there should be a place for rapists too. Too bad they don’t treat rapists as a sub-human as they do to pedophiles.
I kind of feel that there should be a place for rapists too. Too bad they don’t treat rapists as a sub-human as they do to pedophiles.
Wow. There is so much to say after watching something like this. There is such a large part of you that viscerally reacts to the abhorrent crimes of these men, that seethes at the thought of the victim’s pain.
Yet, personally, I also feel that “warehousing” these men may also be a miscarriage of justice. Yes, what they did was horrible and inexcusable. And yes, they should be punished – throw the book at them. But, they have been punished. They have served their time. And now they’re futures depend on the opinions of a few psychologists, absent judicial avenues that is.
As someone who has worked with the psychiatric field, I personally know the failings of public mental health systems. Especially one that seems to impose such a sweeping litmus test for what is “normal.” In such a situation, a person would be more likely to be released back into society after serving a sentence for a second degree murder charge, than a date rape conviction. I feel like the counselor at the end summed it up well when he said that it is violating these men’s constitutional rights.
There is no easy answer… but this surely does not appear to be it.
Wow. There is so much to say after watching something like this. There is such a large part of you that viscerally reacts to the abhorrent crimes of these men, that seethes at the thought of the victim’s pain.
Yet, personally, I also feel that “warehousing” these men may also be a miscarriage of justice. Yes, what they did was horrible and inexcusable. And yes, they should be punished – throw the book at them. But, they have been punished. They have served their time. And now they’re futures depend on the opinions of a few psychologists, absent judicial avenues that is.
As someone who has worked with the psychiatric field, I personally know the failings of public mental health systems. Especially one that seems to impose such a sweeping litmus test for what is “normal.” In such a situation, a person would be more likely to be released back into society after serving a sentence for a second degree murder charge, than a date rape conviction. I feel like the counselor at the end summed it up well when he said that it is violating these men’s constitutional rights.
There is no easy answer… but this surely does not appear to be it.
I think the real punishment is being locked in with that psychobabbling psychologist, she talks so much rubbish and is not in touch with reality.
I think the real punishment is being locked in with that psychobabbling psychologist, she talks so much rubbish and is not in touch with reality.
I agree. There is nothing psychologically wrong with purposely excluding someone you don’t like from a conversation. It happens all the time and too bad she doesn’t like it, just the way it is.
I think what you’ve just said is a form of abuse and although I’m accepting of it I’m not sure whether the wider community will be as sympathetic.
I think what you’ve just said is a form of abuse and although I’m accepting of it I’m not sure whether the wider community will be as sympathetic.
Wow Sanjuro, I feel a lot of negative energy in your comments. Do you want, maybe… to… take a couple of deep breaths?
She must have had problems to find a neighbourhood where people would accept her to live, too…
She must have had problems to find a neighbourhood where people would accept her to live, too…
Louis Theroux is amazing.
Louis Theroux is amazing.
Louis Theroux is amazing.
I’ve seen a bunch of Louie’s work now, and, at first when he’d be so seemingly naive, I put it down to shoddy and clumsy workmanship. However, now after several, that becomes the appeal – his almost childlike ability to cut thru an impossible, highly dramatic, or just downright queasy situation BECOMES the reason for watching. He doesn’t dress anything up, he injects his ow opinionn, which is typically the most accepted view. Especially when dealing with SUCH volatile subjects, where the worlds he’s investigating and documenting have huge tendancy to polarize the Western World, and there is a general consensus of horror, shock, and disgust for said subjects…
thats the art of a documentary
thats the art of a documentary
I didn’t like this documentary. It is interesting and eye opening but Louis Theroux does such a poor job. His language he uses and the questions he asks are obnoxious, way too blunt/forward and borderline offensive. Even though he’s interviewing child molesters and rapists a documentary filmmaker still needs to treat the subjects with respect. Because he doesn’t do this it undermines his professionalism. Overall he created a film that I felt awkward and uncomfortable watching.
So according to you, he must skirt around the issues and be completely nice and accepting of them without question. Remember that many of them are not even willing to put themselves forward for therapy. That in my opinion is a little bit suspect because anybody in their position should want to help themselves rather find a lawyer to exploit the loopholes to get them out. Louis asks the questions that the rest of the world is thinking, are these people really rehabilitated or are they just putting on an act for the social services and for themselves? It is interesting question though. Can you really rehabilitate somebody’s sexual preference?
the thing that annoy’s me the most about louis theroux is that he enter’s these peoples worlds and passes judgment on them with absolutely 0 empathy or understanding. these people made some incredibly stupid and impulsive decisions and are consequently doing the time. the’re lives are total shit but still louis feels the need to stick his nose in and ask stupid questions that semi-intelligent people already know the answer to. i would like to see louis go through that bull-shit therapy program for a few months from a patients perspective than see what kind of questions he asks.
check out ross kemp he’s way more informative and fun to watch
Stupid and impulsive. Some of these animals raped 6 year old. No I will not have any empathy. It it is not stupid or impulsive it’s abhorent and evil
Stupid and impulsive. Some of these animals raped 6 year old. No I will not have any empathy. It it is not stupid or impulsive it’s abhorent and evil
I don’t get your point our your perspective. I don’t think Louis is like this at all. His appeal is that he walks in and gives people the respect of a straight question and what seems to be minimal editing to their answer. He tries to contact the human in the most extreme personality which converts them from a cardboard cut out monster to a complex individual with elements that reside in all of us. He is not always successful, and his approach is a little disingenuous at times but his stuff is popular for a reason.
empathy for peadophiles? All i can say is what a dickhead you are.
Ross Kemp? Fucking zippy more like, he talks absolute shite
Ross Kemp? Fucking zippy more like, he talks absolute shite