Should Roman Polanski go to prison?

Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown and the Pianist are all great films and Roman Polanski is certainly a great director. But can we dismiss sexual misconduct with a 13 year girl, even if it happened three decades ago.

I find it doubtful that a man returning from a business trip in London, eight years earlier, who learned that his beautiful wife and unborn child had been senselessly slaughtered by a band of drug crazed sociopaths, would ever be of sound mind again. This is really no excuse.

During a private photo shoot in March 1977, Polanski told 13 year old Samantha Gailey (now Samantha Geimer) to lie on a bed as he performed oral sex, intercourse and sodomy on her while the entire time Geimer was telling Polanski to stop. Polanski was arrested and plead guilty to engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. The court ordered Polanski to a 90 day psychiatric evaluation at Chino State prison; however, he was released after only 42 days. Polanski believed that he would be given probation but when the judge leaked to the county prosecutor that he was going to send Polanski back to prison and then deport him, Polanski jumped bail and fled to France where he had citizenship and could not be extradited.

In September of this year, Polanski attempted to enter Switzerland, which has an extradition treaty with the US and was arrested and detained on the 1978 warrant.
Geimer was since awarded $600.000.00 in a civil suite against Polanski but it is unclear if anything was actually paid on the settlement. Geimer stated in a recent interview that she did not want to testify in court, if Polanski was returned to the United states for trial. Geimer said she thinks Polanski knew what he did was wrong and he should be forgiven.

Despite the wishes of the victim, there are certain things that we just can't let slide, no matter how long ago it happened or how old the defendant is now. Despite Polanski's celebrity status he should not be allowed to thumb his nose at American law and live comfortably abroad in Europe.

I think it would be a waist of talent if we all did not continue to enjoy Polanski's films.... as he is serving the rest of his sentence in Chino.