Home Interviews EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE AMERICAN HEROIC CHILD ADVOCATE/VICTIM COUNSELOR/AUTHOR: JODY PLAUCHÉ
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE AMERICAN HEROIC CHILD ADVOCATE/VICTIM COUNSELOR/AUTHOR: JODY PLAUCHÉ PDF Print E-mail
Written by Patricia Turnier, LL.M (Master's degree in Law) and Former LL.D (PhD in Law) Candidate   
Sunday, 31 May 2020 00:00

Joseph "Jody" Boyce Plauché was born in 1972 from a family of four children. Amusingly, Plauché admits that his father loved him the most.  It is funny because children usually deny being their parents’ favourite.  We rarely hear this kind of revelation.  Jody Plauché’s late father was Leon Gary Plauché and his mother is June Plauché.  Jody Plauché was named after his maternal grandfather, a highly educated photographer.  He grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the state’s second city.  Plauché was very athletic during his youth and he played several sports in which his father was a trainer.

For instance, he coached Little League baseball teams. The State Times Morning Advocate nominated Jody Plauché as one of the top five finalists for Athlete of the Year in East Baton Rouge Parish. He played football in high school https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9DPYaFDagA among other sports. Eventually, at the age of 10 in 1982, he decided to do karate with Jeff Doucet, a teacher of the Korean-style of this martial art. Jody Plauché was pretty good at it, he won a trophy at the Fort Worth Pro-Am, an important national karate meet. Doucet came from a family of 7 children and a troubled past. Plauché’s family did not know this at the time.

After Doucet gained the faith of Plauché’s family, he acted as a sex predator towards the boy Jody Plauché. He raped him almost daily for about a year and sometimes twice per day. The molestation started around February 1983. The rape began in May 1983 and ended in February 1984. Jeff Doucet sexually assaulted Plauché from the ages of 10 to 12. Later, Doucet had debts (he did bad business deals and owned money) and felt that he needed to leave his state. On February 19th, 1984, he decided to leave town and take Jody Plauché with him without his parents’ permission. They went to Texas and ended up in California. Doucet dyed Plauché’s hair to make sure that the boy would not be recognized. Jody Plauché was not really aware that he was kidnapped because he knew Doucet and he made him feel that it was a fun trip by taking him to Disneyland for instance. The kidnapping ended when the FBI got involved. The boy returned to Baton Rouge on March 1st, 1984.

Plauché’s story is complicated. His uncle saw that something was not right between the karate teacher and Jody Plauché. He let the father know about it but he did not take him seriously. Joseph Plauché was raped practically daily during karate tournaments for over a year. He also saw Doucet abuse another child during this time.
Jody Plauché released a book last year that tells his story in his own written words for the first time. This autobiography is dedicated to all the people who have been sexually abused. Sometimes, the language in the book is raw or blunt. Jody Plauché uses an interesting and original style in his writing. In some parts, he communicates in a way that makes the readers feel he is talking directly to them. The memoir is full of reflection and the author opted for an honest, insightful and introspective style. Plauché also shares his family background in the book.

Thus, Jody Plauché’s book is called Why Gary Why? The title alludes to the words of law enforcement officer Mike Barnett when the father Gary Plauché shot 25-year-ol Jeff Doucet in Baton Rouge Metro Airport as officers were bringing him back to the state to face criminal charges. WBRZ-TV, a local ABC affiliate, filmed the killing. Doucet died the day after the shooting. Chief deputy Mike Barnett arrested Plauché and he was charged with murder. The officer received letters from people all over the U.S. who really were furious about the arrest. Doucet’s crime shocked America and the world. Gary Plauché’s distraught reply to the chief deputy’s famous question was: "If somebody did it to your kid, you'd do it, too!" Doucet’s assaults on Jody Plauché were also an attack on his family impacted by his gruesome crimes. It created a lot of hurt and pain. What Plauché went through is one of a parent’s worst nightmares.

Importantly, Doucet also molested other children and it is not publicly known if they managed to heal from these traumas. Moreover, when Doucet called Jody Plauché’s mother from California, he made threats and ordered her to bring him her other children. June Plauché lost 8 pounds that week. Maybe Doucet actually intended to ask the parents for a ransom, given that he owed money. We will never know. For Gary Plauché, he had a duty as a father to protect his family no matter what and he unwaveringly felt the need to avenge his son. According to his perspective, Doucet had to pay for his ultimate betrayal. Fortunately, the father spent no time in prison.

Psychologist Edward P. Uzee assessed Gary Plauché. He concluded that Doucet manipulated people and took advantage of the Plauché’s relationship problems to find his way into the family. Therefore, the Plauchés opened their home to Doucet who exploited the vulnerable situation because at the time, the couple’s marriage was collapsing. The father left the house in August 1983. Doucet was mischievously very clever. He gained the trust of Jody Plauché, his family and other parents. Judge Frank Saia decided that sending Plauché to prison would not help anyone, and that there was virtually no risk of him committing another crime. This turned out to be the case nothing else happened afterward. So, Plauché was firstly charged with second-degree murder, but after a plea bargain he pleaded no contest to manslaughter. He was convicted with five years’ probation with 300 hours of community services which ended in 1989. He received a suspended seven-year sentence.

Oddly Plauché’s story is similar to John Grisham’s novel A Time to Kill. ESPN even used the title of the novel for an E 60 episode about Jody Plauché. In his book, the author mentions the famous scene in the movie A Time to Kill where Samuel Jackson’s character (my favorite film role of this actor) pronounces these famous words while on trial: “Yes, they deserved to die, and I hope they burn in hell.”

Plauché represents those without a voice. The author is very courageous in sharing his story with the world. Many won’t talk about their sexual assaults and will keep their secrets to the grave. To illustrate this, the famous authoress Roxane Gay disclosed in her writings that she was ganged raped at the age of 12 but until now she never made it public who did this to her. Here is another example: In the recent memoir of Dr. Susan Rice, the former 24th U.S. National Security Advisor to President Obama narrates that when she worked as a page in the Congress while a teenager she was sexually harassed by a young male employee. She never voiced publically who he was and what he did to her. Now, this “man” is an elected official.

In his book, Jody Plauché opened his life and his heart to us. The author kept the shirt his father was wearing when he killed Doucet before television cameras. The cover of Plauché’s autobiography partially shows the shirt. Plauché started to write his book in 1993. At the time, he penned a 27,000-word manuscript but didn't publish it. It probably took him that long to complete it because it was surely painful to revisit his past. He began working on his book again in 2017. Perhaps he felt ready at this time. In addition, it was mentioned in the media that three years after the death of his father, a friend convinced him to write his story. The author also said to the media that in 1993 he did not feel he had gained enough experience to complete his book. He wanted to have more knowledge because it was important for him to pen a book that could serve as a manual. It had to go beyond his personal story. Hence, with his greater life experience and his professional journey in mental health, he accomplished that. Maybe, writing his life represented also for him a liberation.

Jody Plauché communicates his feelings in the revealing book: his ambivalence, confusion (especially after the shooting, he still thought that Doucet was his friend; at the time he was angry at his dad, he was too young to grasp the gravity of what was done to him). The paperback provides tips to parents regarding red flags to look for about sexual predators. Throughout the years, Jody Plauché has been educating children through his Keeping Touches Safe and Healthy program with their parents’ permission. Part of the program is titled Secret Touching. It is about the inappropriate sexual touching of children by adults. This information could be turned into an educational book that parents could read with their children. Furthermore, Jody Plauché’s autobiography could be part of high school curricula where minors would have the occasion to discuss it with their teachers. The course could be optional and minors could take it with their parents’ permission.

We tend to underestimate the sexual information that can be transmitted to minors. I remember once a registered nurse borrowed the DVD of the movie Antwone Fisher from me, a film about a sexually abused boy. My jaw dropped when she told me that her 10-year-old son was completely captivated by the story and watched the film with her instead of going outside with his friends to play. The nurse told me that it became a great opportunity between her and her son to bond and talk about the danger of sexual predators. It allowed her to give him valuable preventive information to her son.

As mentioned, Plauché played many sports during his childhood. One was karate. This is how unfortunately he met his karate teacher Jeff Doucet. From the start, Joseph Plauché’s mother performed a background check on Doucet and there was no record except for minor traffic violations. However, in the book readers will find disturbing information. It seems that Doucet’s mother had connections with the police department and managed to get incriminating information erased. In every country, there should be a law requiring background checks on anyone working with minors. Furthermore, to protect young people, it should be illegal to erase information from police records.

The book encompasses interesting resources such as Men Against Violence, an organization involved in the prevention of violence against women, including sexual and physical assault. Plauché became Chairman of Support for this society. If applicable, a second edition of the book could include a list of national organizations (containing associations and websites with a directory of resources that provide legal help comprising pro bono services) that can help minors who are or were victims of sexual abuse. Health resources for people who crossed the line regarding sexual misconduct or who are about to do it would be helpful. Given that it can be more difficult for men to talk openly about their sexual abuse because of social stigma, future editions could add resources for them at the end of the book.

The memoir is informative. It gives knowledge to parents about signs of sexual abuse: changes in personality, uneasiness among certain people or a specific individual, recurring nightmares, secrets the minor is not allowed to tell, nervousness, fear and anxiety. It also discusses how pedophiles operate. Most of the time, children are molested by someone that he/she knows, unfortunately, 95% of the time the perpetrator is known by the child. This is the statistic that Plauché provided to the media. These predators are nimble at gaining the confidence of the child and in the case of Plauché, he won over his family and the people from the karate school. Jody Plauché’s father’appreciated so much Doucet that he asked his friends at the TV channel WBRZ to publicize the karate courses. Doucet broke the faith that the family had in him.

The book talks about the dangers of sexting among the youth and also addresses the responsibility of bystanders to assure the safety of a citizen regarding sexual misconduct. The paperback gives tips about how to overcome trauma, especially of the sexual kind. In addition, Plauché exposes many myths in his autobiography regarding sexual assaults and dismantles them.

The autobiography is special and important because men seldom speak about their abuse or write about it. Plauché did it because he wants people to know that they are able to overcome this. Notably, Oprah Winfrey interviewed him, a woman who overcame her own sexual trauma. Their stories prove that sexual assault survivors can conquer their tragedies. Plauché’s book regards surmounting adversity. Ms. Winfrey initiated the National Child Protection Act (the proposal was sponsored at the time by the Senator Joe Biden) that President Clinton signed in 1993.

The paperback provides some clues about pedophiles: how they manage to gain the trust of families and minors, for instance. They tend to test the child’s boundaries before they violate them. In other words, they usually operate progressively. Readers will find disturbing information in the book about sexual predators targeting minors on the Internet. The paperback also provides tips on how to prevent sexual assault including blind dates through websites.

The uniqueness of Plauché’s book is he tries to understand objectively Doucet’s dysfunctional background that led him to become the young man he ended up to be, without condoning what he did. Readers will learn shocking additional information such as the fact that Doucet’s sister knew that her brother molested other children. In his memoir, Plauché analyses the roots of Doucet’s problems. He came from a disturbed family. He was not defended nor protected from the assaults done toward him while growing up. He was molested himself while he was younger which produced a cycle of violence. Therein his story is complicated and contains many layers. 30% of pedophiles were sexually assaulted during their childhood.

What is interesting and unique about Plauché’s book is he tries to understand objectively Doucet’s dysfunctional background that led him to become the young man he ended up to be, without condoning what he did.  When I was reading the memoir, I was thinking that I would love to read Jody Plauché’s eulogy for his father. I was pleased to discover at the end of the book that the author included this. It is a great gift that he is sharing with the world. It is the most beautiful eulogy that I ever read so far in an autobiography written by a son. It contains a lot of heart and soul. The day that Plauché’s father past away, he was at the airport where the shooting occurred decades before. The eulogy is like a love letter that Plauché addresses to his dad where he lets him know he can be in peace in heaven.

Based on the comments on Amazon, parents have well received the book. It has a great capacity to open a dialogue between parents and their children. Readers will even find some humor in the memoir which was done adroitly especially with the serious topics it covers. It would be good if Plauché next writes a book for minors about the prevention of sexual abuse. This paperback could be read by parents and serve as a tool for professionals working with juveniles.

The author brilliantly presented his story in his book by avoiding being graphic because, as he claimed in the media, he wanted to make sure that readers who are sexual assault victims would not put his book aside. He was also concerned with giving information to pedophiles who would read the memoir. Plauché found the right balance by presenting the facts without being overtly explicit. The specifics are exposed realistically and do not sugarcoat or alleviate what happened. His writing is cognitively deep.
The book details the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping. Doucet, a ninth-grade dropout, owed money to creditors at the time of the kidnapping. He had to repay $15,000 to some guy. He also wrote bad checks and there was a warrant for his arrest.

There are disturbing statistics in the book such as this one: only 18 percent of reported cases of rape end in a conviction. This explains why it can be very difficult for victims to speak out. If they do, they will have to relive their pain in court without the certitude that justice will be served. Soft sentences send the message to the public that the gravity of the assault is not taken seriously. Other situations are questionable when for example some sexual abusers leave their workplace with highly profitable severance packages or the existence of organizations like NAMBLA is moot.

Jody Plauché reminds us in his book that unfortunately 90 percent of molestation is committed by a family member or someone known to the family which was what happened to Plauché. It is sad to say that there are some older minors who sexually abuse younger people and this happens in certain families.
After the killing, Jody Plauché was confused and did not grasp the gravity of what Doucet did to him. For some time, as mentioned, he was even upset with his father who killed the pedophile. Jody Plauché did not necessarily suffer from Stockholm syndrome however. He was unaware of how the predator was manipulating him (even adults can be confused about their feelings, for instance a battered woman who forgives her abusive husband during the honeymoon stage so, imagine the bewilderment of a child). The author shares all this in his book.

Jody Plauché voiced in the media https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpqOhJ0v0N8 that he is against the death penalty for child rapists. He considers that prison for life should be sufficient. Mistakes can happen like the wrongly convicted. Plauché wrote in his book that he supports the PREA (The Prison Rape Elimination Act) of 2003, the first American federal law that aims to prohibit the sexual assaults of prisoners. In 2015, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, circa 80,000 females and males per year get sexually assaulted in American correctional facilities. Many of these women are abused by prison guards1. There should no male guards (70% of them are in women’s prisons2) in female correctional facilities.

The calmness of Plauché’s mother was instrumental to his healing. She respected his pace. He expressed many times in the media that his mother responded adequately to the situation and never reacted to his feelings in extreme ways. This attitude helped him to heal. His mother never disregarded his emotional state or ignored it. She did not downplay or invalidate his sentiments. It is really interesting in the book to discover how his school welcomed him when he came back after the kidnapping. Fortunately, he has great lifelong friends; some are even his former elementary school teachers. It surely helped with his recovery. This strong social support became crucial. Even if Jody Plauché did not wish Doucet to die maybe the fact that he won’t see him ever again helped him to recover.

Jody Plauché is a very strong man. Aside from the sexual assaults he went through his immediate family had difficult ordeals: his father drank excessively, his parents separated, his brother Bubba suffered in a terrible car accident in 1990 that left him with residual problems and his youngest brother Mikey has severe learning disabilities with dyslexia.

Plauché works in mental health to prevent abuse. Thanks to his resilience, he managed to rebuild himself and participates constructively in society. His story gives people hope in spite of what Doucet did to him. As mentioned, Plauché had no ill will against him and hoped that his father would not avenge him by any means. He found a way to prevent the tragic events from negatively defining the rest of his life. Plauché has a lot of buoyancy because the identity of abused minors was public knowledge at the time so he had to deal publicly with his ordeal. Plauché refused to let his past with Doucet destroy him, instead, he triumphed over it. Plauché’s path proves people can rise from the ashes.

Curiously, in several languages there are no words that describe hatred against children In English, there is misogyny for women. For males, the word misandry exists. But there is no specific word concerning abhorrence towards kids. This raises questions.  Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. There is so much harm done to children around the world: child-soldiers3 (the aforesaid Convention allows minors as of the age of 15 to participate in wars (article 384), it should not be before the age of 18), FGM, premature or forced marriage, minors abandoned on the street (or worse some are left in a garbage), child labor, filicides, neonaticides, infanticides, imprisonment of minors and/or their executions, controlling juveniles with medication (while their brains continue to develop until their late twenties), etc. According to UNICEF, 1.2 million children each year are being trafficked worldwide5. As stated by the UNHCR, 3.7 million refugee children are not in schools6. International measures should be taken to abolish premature marriages. According to UNICEF, in 2019 115 million boys and men around the world have been married during their childhood; 23 million among them were wedded before the age of 15. Yearly, 12 million girls are being married worldwide. These practices are other forms of sexual abuse with all the ramifications that can occur afterward: deaths due to precocious pregnancies, uneducated girls and boys, impoverishment, exploitation, etc. Unfortunately, there are people out there who think that children are properties to be owned and controlled. There are unhealthy educational tools that are passed from generation to generation. We must also question our world when some pedophiles get very short legal punishments and are recidivists or when some well-known pedophiles are being rewarded for their work.

Minors can be assaulted physically, spiritually and/or emotionally. There are minors who can never remember being hugged by their loved ones7. Some minors never or rarely hear that their families are proud of them. Others never or seldom hear compliments nor encouragements when they behave well but are scorned on a regular basis. Some adults use emotional blackmail with minors. Constant demeaning can set the stage for many prolonged difficulties among minors. The authoress Toni Maguire wrote that there are adults out there who think they are superior to children. They control them, deprive them of their freedom and force them to comply with their wishes. They don’t hear their screams and cries. Others are not able to smile back at their kids, some give them the silent treatment, do not respect their emotional or physical boundaries or others are indifferent to them. Certain people do not give their children permission to dream. The spectrum of juvenile mistreatment is wide. All this represents abuse of power, control and/or disdain. Schools need to teach what makes a healthy relationship.

There are cultures that fail to recognize child abuse (some have collective denial or indifference) and this is not new. For instance, in the past, some countries considered it normal to use physical punishment in schools. Corporal punishment happened in many parts of the world. Poland was the first country to abolish it in 1783. Now, circa 69 nations still allow academic physical punishment. Every country should outlaw it. In Canada, the section 43 (regarding the condonation of corporal punishment on minors in certain situations) of the Criminal Code should be obliterated8. In America, corporal punishment is legal in many states in schools9. It should be forbidden. In the U.S., only in 1964 did the government pass the first modern law for child abuse reporting. Prior to the mid-70s there was a scarcity of scientific literature regarding child sexual violations10. Consequently, in The Courage to Heal11, it was mentioned in the early 80s that few therapists had specific knowledge regarding treating survivors of child sexual abuse. In addition, there was a dearth of support groups.  Thus, physical violence knows no economic and social boundaries. Until recently, many parts of the world did not recognize or enforce the rights of minors. They only acknowledged parental rights. In this way, a parent had the right to inflict physical correction on their children. It was even perceived as their duty as a parent. Teachers practiced physical abuse in schools in the name of education and still do in 69 countries as stated. It took a long time for us to finally admit that physical violence, in all its forms, is an attack on the integrity, security and well-being of those who are victims and there is still a long way to go.

It can be really dangerous to raise a child to be passive and obedient while having no empathy for the kid’s feelings. One of the worst things that adults can tell children is to not speak out. For too long, unfortunately the words children should be seen but not heard have been mentioned regularly. In addition, for a long time these words were asserted “spare the rod and spoil the child” which gave license to an unyielding or abusive approach in child-rearing.

This situation can be very detrimental especially in sexual assault cases where some minors might lose their bearings. Kids need to know they have a right to say no. The worst thing that can be taught to them is to let them think they do not have the right to say what they think, feel or to prohibit them to express themselves. Minors need to learn what are inappropriate behaviors and comments. They must know they can say no to any person, even someone in a position of authority. In other words, they need to learn that submission to legitimate authorities can be questioned or refused in certain situations.  It may represent a great dilemma for minors to speak up because a lot of sexual abuse happens in families and young people are afraid to talk because they do not want to break up their families or they do not wish to be removed. Some minors who had the courage to speak up have been ostracized from their families. They need a lot of support.

After Plauché’s interview, I met a young woman in a hair salon. It was the first time she saw me so we did not know each other. She felt she could tell me that she was sexually abused as a minor and wished that she had access to a trusted adult to talk about her pain. Our discussion convinced me even more that minors in every school in the world should have access to a mental health worker registered with a professional board. This woman said also that she is not sure if it will be the right thing for her to become a mother eventually because she does not know if she has what it takes to be a caring and loving parent due to her troubled past. In other words, she is scared to transmit her suffering to her future offspring.

In the early 90s, Plauché attended North Lake College for two years. He also went to Louisiana State University where he served on the position of the executive board for Men Against Violence, a campus organization aimed at preventing sexual assault and other physical violence. He received a general studies degree with minors in philosophy, speech communication and psychology, which led to a job in Pennsylvania as a sexual assault counselor and prevention educator for seven years (from 1998 till 2005), at Victim Services Center of Montgomery County Inc., a comprehensive crime victim center in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Most people there were not informed about his background. At that place, he functioned as a certified counselor. Later, he became the Supervisor of Community Education Programs. Plauché also did several professional training sessions for police officers, hospital staff, parents, and school administrators.

For Plauché, it is important to provide a succinct definition of sexual assault because in his nation, the legal meaning differs across different states. Here is what Plauché had to say about this: “The definition I like to use for sexual violence is any unwanted sexual activity without consent. Consent is active. Anything sexual done with someone who isn’t able to consent is sexual violence.” The Heath World Organization defines it like this: “sexual violence encompasses acts that range from verbal harassment to forced penetration, and an array of types of coercion, from social pressure and intimidation to physical force”. The authoress, Lori Robinson offers another interesting definition: "Rape happens when someone willfully disregards the rights and wishes of someone else, no matter what their societal status is"12. Sexual assaults are also about abuse of power and are often accompanied by other forms of violence such as emotional abuse and mental neglect. The scope of sexual abuse is wide and it includes no teaching such as exhibitionism. Children who are being mistreated in their own families will be very vulnerable to strangers or people outside their homes who do the same because they were not taught what is normal behavior.

Sexual abuse has many consequences and they may manifest permanently and even continue through the generations. Fortunately, in Plauché’s case it did not happen. He was able to overcome the abuse and help other people.  Children are the most vulnerable because most of the time they are not aware of what is going on (there are sexual predators who target them because kids do not have STDs). This situation happens unfortunately everywhere in the world. This was the case of Jody Plauché. At first, for instance, as mentioned, he was not really aware that Jeff Doucet kidnapped him. Readers will discover to what extent Jeff Doucet was sick and racist (often violence is intraracial) in Plauché’s book—incidentally, the author has the same date of birth as Coretta Scott King. It has been reported that Doucet had occasionally jealous rage because he could not accept that Jody Plauché loved his father more than him. This gives a stance of his twisted and disturbed mind.

Some people who have been sexually abused develop health problems: e.g. PTSD, depression, anxiety, insomnia or other sleep disorders, addiction to substance abuse, self-mutilation, bipolarity (the prevalence is 24% amidst individuals who were molested as a child13), sexual addiction, multiple personalities and eating disorders especially bulimia and anorexia (according to the NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2602570), vaginismus, dyspareunia, vulvodynia, self-medicating practices to numb the pain, traumatic amnesia, etc. Young people are susceptible to behavioral problems: some minors act out, run away from home, become delinquent, etc. Others might have an addiction to substances such as drugs and alcohol. Some family members also can be deeply affected14 and need support. For instance, this woman https://youtu.be/67inC3UkoXU?t=994 said in this very popular French talk show Toute une histoire that her mother killed herself when she learned that her daughter was sexually abused by an endocrinologist. People with disabilities may be vulnerable to sexual assaults. According to NPR, between 2011 and 2015 in the U.S. individuals with intellectual handicaps the rate of rape and sexual assaults was more than seven times higher than people without disabilities15.

The social consequences for victims of sexual assault among minors and adults may vary and be serious: a lack of success in education, professional failure, difficulty to have or sustain a healthy relationship in a couple, lower self-esteem, promiscuity (or the opposite, celibacy) and so forth.
In parenting, open communication is imperative. The minor must always be believed when he/she speaks up about sexual abuse. Kids rarely lie about these things. It is extremely painful for minors to not be believed they have been sexually assaulted when they had the courage to speak out.

Recently in France, another young man spoke up on a popular talk show (hosted by Faustine Bollaert) called Ça commence aujourd’hui (meaning It Starts Today) about the mistreatment he faced during his childhood in foster homes. This included being raped by an older boy: https://youtu.be/ZwgybgzfLak?t=2798. .According to this program, the educators and some other professionals knew what was going on. The ones who had the courage at the time to denounce what they were going through were not being taken seriously and were not supported. This encouraged a law of silence in this environment and one of the minors killed herself. Many kids around the world run away, including this male who revealed his past on this French talk show. Fortunately, this young man overcame his trauma and became a specialized educator for minors.

Some people do not believe that a male (even during his childhood as an infant) can be truly raped by a woman due to patriarchy, etc. Some even laugh which makes it even more difficult to come out and speak out. Nothing is funny about that. Many males are suffering in silence. Ike Turner was raped at the age of 6 by a 45-year-old woman. She was a pedophile who did not end up in prison. Turner did not tell a soul at the time and we all know that it affected him for the rest of his life. He mistreated Tina Turner, abused drugs to turn his rage inward and so on. A priest tried to sexually abuse the singer Bobby Brown during his childhood while he was temporarily placed in a local social services center. Brown punched the priest very hard in his head and ran away from him.

Like Plauché, other men, have had the courage to reveal publicly the sexual abuse in their childhood: actor Corey Haim, his actor-friend Corey Feldman, comedian Richard Pryor (at the age of 6 by a pedophile in his late teens and later in his youth a priest molested him), jurist Howard Arnette Jr., rapper Common, reporter Don Lemon, author Antwone Fisher, cardiologist Dr. Steven Farber M.D., entrepreneur Christopher Gardner, boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, actor Todd Bridges, William Bruce Rose Jr. from Guns N’Roses, Quebecker real estate mogul Martin Provencher, filmmaker Tyler Perry, singer Kenny Lattimore, Tommy Davidson, painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, musician Miles Davis, actor River Phoenix, guitarist Jimi Hendrix, actor James Dean, etc. They all became overachievers; maybe it turned out to be a way for them to make sure they would not let their childhood trauma break them (there are also men who are victims of domestic violence and it is very difficult for them to speak out). However, all the gold in the world will not erase this pain. For instance, Richard Pryor wrote in his memoir Convictions: “It didn’t matter that I lived in a big house behind a gate in Los Angeles.” For most of his life, he kept his secret to himself. Pryor probably used humor throughout to try to cope with his grief.

Plauché wrote this in his book: “I think boys underreport because of fear of being considered gay and fear of being looked at as a future sex offender”. Male victims are aware that they may receive a lot of stigma. Furthermore, it might be even more overwhelming when they are still children, at a time when their personality and identity has not yet been entirely formed.  I think this statement from Plauché is very interesting: “Also, we keep our girls away from alone time and overnight alone time with adult males, but we don’t do that with our boys. I am living proof that it is easy for a man to get a boy alone. It would be a lot harder to do the same with an eleven-year-old girl.” It is true but as mentioned some females also can be sexual predators. So, it is imperative to be vigilant to protect all children from adults of both genders. Plauché said to the media that in America, 1 out of 4 females is sexually abused and about 1 out of 6 males. These numbers are startling.

According to Hewlett’s book, the psychologist Howard Fradkin said that men are taught they are not supposed to be victims of sexual crime and if they are, it means they are weak and not really a man16. Because of this pervasive mindset, for instance in the US army only 8 percent of males who go through sexual assaults file an official complaint17. Women in the U.S. military feel more comfortable filing a report: the percentage is 22 percent18. Until 2013, the FBI associated the word rape to females in its definition19. Heath Phillips, who enrolled in the navy at 17, was ganged raped. He took him twenty years to go public with what he through after years of substance abuse and depression. His truck crashed in 2009 and henceforth he went into therapy20.

Pedophiles are known to be the most recidivist of all criminals21. The video of Plauché murdering Doucet has been featured on many television programs and documentaries, including the 2002 Michael Moore documentary Bowling for Columbine. There are 27 million views on YouTube regarding his father’s shooting. It shows how this story moved and still touches the world.

Many things do not happen by coincidence. I believe that it was fate that Plauché finished his book decades after he started it because his memoir is in some ways a tribute to his late father (considered by many as a hero because he was willing to do anything to protect his family) by including the beautiful, moving and special eulogy. Jody Plauché deeply loved his father in spite of his flaws. In fact, his faults made him human.

Once again, Plauché’s story shows it is possible to overcome sexual abuse. It made me realize that it could be interesting to develop a concept similar to the Alcohol Anonymous where sexual assault victims could receive support from a sponsor who managed to heal. What is impressive about Plauché is that he did not allow hatred to permeate him. Jody Plauché has been working in the field of violence prevention since 1995.

Sexual assault victims must face many hurdles. The limited period (the prescription) to file the complaints varies across different state. Trials can take a lot of time with all the stress that comes with it. Another example: the financial aspect has to be considered in the United States for sexual offense cases. Civil trials can be more costly. Many victims are paralyzed or afraid to denounce their abusers. We need to rethink how legal procedures should be done especially for minors. Maybe it should be prosecutors who file the complaints to protect victims from retaliation.

It is a miracle that Jody Plauché is still with us. When Doucet kidnapped him in February 1984 he called Plauché’s mother and threatened her that she would not see his son again if she did not bring him her three other children. This occurred eleven days after the kidnapping. Fortunately, FBI agents found him in a hotel room in Anaheim, California after 10 days and saved Jody Plauché. They retraced the call when Doucet spoke to the mother over the phone. It was reported in a French YouTube video https://youtu.be/UlAKJQ9jc0A?t=1 that Plauché’s father started to drink more after he discovered Doucet had been sexually assaulting his son. He needed to numb his pain. The fact that there was a recent French report means that Plauché’s story will continue to move people all over the world. His tale will never die.
As mentioned, the father, Gary Plauché took revenge on his son’s aggressor. He did not care if he would end up in prison. He felt that he had to make Doucet pay for what he did to his son. The latter was scared of what would happen to his family if his father went to jail. Money and moral support came from the entire country to help the family. Even a Gary Plauché Defense Fund at Bank of the South was created at the time.

After his release from jail, Gary Plauché returned to his old job as a heavy equipment salesman and continued to volunteer as a coach for kids’ sports in the evening. He later lost a bid for a pardon which would have granted him the right to carry a gun anew for hunting with his sons. In 2011, Gary Plauché had a severe stoke without cognitive impairments. Thus, he never forgot what happened to his son even if he had physical consequences from his stroke. He never regretted killing Doucet, this act was his justice and he assumes total responsibility for what happened. To him, the pedophile Doucet did not have the right to continue to live on this planet and surely did not want him to hurt any other children. He added that he would not have any problems shooting Doucet again if he had to.

On October 21th 2014, at the age of 68, Gary Plauché died from complications of a stroke. Jody Plauché said to the local news that his father passed away peacefully. His loved ones remember him as a kind, friendly, considerate, humoristic and fond man, a husband, father and grandfather who knew how to give life to parties. He was Jody Plauché’s best friend and will always be alive in his heart. Throughout the years, the family received thousands of letters of support from Americans. Maybe it would be interesting in the future if Jody Plauché creates a compilation book of the best letters.

Plauché wrote his autobiography for all the sexual assault victims around the world. Mega Diversities dedicated a song by Nathalie Simard to him. She has one of the most beautiful voices of Québec: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy5CjtLFeQw and she has been of the most well-known singers in the province since her childhood. The title of the song is “La vie me tue”. This single became the theme song for the documentary Thieves of Innocence. Guy Cloutier, who was one of the most popular impresarios in Québec at the time, abused Nathalie Simard sexually during her childhood and beyond, as well as another anonymous minor. Plauché is giving a voice to this victim and all the other ones who will not talk overtly about their pain. Sexual abuse against children is unfortunately universal; there are no boundaries in terms of social classes, nationalities, gender, etc.

Nathalie Simard remained silent for circa 24 years before she spoke about what happened. Her authorized biography mentions that the impresario’s other victim was a male. The abuse occurred for six years and until now he never spoke publically about what happened to him. Again, Plauché is a voice for him and all the others all over the world. Nathalie Simard’s authorized biography, Briser le silence (Break the Silence) never mentions Guy Cloutier’s name given that he is considered as a persona non grata.

Mega Diversities also dedicated another beautiful song to Jody Plauché, one from a top French R&B singer, Marc Antoine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt3iuo7AREM. The title of the single is “Triste Novembre” which in English means Sad November. It refers to fall, the season when it rains a lot. This metaphor evokes the sorrow of child abuse. It is really moving to watch a man chanting about a girl who is an incest victim (actually, sexual violence is not a female or male issue but a human one) and who is empowered at the end of the music video when her mother believes her and accompanies her to the court. It sends a powerful message. There are very moving comments written under this video posted on YouTube from victims of sexual assaults. Both singles from Marc Antoine and Nathalie Simard are high-quality songs and far from vapid because it elevates people. If one day, Plauché’s story becomes a movie, it would be superb to have Nathalie Simard and Marc Antoine create other songs for the soundtrack of this film or have the abovementioned singles translated into English.

As mentioned, Jody Plauché has embraced a career as a sexual-abuse educator and advocate since the 90s. He obtained his bachelor's degree in General Studies from Louisiana State University. Since 1995, Jody Plauché has been working in the field of violence prevention. Plauché goes to schools and gives prevention tips to children to protect themselves from sexual predators. Jody Plauché has also co-hosted a workshop at the PCCD’s Pathways for Crime Victims conference. At LSU, Plauché joined panelists last year in a discussion about child molestation and other issues. He trains parents and community leaders. Plauché’s work in the community did not go unnoticed through the years. He garnered a governor’s award in 2004 regarding his activism for survivors. Plauché deserves other civic prizes including Honorary Doctorates. He should be invited to deliver TED Talks. While in Pennsylvania, Jody Plauché worked on the statewide Men Against Sexual Violence Committee. In December 2004, he was selected as the Survivor/Activist of the Year by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Now, Jody Plauché presents professional and college training sessions about sexual violence risk reduction across the U.S.

Jody Plauché appeared in a myriad of TV shows: Geraldo (1991, 1993, 1996), Now It Can Be Told (1991), Maury Povich (1993, 1996), Oprah (1995), Leeza (1995), Real TV (1996), The Montel Williams Show (1997, 2005), The John Walsh Show (2002, 2003), CNN's Connie Chung Tonight (2003), ABC World News Tonight and ESPN's E:60 (2013). Local papers, local television stations and multiple radio stations have featured him. In October 2002, he went to The White House Conference on Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children, in Washington, D.C., which featured Colin Powell and President George W. Bush. Throughout the years, Jody Plauché spoke in schools about sexual assault prevention to children from pre-kindergarten up.

The following interview occurred last winter. Jody Plauché is a walking miracle. He was lucky to not catch any STDs or was not killed during the kidnapping. He is a very courageous man like our late Canadian hero Terry Fox. Both men have resilience and willingness to be philanthropists in spite of adversities. For many, Jody Plauché is as much a hero as Gary Plauché. Our webmag is honored to be the first Canadian media outlet to conduct an in-depth web interview with him.

P.T. Our webmag is mainly about diversity. Your name sounds French. What can you share with us about your cultural background?

J..P. My great grand-father came from the South of France and had three sons. Once installed in America, one of my ancestors became the lieutenant governor in the 19th century. It has been centuries that my family lives in central Louisiana. There is even a book on my family available on Amazon called The Plauchés. Ironically, it was today on January 8th that the Battle of New Orleans was fought in 1815. Major Jean-Baptiste Plauché among others combatted the British and won at the time. It was this Plauché who was the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, from 1850 to 1853 operating under Governor Joseph M. Walker. There is a Plaucheville named after my family in my state. It is a village in Avoyelles Parish. My mother’s family is originally from Ireland.

P.T. You ended your paperback with a beautiful quote from Helen Keller. Would you be willing to make an audio version of your paperback to make it accessible to blind people?

J.P. Absolutely! I am totally open to putting an audiobook on the market. I would also like to publish it in different languages like Spanish and French. I definitely want as many people around the world people to read my book. I am on Twitter and so on. This will allow future readers to find out about my autobiography.

P.T. Why was it important for you to share your story with the world via your autobiography? I am sure it was not easy for you to relive old wounds. Was it a cathartic experience for you to write your paperback? How has your book been received so far especially among young people? Did any sexual abuse victims reach out to you after the release of your memoir?

J.P. It was important for me to write the book because I wanted to contribute and show it is possible to overcome sexual assault. My autobiography allowed me to engage by giving hope to people who are struggling with similar issues. I consider that I dealt with my situation years ago. I did not really have a choice because my story was known publically. This part of my life was resolved. So, writing the book for me was not like coming out of the closet. I felt totally comfortable to share my story in writing.

It is a good thing that I waited because it allowed me to also provide a professional perspective of sexual assaults on minors. Again, one of my goals for the book was to raise awareness and let people know it is possible to heal with the proper support. In summary, my autobiography aims at people who are dealing with akin problems, the professionals who are working with this clientele or people who care about them. Above all, I want people to know that it is possible to break free of this situation and that you can succeed in doing something constructive with your life. I would like my book to be educational and inspirational. I hope that it will become a preventional tool. About the last part of your question, I have not yet heard any feedback from young people.


P.T. You started to write your autobiography in 1993. Probably, it took you so long to pen it because it was painful to revisit some memories. It certainly took you a lot of courage to share with the world what you went through. You started writing your book again in 2017. Was this because you found it more difficult to write down your feelings while your father was still alive? Especially given that the title of your autobiography has everything to do with what happened at the airport? In other words, does your father’s passing represent for you in some ways permission to pen your autobiography?

J.P. For me, it was not really that I lacked the readiness to write the book. 2017 felt like the time to work on my autobiography. I sensed that I had valuable information to share. I became a college graduate and I gained knowledge. The years that passed by gave me perspective. The fact that I acquired experience with my work convinced me the right moment had come to transmit many of my understandings.
However, I struggled more with the last chapters of my book when I shared what my father meant to me and who he was. Many people respect my dad’s actions. He did not care about heroism. He acted out of pain. He welcomed Doucet to his home and family. In addition, he felt that Doucet betrayed him.

P.T. Did you keep a diary throughout the years that helped you write your book?

J.P. In a way I did because I had plenty of documents like police records, legal statements (some were written by chief deputy Mike Barnett in Baton Rouge), transcripts of the civil court deposition, videos, news reports, etc. So, I had access to much more than a diary. I had all this information to look at and use including the mental notes I took throughout the years with my professional career.

P.T. Your mother surely read your book and it must have been very difficult for her. Before you were ascertained to pen your memoir, did you discuss it with her?

J.P. Before I decided for sure to write my autobiography, there was talk years ago about doing a book. A contract even existed but I felt that the offer was not fair. So, I did not feel comfortable with it and I made the choice to take the self-publishing road. Before I became an adult, my parents found the right book contract but they thought it was my story and I should be the one to express what happened to me to the world if I wanted to.
My mother read my autobiography with difficulty. She did not want to relive everything and she did not read all the chapters. My aunt read it first with the most difficult parts.

P.T. Sexual assault trials sometimes take place behind closed doors. You are a very strong man because you had to face your ordeal as a child publicly. How did you overcome your trauma which could not be done privately? Did you get professional support after the kidnapping and what about your family? How did your family recover and heal from what happened after the kidnapping?

J.P. I did have professional counseling especially for court. With the right support, it is possible to overcome this. It is a process and as you said I had to deal with this at a young age. It took me about a year. By the 7th grade, I felt fine. My father went briefly to jail and had to see a psychiatrist after the shooting. My mom also sought professional help. When my dad was back home, we were able to resume our normal life.

P.T. In your book, we learn that your father went to jail for a couple of days after the shooting. How did he manage to pay the $100,000 bail?

J.P. There was a collateral that my dad used which allowed him to go out of jail. However, he could not go home. My father had to seek professional help and ended up in a psychiatric unit for one month and a half to be evaluated. It was a condition before he was able to go back home.

P.T. You could have chosen a completely different profession with nothing to do with mental health especially with what you went through at a precocious age. Why was it important for you to be involved in this field?

J.P. When I was 18, my dad and I went to The Geraldo Show in New York City. Once it aired on June 4th 1991, the Major Sheriff who investigated my case in 1984 informed me that a minor saw the program and heard my story. It gave him the courage to denounce his pastor who was molesting him and another boy. This man was arrested and went to jail. I realized then that my story could help others and make a difference. It made me feel useful. So, the show became an incentive and catalyst to dedicate my life to sexual assault issues.

I continued to speak publically about my story and raised awareness. I wanted to take this path professionally. I knew this was the right thing to do for me. I have an interest in mental health matters. I knew this is what I wished to do with my life. It became important for me to let people know that they could overcome sexual abuse. As I said, I dealt with what happened to me when I was 12 so, I felt confident that I could pursue a career to help people with this issue.

P.T. How did you find the strength to face the suffering of others as a counselor for sexual assault victims especially at the beginning of your profession?

J.P. As I mentioned, in my younger years I already dealt with what happened with me. My family supported me, especially my mother and I went to therapy. I was well prepared when it was time to embrace this professional path. With my experience and education, I already knew what to do. I also received the appropriate training. In addition, with my experience I become an ally for sexual assault victims. I could understand them and have empathy. It motivates me to help them. At the beginning of my career, my situation was settled, I was not struggling with my past anymore and I could focus totally on people who needed my professional help. There was a female colleague who had been victimized sexually in her past. It was difficult for her and she could not continue to work. Fortunately, it was not my case.

P.T. Can you describe to us the work that you do with the victims of sexual assault? Do you go with them to court for emotional support, etc.?

J.P. When I worked at the Victims Services Center, I was there from 1998 until 2005. We had specific advocates who would go to court with the victims, etc. We also had a 24-hour crisis hotline to provide support to the clientele. I regularly had to go to police stations with the victims for their statements or accompany them to hospitals. My main current job focuses on education and prevention. I often did this also at the Victims Services Center. Besides this, I do advocating tasks. It also happens for instance, that I go to schools and educate minors regarding preventing sexual assault.

P.T. Being a mental-health professional is not easy. What do you do to recharge your batteries? I am talking about self-care.

J.P. Self-care was a big deal when I worked at the Victims Services Center. At one point, I had a co-worker who was sexually abused during her adolescence. Actually, previously she was a client at the Victims Services Center. It became difficult for her to work with the assaulted people and she needed to take some time off to work on herself. She was not ready and could not handle it. I think to work in that field, you need to be at the right place mentally speaking. Honestly, I do not have difficulty to cope with my work. Again, I dealt with my issues years before I decided to work in the mental health field. Given that I managed to handle what I went through I do not feel that my work is outside of my comfort zone. I do not have any difficulties coping with my job. Where I work now, we can take time off if we need it, which is very beneficial.

P.T. What are your recommendations (regarding healing) for minors who went through similar things like you and for those who are afraid to talk?

J.P. Again, I believe that it is important to share your feelings with someone you are comfortable with. Minors can speak to someone they trust, preferably an adult. It is beneficial to confide in a trained mental health professional. For people who like to rely on self-help books, there are two that I recommend to professionals and the general public: The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker and The Courage to Heal by Laura Davis and Ellen Bass.

P.T. What was the main advice you gave to kids when you toured schools via the victims services center in Pennsylvania?

J.P. I covered several subjects such as bullying. I let the minors know that when they are mistreated verbally or physically, they need to address the issue to a trustworthy adult. It has to be someone they have faith in and who listens to them by taking them seriously. Parents have to look out for their kids and pay attention to their non-verbal communication (including a sudden change of behavior, signs such as insomnia, changes to eating habits, etc.) especially with the youngest ones. It is their responsibility to monitor them without being overprotective. Staff from schools has to pay attention to these clues also. Caring adults need to be able to decode the underlying messages communicated verbally or non-verbally by the child and unravel the minor’s behavior. These young individuals must feel real support from these adults and they need to sense they are truly there for them.

P.T. You served on the executive board for Men Against Violence. The goal of this organization is to prevent sexual assault. What tips do you have for minors about prevention especially on the Internet where some pedophiles pretend to be a minor themselves?

J.P. I stress the importance of social media safety. Kids should not use these websites without supervision and monitoring. Parents must educate their children about these issues early. Minors should not correspond with people on the Internet who they do not know in real life. They should not meet people they come across solely online. Even some adults have been fooled or trapped and have gone through unfortunate encounters so imagine what can happen with minors! They do not have yet the maturity and life experience to make this type of judgment so prevention is a must! Better safe than sorry. Computers should not be in their bedrooms but in communal rooms. Parents must also have rules for cell phones and video games for their children. Minors and actually everyone should avoid sexting. Bullying and blackmail can happen afterward about compromising pictures posted on the Internet. Reputations have been tarnished or destroyed this way and it creates long term consequences for future jobs, legal issues, etc22.

P.T. Since the early 90s, you have been involved in violence prevention. What is the main advice you could share with us about that?

J.P. Unfortunately, some pedophiles seem like regular, normal people on the surface. It might be someone with whom you work with on a regular basis, a neighbor, someone in an authority position, etc. There are no typical characteristics to provide about them. Some hide their deviancy very well and can fool anyone. Jeff Doucet gained the trust of my family before he approached me inappropriately. Anybody can behave badly. It might be someone in a position of authority such as a priest. Parents need to teach their kids about inappropriate touching in a language adapted to their age. Children must know that they are allowed to say no if they feel uncomfortable and should be informed they can confide in a trusted adult. Minors need to be aware they have a voice and must talk until someone believes them. Unless they have been manipulated, kids do not lie about this stuff most of the time and should be taken seriously. It is definitely suspicious when minors adopt inappropriate behavior related to sexuality or use an informed language unsuitable to their age. These are signs that something serious is going on with the kid or teenager. People need to know these tips. Of course, we must be vigilant about adults with access to children.


P.T. For parents, talking to children about sexuality has always been a delicate subject. What recommendations do you have for parents to give tips to children about how they can protect their physical integrity?

J.P. They need to use a language adapted to their age without frightening them. It has to start early to prepare them and give them tools. Minors have to learn they are allowed to set boundaries that need to be respected. Again, children must be educated about what is appropriate and inappropriate touching including safety rules. It won’t be uncomfortable for them to discuss this subject if they were introduced to it by their parents at a young age. Kids need to feel they can be at ease to share any worries with their parents. The conversation has to be open. Sexuality is part of life and cannot be ignored at home otherwise kids might find the wrong information outside of the house. In my autobiography, I wrote about a useful guidebook for parents entitled There’s No Place Like Home For Sex Education by Mary Gossart. It provides appropriate information about human sexuality that children should know. I think it represents a very helpful book to protect kids from sexual assaults, especially from child predators.

P.T. I believe it is important to not be taboo about it and not put our heads in the sand or wear blinders because even children sometimes participate in sexual games with each other, like playing doctor.
Unfortunately, minors at times tell adults about their sexual assaults and are not believed. What inputs do you have for them?

J.P. I do not have anything more to add other than kids must keep speaking out until someone believes them. Most of the time, kids do not lie when they talk about these things, especially when they prove age-inappropriate information. Regarding parents, they must take this very seriously and look deeper into the situation. Some can be in denial especially when the aggressor is someone from the family but parents cannot take it lightly or in a myopic way.

P.T. Some people get stuck and cannot surmount the sexual trauma they went through. What advice do you have for those who are struggling?

J.P. They need to know they are not to be blamed for what happened. Sometimes, during the assaults the body responded sexually but it still was a violation. In other words, they need to know that they had no control over what occurred and it was not their fault. They were abused and the accountability falls completely on the shoulders of the aggressor.

Seeking professional help is a normal procedure, not a weakness. Some criterions to look for among these professionals include:

- They need to validate and acknowledge the perceptions of their clients, in other words do not deny or discount their reality
- Patients need to feel they can talk openly to them or express their feelings (sadness, anger, fear, sorrow…) without censorship
- Professionals have to help them discern what does not feel right to them
- Professionals must meet the emotional needs of the clients while helping them to find healthy coping mechanisms such as developing skills for self-regulation of feelings
- Make sure that they are licensed and that their professional boards have not reported any wrongdoings

In summary, people who get help must find a professional who will allow them to explore their sentiments, to express them and acknowledge them. They need to be good listeners who will grasp your perspective while giving you tools to overcome your ordeals. Victims must be patient for healing. It may take a lot of time for some. You should feel comfortable with the professional and you can change if you have to. In addition, you must work with a health professional who has expertise with this issue. I named some books in my autobiography that were helpful for me (it made me better understand the state of mind or the mindset of sexual assaulters among other issues) and hopefully they can provide support to other people.

P.T. It is surprising that people have been trying to make a film about your life since the 80s and it has not happened yet. You wrote a little bit about this in your book. Can you elaborate on this?

J.P. I guess until now, the timing was not right. When I was younger, there were some propositions but it did not fit my expectations and the ones of my parents especially when I was a minor. When I became an adult, my parents preferred to let me decide what would be the best project to portray my life. Maybe things will be different given that my book is out. My autobiography offers intimate staple material for a future script. Hopefully, the right project and team will appear. Everything is about timing.

P.T. If your book becomes a movie in the future what actors would you like to portray you as a child and as an adult? Who would you like to play your parents? Please, let us know why.

J.P. My mom wants Donnie Wahlberg to play my father.

P.T. [Laughs] It seems you have no say in this!

J.P. [Chuckles] She chose him because she is convinced he has the capacity to showcase strong emotions to fulfill this role and I am not opposed to it. My mom is confident that he will embody many of father’s attributes. I do not know enough about child actors. Maybe, to play my part as a kid, I would like Millie Bobby Brown even if she is a girl.

P.T. Why would you like a girl to play your part?

J.P. She is very popular and could bring a big audience to the film.

P.T. [Chuckles]

J.P. But seriously, I know she could do a great job with shorter hair. I would be glad to see Macaulay Culkin from Home Alone play the older me.

P.T. Who would you like to play your mother?

J.P. I don’t know. I guess someone very pretty [Chuckles]. For my mother, I choose the English actress Emilia Clarke to play her. I think she could do a great job. In my opinion, all the performers mentioned are A-list actors and they would do a superb work interpreting us.

P.T. Would you give complete freedom for the adaptation of the film or you would like to have conditions and be involved in its development as an advisor, etc.?

J.P. I would definitely like to be an advisor for the movie even if I don’t mind giving creative freedom. I am open to the storyline being set in 1984 or in modern day times with all the new technologies. I would not be opposed to it.

P.T. Interesting and original! In addition, it would bring something new to Hollywood by casting people regardless of their gender when I think of your suggestion regarding Brown. It would give more opportunities to women because currently only 30% of roles are for females. In addition, usually movies are better when the author is involved.
After the kidnapping and/or murder, did you talk to the other kids (you wrote about one of them of page 79 of your book) who knew Doucet and did any of them confide in you about their molestation?

J.P. Beside the one that I wrote about in my book, I did not hear about the other children and I never met them. I know what happened to them but we never spoke to each other after the kidnapping at the end of the karate course. However, before my abduction, once I was in the bathroom and one of these kids saw Doucet molesting me. After he left, we were alone and the kid looked at me and told me after: “It hurts, doesn’t? ” It is the only thing he said to me at the time. I saw what happened to him.

P.T. In Québec we have a program called IVAC that provides financial compensation to victims of criminal acts for medical expenses, etc. Did you have access to a similar program in your state and did you benefit from it?

J.P. I did not have access to this type of program at the time because it did not exist. Presently, in my country, crime victim compensation varies from one state to another. Medical expenses, female shelters, rehabilitation, therapy, money for relocation and safe emergency housing are among remedies or redresses that are provided. Victims and families can receive help from some of these programs. In Pennsylvania where I work there is governmental victim compensation including free counseling for victims. There are regulations and prerequisites to take into consideration depending on the jurisdiction in my country such as respecting delays to provide the required documentation. I encourage people to take a trustworthy person and/or a mental health resource to assist and support them because victims often struggle to think about all these things after an assault with all the traumas that might occur afterward.

P.T. What was the law at the time in your state? Was there any existing bill that allowed employers to make background checks to prevent potential employees with sexual and other felonies from having access to minors?

J.P. I don’t think it was required by the law at that time. On a personal level, as I wrote in my book, my mother did make a background check on Doucet but unfortunately this procedure was unsuccessful. No disturbing information came out about him. In other words, no red flags emerged. At the time, in my opinion there was no law that demanded an investigation of records to protect minors from anyone who wanted to work with them.

P.T. What about now? Do you think the legislation of your nation protects enough minors or does it need improvement to prevent recidivism of pedophiles and so forth? You Have said publically many times that you did not want Doucet dead. What would have you preferred? Prison for life, chemical castration…?

J.P. Thankfully, the law has changed in the U.S. and employees who work with minors now require background checks. About Doucet, I would have liked him to end up with life imprisonment. In other words, I wish that he had ended up confined indefinitely. When I observe and follow high profile cases related to pedophilia or other types of sexual assault, I think that too often the sentences are not long enough or too lenient. For instance, Brock Turner was released after three months even though he received a six-month sentence. In my opinion, there is a serious gap between the gravity of the aggressions and the verdicts. Some people are even acquitted from all charges in sexual assault trials.

P.T. May I ask you how you see your life now as a man? I mean, are you dating? Did you create your own family? If not, is it important for you to experience fatherhood in the future or would you rather not go down that road? In other words, how do you envision your future on a personal level?

J.P. This is a great question! I am single right now but sometimes I date. Actually, last night I had news from my first girlfriend. We are still in touch and we maintain our friendship. I gave her a copy of my book a couple of weeks ago. About fatherhood, I decided it was best for me not to have children. I do not want to transmit my experience and pain to them. I think it represents also a way to protect myself with what I was under. My nieces and nephews nurture me and the relationships I share with them satisfy me profusely.

P.T. You wrote in your book that you have dreams and/or goals. Do you mind sharing some of them with us? In addition, would you be interested one day in creating a foundation like Steven Stayner?

J.P. I want to be able to continue to travel the world, to raise awareness and let people know they can overcome similar problems. This is all I want to do. About the foundation, there was a time before I worked with the Victims Services Center when I thought of having one, but I am not into this anymore. I am planning to make a training seminar on April 28th at the Victim Services Center of Montgomery County Inc. in Norristown, Pennsylvania. I did one in October and I was asked to do another one next spring. I prefer to help existing organizations and boards where I am involved in raising more money that will allow them to continue to do their work.

P.T. Thank you so much Mr. Plauché for your generosity in answering my questions and for sharing your story with us candidly. Thanks also for speaking and writing about your story because you are a voice for sexual assaults victims who cannot speak up for themselves. I wish you a lot of success with your book and beyond!

Jody Plauché's official website: http://www.jodyplauche.net/ and listen http://www.jodyplauche.net/radio/
To watch: https://vimeo.com/74695166


The book is available on amazon.com, .ca and co.uk

An interesting interview to listen: https://chvnradio.com/images/audio/20191003jodyplauche.mp3

To listen:  https://talk1073.com/2019/10/29/jody-plauche-explains-why-gary-why/

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2 Ibid
3 Coalition to stop the use of child soldiers: http://www.child-soldiers.org/home
5 Source : https://www.unicef.ca/en/child-trafficking?ea.tracking.id=20DIAQ01OTE&;19DIAQ02OTE=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjKnwx9yY6QIVk5OzCh3LPga-EAAYASAAEgJ10PD_BwE
6 Source: https://www.unhcr.org/steppingup/
7 In 1946, the psychoanalyst Dr. René Spitz conducted a classic study in 1946 regarding the failure-to-thrive syndrome. With other research, he observed that babies who were touched on a regular basis thrive and those who were not had skin hunger meaning, a lack of physical contact.
9 Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_corporal_punishment_in_the_United_States
10 Source : https://www.amazon.com/Unspeakable-Acts-Sexually-Abuse-Children/dp/0814766374/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&;keywords=unspeakable+acts+with+men&qid=1586195188&s=books&sr=1-1 p. 3
11 Source The Courage to Heal: A Guide for women survivors of child sexual abuse, 3rd ed. (1994) by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis, p. 13
16 Source : https://www.amazon.com/MeToo-Corporate-World-Privilege-Forward-ebook/dp/B07S7QQWC8/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&;keywords=metoo+in+the+corporate+world&qid=1585858071&s=books&sr=1-1p. 61
17 Ibid
18 idem
19 Ibid p. 63
20 Idem p. 66
21 Source : https://www.amazon.com/Will-Survive-African-American-Healing-Assault/dp/1580050808/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&;keywords=I+will+survive+the+African-American+guide+to+healing+from+sexual+assault+and+abuse&qid=1585935000&s=books&sr=1-1
22 Per year, 12 million Americans are victim of identity theft online