Three boys. One church youth director. Years of abuse.
Three boys.
A trusted church youth director.
Years of sexual abuse.
Decades before a jury finally held the man responsible. Decades more for the victims to live with it.
On October 8, 2026, in Blount County, Alabama, Thomas Randall Hosmer, 58, was convicted on eight counts involving the sexual abuse of three boys who were between 10 and 12 years old.
Four counts of first-degree sodomy.
Four counts of first-degree sexual abuse.
The abuse occurred on multiple occasions between 1992 and 2005.
The boys met Hosmer through Cedar Grove Church in Bangor, Alabama, where he served as a youth director. Two of the men testified that the abuse occurred in Hosmer’s home. Another testified that he was also abused on at least two church camping trips.
The three eventually found the courage to come forward as adults, reporting what had happened to them as children.
Hosmer was arrested in January 2024. Following his conviction, he remains in custody awaiting sentencing, scheduled for January 5, 2027. Source: WBRC News (opens in a new tab)ABC 33/40 (opens in a new tab)
Think about that.
These boys were involved in a church youth program. A place, above most others, where children and families expect safety, guidance, and loving, protective, responsible adults to supervise and guide them.
Instead, a man in a position of trust sexually abused them.
It took decades for the boys to become men and finally be able to confront their abuser and testify against him. Their courage helped secure eight convictions.
It is an absolute truth that a conviction is an important form of accountability. But one thing it does not do is give a survivor back the years that were lost, and the years still at risk of being lost.
This case leaves me with one burning question.
If not the death penalty, then what?
Recently, several states have passed laws allowing prosecutors to seek the death penalty for certain sexual crimes against children. Let’s be clear on one thing. The statements that say,
“If you rape a child, you will be sentenced to death.”
ARE NOT TRUE!
No child rape or abuse law imposes an automatic death sentence.
And there is another major legal obstacle.
In 2008, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Kennedy v. Louisiana, 554 U.S. 407, that the Eighth Amendment prohibits the death penalty for the rape of a child when the crime did not result in, and was not intended to result in, the child’s death.
I am rolling my eyes just having to read the ridiculousness of that last statement.
Yes, several states have enacted laws challenging that ruling, but passing a new state law does not overturn a Supreme Court decision. Nor does authorizing prosecutors to seek a death sentence mean a person will automatically receive one.
So Hosmer would not face the death penalty on those grounds anyway. And neither will most child rapists. A death sentence for child rape is nearly certain to be struck down, because Kennedy v. Louisiana still bars it.
The Supreme Court needs to overturn its 2008 ruling. Until it does, these laws are just fluff. Source: U.S. Supreme Court — Kennedy v. Louisiana (2008) (opens in a new tab)
While lawmakers debate the death penalty, I want to consider something else.
We have established what we want to see done to child rapists and abusers, and we know that the likelihood is far off. So let’s talk about something that is really attainable.
Who pays for the consequences that will follow the victim for the rest of their life?
The victim. Let’s make no mistake about that, ever.
But what I am really getting at is this: why should the abuser ever be freed of their crime when the victim can’t be?
In 5, 10 or 20 years, an abuser can be freed. The victim won’t be!
The perpetrator may receive a sentence measured in years.
A survivor may be left managing consequences for the rest of their life.
The CDC recognizes that childhood sexual abuse can have long-term effects on physical health, mental health, relationships, opportunity, and well-being. It estimates the lifetime economic burden of child sexual abuse in the United States at no less than $9.3 billion (2015). Source: CDC — About Child Sexual Abuse (opens in a new tab)
My recommendation: a lifetime debt to the victim
I believe a person convicted of sexually abusing a child should also be sentenced to a lifetime financial obligation to the victim.
Not instead of prison.
Not as a substitute for criminal punishment.
In addition to it.
I want to see legislation establishing a mandatory, ongoing financial obligation for those convicted of qualifying child sexual abuse offenses.
Here is how I envision it working.
The convicted perpetrator pays while incarcerated.
A monthly payment would be required using available prison earnings, income, and legally reachable assets. Even during incarceration, the financial responsibility should not simply disappear.
If released, the monthly payment increases.
Once the perpetrator is released, the payment would be recalculated according to income, assets, and ability to pay. Completing a prison sentence should not automatically end financial responsibility to the victim.
The obligation continues for the perpetrator’s lifetime.
The obligation would not expire simply because probation ended, parole was completed, or decades passed. If the perpetrator remains alive and has the financial ability to contribute, that responsibility remains.
The money goes into a dedicated survivor-support fund.
Payments collected from convicted perpetrators would be placed into a protected fund, with oversight, accounting, and clear restrictions on how the money can be used. The fund would support survivors of qualifying crimes.
Survivors can apply for assistance throughout their lives.
A survivor might need trauma counseling immediately after the abuse. Another might seek treatment years later. Some might need financial assistance with healthcare, education, a car or an apartment. Whatever is approved by a committee, the survivor has access to.
I want a system that recognizes these needs can arise at different stages of life.
Survivors should not be forced to predict every future consequence of their abuse at the time a criminal case ends.
And I do not believe a survivor’s ability to receive assistance should depend entirely on whether their particular perpetrator has money.
That is why I envision a pooled fund, with individual financial accountability for offenders and a reliable means of providing assistance to eligible survivors.
The exact eligibility requirements, payment amounts, enforcement procedures, and funding safeguards would need to be established in legislation.
But the principle is simple.
If the consequences can last a lifetime, why shouldn’t the financial accountability?
Don’t we already have victim compensation?
Yes.
Crime-victim compensation programs exist, and courts can order convicted offenders to pay restitution. But neither system automatically provides lifelong financial support for every survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Restitution generally involves a court ordering a convicted offender to repay qualifying losses caused by the crime.
Crime-victim compensation programs may help eligible victims pay certain expenses, including medical treatment and counseling. These programs matter. But they also have limitations. For example, Alabama’s Crime Victims Compensation Commission provides assistance for eligible expenses, subject to eligibility rules and restrictions on what can be reimbursed. The maximum award is $15,000, and the Commission does not compensate for pain and suffering. Source: Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission (opens in a new tab)
And collecting restitution from offenders can be difficult. The United States Department of Justice acknowledges that many defendants do not have sufficient financial resources to repay the full amounts owed to victims. A restitution order does not guarantee that the money will ever be collected. Source: U.S. Department of Justice — Restitution Process (opens in a new tab)
That is part of the problem I want to address. Yes, existing victim-compensation programs and restitution orders serve important purposes. I am not suggesting we eliminate them. I am suggesting we build upon them.
A dedicated lifetime survivor-support fund could provide an additional source of financial assistance, supported by continuing payments from people convicted of child sexual abuse.
The federal government already operates a Crime Victims Fund, supported primarily by money collected from federal criminal penalties rather than general tax revenue. That demonstrates that offender-funded victim assistance is not a foreign concept in American law. Source: Office for Victims of Crime — Crime Victims Fund (opens in a new tab)
What I am proposing is a more specific system.
A system that directly recognizes the lasting financial consequences of childhood sexual abuse.
A system requiring convicted perpetrators to contribute over their lifetimes.
A system that allows survivors to seek assistance as needs arise, rather than treating the passage of time as proof that help is no longer necessary.
And a system designed so survivors are not left without assistance simply because an offender cannot afford to pay.
The cost of child sexual abuse does not disappear after sentencing
I want to return to those three boys in Alabama.
The criminal conduct described by prosecutors occurred between 1992 and 2005.
The conviction came in October 2026.
Think about the years between those dates. Three boys grew into adulthood before the man responsible was convicted. We do not know their individual medical histories, financial circumstances, or personal struggles. Nor should we assume that every survivor experiences trauma in the same way. But we know childhood sexual abuse can have lasting consequences. And we know those consequences do not necessarily end when the perpetrator is arrested, convicted, imprisoned, or released.
A criminal sentence is a legal response to a crime. It is not a guarantee that the survivor’s needs have been met. That is why I believe we should be asking more of our justice system. Not simply how severely we can punish someone, but how we can ensure that the person harmed is not left carrying the entire cost.
What would lifetime accountability actually mean?
- It would mean that when someone is convicted of a qualifying child sexual abuse offense, financial accountability becomes an ongoing part of the sentence.
- It would mean payments during incarceration when funds are available.
- It would mean income-based payments following release.
- It would mean collection procedures for those who refuse to pay despite having the ability.
- It would mean proper financial oversight so the money reaches survivors instead of disappearing into administrative costs.
- It would mean recognizing that a survivor’s needs may change throughout their life.
Would every offender be able to pay significant amounts? No. That is a reality any responsible legislation would have to address. Some offenders would have limited income, particularly while incarcerated. Others might have substantial assets or future earnings. Payment amounts and enforcement would need to reflect those circumstances. But the inability of some perpetrators to pay should not be an excuse to avoid establishing financial obligations for those who can. Nor should victims be denied assistance simply because the person who abused them is insolvent. A properly structured fund would have to account for both problems.
The point is accountability that continues beyond the courtroom, combined with meaningful assistance for survivors.
Two life sentences — one person’s responsibility
The conviction of Thomas Randall Hosmer is a reminder that child sexual abuse can occur within institutions and relationships that families believe are safe.
It is also a reminder that children sometimes become adults before their abusers are held accountable.
That brings me back to my original question.
If not the death penalty, then what?
My recommendation is a lifetime financial obligation to survivors, enforced through a carefully designed compensation system.
The person responsible for the crime should remain responsible for contributing to the cost of its consequences.
If the damage can last a lifetime, so should the accountability.
I want to hear your thoughts.
Should convicted child sexual abusers be required to make financial contributions to survivors for the remainder of their lives?
And if you disagree, I would love to know why, and whether you have another proposal.
Terry Marquardt
THE DOCKET | SILENT NO MORE
Truth Protects Children.