Into the Darklands
Page 27
So at the end of this book then, the second and final end this time, let me leave you with this one last thing. The next time you hear about some new horror on the evening news, or read about it in the paper, don’t believe them when they tell you that the causes are complicated, or that the answers are multileveled. Don’t believe them when they tell you that we need a special commission for families, or another ministerial enquiry, or another blah-de-fucking-blah task force. Don’t believe the talking heads when they tell you how complex the issues are. They’ve been saying that for a long time now, and they’ll be saying it long after we’ve all returned to dust.
If we have to rely on them, we’re all lost.
In the end it comes down to you and me. All it takes is for one person to do one small thing, and that can make all the difference in the world. Whether that be giving my Wednesday-afternoon guys somewhere nice to meet, or raising some money to help disadvantaged families pay their school fees, or some other thing altogether, is pretty much up to you. Just don’t wait for someone else to fix it, because it doesn’t work like that. We can listen to the ‘experts’ argue and debate this stuff for the rest of time if we want to, but the real answer to stopping the bad man has always been, and will always be, the same:
Simple things.
Acknowledgements
THANKS MUST FIRSTLY GO to the team at HarperCollins: Lorain Day and Sue Page, who first came up with the idea, and then made it happen; Lorraine Steele, whose thoughtful input helped make this a better book; and Tracey Wogan, who helped take out the kinks. Their collective faith, editorial wisdom and continuous support made the process a joy. All writers should be so lucky.
Thanks also must go to Dr Ian Lambie, Dr Fred Seymour and Janet Peters, for reading the manuscript and doing their best to ensure I didn’t stray too far from the path.
Thank you as well to Vivienne Thomson, without whose wise counsel I’m sure this would all have ended in tears a long time ago.
Over the years I have been privileged to work with a great many talented and highly skilled professionals from across the board. Amongst this group are therapists, psychologists, social workers, probation officers, cops and even the odd lawyer or two. I have been lucky enough to work with some of the very best in the business, and I have learned from them all. There are too many names to mention, but you all will know who you are.
A heartfelt thank you is owed to Neela, for her unending support, her ideas and opinions, and for being my first and most important critic. A final thanks to the K-Man and Mr B, my boys, who are pretty much the reason for everything.
Praise for the first edition of Into the Darklands
‘This is a book that should be read by the 92 per cent of New Zealanders who voted in favour of harsher penalties, to help them understand the counter-productiveness of such an overly simplistic solution.’
The Press
‘It is an unflinching, important book. Latta doesn’t have all the answers, as he is first to admit, but he brings a large load of common sense and experience to bear.’
The New Zealand Herald
‘If you read one non-fiction book this year, make it this one.’
Hawke’s Bay Today
‘Latta is a passionate man and Into the Darklands is a passionate book.’
Wairarapa Times-Age
‘A refreshing and insightful book which should help our under standing of sexual psychopaths and produce down-to-earth ways for treatment.’
Investigate
Copyright
First published in 2005
This edition published in 2010
by HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1, Auckland
Copyright © Nigel Latta 2005
Nigel Latta asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
National Library of New Zealand Cataloguing-in-Publication Data:
Latta, Nigel, 1967–
Into the darklands : unveiling the predators among us / Nigel Latta.
Updated ed.
Previous ed.: 2003.
ISBN 1 86950 567 0 (pbk.)
ISBN 978 0 730 49176 7 (epub)
1. Sex offenders—Psychology. 2. Sex offenders—Rehabilitation. 3. Sex offenders—New Zealand. I. Title.
364.153—dc 22
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