In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne wears a crimson A as punishment for adultery. In Portland, Ore., Richard Bateman may wear a similar badge of shame when released from jail in two months. At his sentencing in May, Judge Dorothy M. Baker knew that he was unlikely to spend a long time behind bars in the overcrowded prison system, despite his history of molesting young children. So she ordered that for four years after his release, Bateman, 47, must post signs on his home and on both sides of any vehicle he drives that read, in letters at least three inches...
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