Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website
Much has been written -- for good reason -- about the tragic cases of people whose lives have been ruined by being classified and registered as "sex offenders" for consensual youthful liaisons with partners just a few months younger than the law allows. But is this the price we pay for immunizing ourselves against the real predators: rapists and adults who stalk actual children? A recent federal report suggests that the answer is "no." As efficient as the system is at registering youthful lovers, it's just that inefficient at tracking actual criminals.
Genarlow Wilson famously served over two years of a ten-year sentence for having consensual oral sex with a girl two years his junior when he was 17. His sentence was ultimately overturned as cruel and unusual, but many people across the country still face registration and harsh restrictions for similar "transgressions." As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorialized:
But Wilson is not the only young offender caught in a maze of draconian sex laws. Many young people are trapped on the state sex offender registry for nonviolent and consensual sex acts as teens. The registry is a prison sentence in its own right, fencing even low-risk offenders off from most of society. Georgia law bars offenders from living or loitering within 1,000 feet of schools, day care centers, parks, rec centers or skating rinks. Last year, the General Assembly added churches, swimming pools and school bus stops to the list, and, for the first time, placed limits on where offenders could work. Now, sex offenders can't hold jobs near schools, child care centers or churches.
Some states have now moved to pass "Romeo and Juliet" laws to ease the consequences for young people who fall afoul of arbitrary age cut-offs, but people still remain on sex offender registries, with all that entails, for petty reasons. The harsh, often life-long restrictions of the sex-offender registries are supposed to buy us some security, even if a few innocent people get ground up in the machinery from time to time. So, how much security are we getting from those registries?
Not so much, say the feds. According to a report (PDF) from the Office of the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Justice:
We found that the registries that make up the national sex offender registration system – the FBI’s National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) and the state public sex offender registries accessed through OJP’s National Sex Offender Public Registry Website (NSOPR) – are inaccurate and incomplete. As a result, neither law enforcement officials nor the public can rely on the registries for identifying registered sex offenders, particularly those who are fugitives.
Specifically, the states have not entered records on approximately 22 percent of their registered sex offenders into NSOR and have not identified sex offenders who have failed to maintain a current registration. We also found that states do not consistently enter information into NSOR such as social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and vehicle identification numbers.
The NSOR is a centralized federal database of sex offenders available for use by law-enforcement agencies, whilet he NSOPR is a publicly available portal that searches state databases. Separately maintained, they're equally unreliable.
The not-even-good-enough-for-government-work status of the sex offender registries as of the beginning of 2009 is especially relevant because the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act requires all U.S. states, territories and tribes to have functioning, accurate and accessible registries by July 27, 2009 -- just a few months away. The registries are to be used to track offenders and to prosecute people convicted of sex crimes who fail to register or to keep their registration current if they move from one state to another or even from one address to another within a state. Inaccurate registries mean a hobbled ability to track offenders.
It could also, potentially, mean legal liability for those who do comply with the law but whose records spiraled into some black hole in the system. Bureaucratic incompetence could end up resulting in prison time for people who have made every attempt to keep their noses clean and their registrations current. Some of those people will be "criminals" whose crimes consisted of sleeping, as teenagers, with their boyfriends or girlfriends. Others will be people who committed real crimes but are trying to get their lives together.
Either way, public safety isn't being enhanced in any obvious way by the sex-offender registration system.
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Comments
These laws have never been anything but a knee jerk reaction and a way for politicians to get votes and money while giving the public a false sense of security. "Know where the sex offenders live and protect your kids" it's not the ones you know about you need to fear, its the ones that haven't been caught or don't comply with the law you need to fear. Frankly seeing as 85% of sexual assaults on children are by someone known and trusted by the child or family you really don't need a registry to know where 'Uncle Jack' lives. Just one more waste of tax money
The US never had need for the registry. If the police needed a database of potential suspects as they claim they did, they already had the NCIC. The registry was created from the very beginning to be used as a public shaming tool and little more. After a decade of Predator Panic, how far have we gone in reducing sex crime rates? Actually, if you look at sex crime rates you'll discover they have no deviated from sex crime rates in general, which dropped in 1993 and have stabilized since around 2000. They're certainly a political tool -- look at Gov. Blogojevich for example. In the midst of his scandal, he takes time to remind us of the laws he's passing against sex offenders. Maybe he should be on the registry himself for prostituting a senate seat, but thats a story for a different day. The point is, sex offender registries are political tools. They're popular, constitution be damned. In fact, sex offender laws are already used to justify wholesale degradation of individual freedoms. And the registries are expanding to other crimes. The UK even registers people who have never committed a crime but believed to be at risk of offending! It is only a matter of time before that happens here in the states.
I have a website, www.oncefallen.com, dedicated to the TRUTH about sex offender laws. Fel free to go there and learn the truth about these laws.
Child molesters should never see the light of day if caught and convicted.
I checked my local registry and looked at the listed addresses and then did a google search on those addresses. One guy listed his address as a MUFFLER SHOP. I called the people responsible and informed them and they said it was not a mistake. The owner of the shop hired him and allowed him to use his business as his address.
Also on the registry are young men who are coerced and frightened with threats of years in prison, often for crimes they did not commit, into bearing false witness and accepting a bogus plea bargains which requires registration. DA's use this tactic go get a win, rather than dropping cases that are weak or where the defendant has be falsely accused. These laws will not stop the people that were originally meant to track. Those violent predators to not care about having their picture on the internet or having residencey restrictions. People would be shocked to find out who is really on Megan's Law.
As stated by New York Law School Professor Arthur S. Leonard "In this case, Congress has seized upon the national hysteria surrounding sex offenders who serve their time and then are released back into the community, where some commit new sex offenses, and so came upon the idea of authorizing federal authorities to initiate steps to keep sex offenders in custody after their prison terms are up, on the grounds that they present a danger to society if released.
This subverts the idea of determinate sentencing, of course, and seems to say that if a hearing officer is persuaded that somebody presents a danger of sexually offending in the future, they can be locked up and the key thrown away, regardless whether any past offense would have justified a life sentence."
Generally, we prohibit depriving somebody of their liberty unless there is proof beyond reasonable doubt that they have committed a (new) crime, but this statute allows us to deprive them of their liberty even though we don't have proof beyond reasonable doubt of anything. cfcamerica.org
Lets not forget the fact that the laws are illegal in the first place. I am called a sex offender because 24 years ago when I was only 20 I maid out with a girl I met at a part and did not know she was underage. At court I was told I can go to trial and get up to 5 years. I was reminded what happens to people in prison with these types of convictions. It did not matter I was told that I did not know she was underage. It did not matter that there was no sex, there was nothing forced or violent. OR I can take a plea of six months in county jail and three years probation. Of course I took the probation. There was nothing on my plea bar. that said in ten years you will have to be a registered sex offender. Then in 22 years we will put you on the public internet as an offender against children. This was all retroactive ILLEGAL! and is killing my life and my family as well. Oh it's only regulatory they say. My ass it is. I try and stay calm but 24 f----- years and still paying give it a break law makers. Stop breaking the laws of the constitution
Do you want to know the real tragedy of all the sex offender registries?
1. Children as young as 8 years old have been sentenced to Lifetime Registration as a sex offender.
2. Americans have allowed the the civil rights of all citizens to be trampled.
These Public Registries, Public Shaming LISTS have been applied Retroactively, which is violation of the United States Constitution Article 1, section 9 which states,"No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed". But these Slimy, Slithering, Fat Politicians know most Americans cannot afford to fight for their civil rights, so they pass the law, and make those who can raise the 30 or 40 thousand dollars to fight for their rights do so. NO BILL OF ATTAINDER OR EX POST FACTO LAW SHALL BE PASSED.
It does not take a rocket scientist to diagram that sentence.
But still, they get away with it because all the Sheeple of America will do nothing as long as they get their 2 car garage, and BMWs.
Wake up America.. We all are losing our rights.
Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere.
The countless lives ruined by applying Retroactive Sex Offender laws to men who have served their time for a crime 30 years ago, and now are made Sex Offenders is most devastating to the Children of these men. Video: youtube.com/cfcamerica
Until Americans wake up and realize their rights are being taken away daily by those politicians who wish to elevate their careers and bank account... This nation is doomed to a nazi like political landscape in the very near future.
Want to know who is a risk of being a sex offender. Any person that is breathing. You don't even need the tools, just eyes to see with. The way the laws are going every person will be a sex offender soon enough. Isn't that what the gov. wants to have total control of us all and our every move. It truly burns my ass to be called a criminal by the same people that break the laws themselves. They hide behind words like only regulatory. A nat could tell you that is crap. These are supposed to be the best minds going. I do want to thank those who tell the truth about these laws and try and help. I am far from being for the truly bad people of the world. I have kids also and don't want them hurt. However our lawmakers are only out for there own image and votes. There may be some good ones but they are afraid of being voted out or being seen as soft on SO.
Do you think that law makers will stop at sex offenders when it comes to trashing the constitution? Now that they know they can get away with it for sex then what will be next? If people continue to show they don't care about there civil rights then they will remove them all one at a time. Before you know it you will walk down the St. and a cop will be asking you for your papers. Wake up people this is not just about sex offender issues anymore. It is about the meaning of the USA what it is supposed to stand for. You dam well must know that if the gov. can get away with something then they will do it. Most RSO are no threat to kids. However if they are pushed more and more. If they are left in the ST. with nothing left to lose. If they are day in and day out trashed by the public then sooner or later they will become a threat. Only not to kids. It will be to the people that made these laws and pushed them. I don't want to see it happen but if a SO in that position snaps and goes on a rampage then who do we blame. At least the person won't have to register as a murderer. They don't have that for them. Makes you think ha
Read the study, Collateral Damage. It is a study of the effects that these laws have on families. It will be published in the 2009 American Journal of Criminal Justice. You are correct about them not stopping a sex offenders.
Soon, everyone will be on some sort of registry. The American people need to be educated. They confuse sex offender, with pedophile. That is the fault of the media and our corrupt politicans who will do anything to get re-elected. Including passing these draconian laws that take away basic civil rights, and do not good other than ruining lives.
Charles McGonagle... contact us at Citizens for Legislative Change, America if you want to find out what you can do to help change the laws.
cfcamerica.org
Contact Us Link on the top of the page.
In Houston, exotic dancers (arrested usually for dancing too close to a cop) and club owners and managers are ending up on these registers. Their only crime has been going to work to try to pay their bills and feed their families.
I know a woman who is in danger of having her child taken away from her for too many dancing violations.
Corrupt judges are convicting people in order to collect thousands of dollars in revenue for the city!
Charles McGonagle... contact us at Citizens for Legislative Change, America if you want to find out what you can do to help change the laws.
cfcamerica.org
Contact Us Link on the top of the page.
One woman, had her children taken away because her husband took photos of her breast feeding her baby, and took them to the pharmacy to get developed.. the police were called, she was charged with a sex crime and her kids taken away... come read it..
cfcamerica.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=358:woman-charged-with-possession-of-child-pornography-for-taking-photos-of-herself-breastfeeding&catid=3:news&Itemid=96
How refreshing to read an article based on facts and research rather than on hysteria and total lack of information.
I wish we could gather the 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 offenders, families, spouses and children on the national mall, like the people gathered for the inaguaration. People would be able to see the normal, hard working citizens being ostracized by the registry, outrageous laws, and regulations. They could look into the faces of small children being made fun of and looked down upon by teachers and classmates.
The dinstinction has to be made between serious predators and pedophiles, and offenders who oftentimes took plea bargains because they had no choice.
Sanity has to be restored, and these people need to have the chance to contribute to our society, not be shunned by it.
The sex offender laws do little good. We know that. We also know that 85 to 90% of the sex crimes do not get reported. If you ask any law enforcement person or DA or Child advocate. Each getting paid for their contribution to this enterprise. They will say its because the victims are afraid to tell. You know what they are saying is the offender makes it so they won't talk. Not really what's going on here. They are not afraid of the offender. They are afraid of the system. If Mommy or Daddy is the offender they are not going to talk. As in most cases its someone close to the child. Be it a parent , sibling or extended family member. They are not going to tell and cause them to get into this much trouble. So what have we done? Have we made this better? We have made it impossible for the ones that need help to get it. Its to costly and the victims and their families know this. So what can we do? We can keep making laws that promote the family secret. We can make it so that its a well known fact how much a sex offender and their family is hated. Or we can take a long look at the real problem. Address this as a mental heath issue. Arrest the predictors lock them away and forget it.
I'd like to make 2 comments on your article. First, you wrote about haklfway down that: "The harsh, often life-long restrictions of the sex-offender registries are supposed to buy us some security, even if a few innocent people get ground up in the machinery from time to time." And you're right, I suppose that was and is the thinking...and was and is, evidently, acceptable to many of our lawmakers and fellow citizens. But it shouldn't be. It is completely antithetical to our system of "justice" and a real perversion of what America used to stand for. William Blackstone said it best: "It is better for ten guilty men to go free than for one innocent man to be imprisoned." Do we no longer believe that?
My second point is that those "petty" offenses that land the unlucky on the SOR are getting more and more petty every year, and the AWA promises to make it worse, not better. AWA has problems, economic problems, logistical problems, constitutional problems. It's a bad law that was passed by knee-jerk, reactionary politicians who saw easy votes to be had in the name of protecting our children. if we can all (or most of us, anyway) admitt hat many, if not most, who are on that despciable list don't belong there, and that the list itself is so hugely flawed as to be useless, to provide nothing more than a false sense of security, than why in God's name would we want to move forward with implementing AWA and it's SORNA requirements before we fix it?
First I want to thank the Examiner for publishing TRUTHFUL sex offender data.
Secondly, I must reaffirm that according to the Department Of Justice and major university studies, less than 10% re-offend and most sexual abuse is committed by people well known to the victim (i.e. father, doctor) and have no record record.
Also, as pointed out in this article, many on the registry these days are non-violent offenders to begin with. Streaking, mooning, voyeurism, public urination, teens having consensual sex, and even public breast feeding are sex crimes now. The descriptions of these petty crimes are often flawed too. For example, a teenager in Oklahoma had consensual sex with another teenager and is now listed as a "predator" on that state's registry with his offense described as "aggravated sexual assault", yet no coercion was involved. Even though his record has been expunged, Oklahoma still keeps him on the public registry.
Indeed the sex offender registry needs reform and soon. Far-reaching registries cost states millions and that raises tax dollars. Instead we should only focus on legitimate predators who are now in the minority of all people included on registries, thanks to political corruption.
Blame it on religiosity and the male/female ratio imbalance. I believe it's more important to know there's a thief next door than a sex offender. Separate societies for deviant behavior will solve prison overcrowding. I'll bet I'm the only person on this site who is not only a registered sex offender but also a committed SVP who was released by a jury from civil commitment.
Blame it on religiosity and the male/female ratio imbalance. I believe it's more important to know there's a thief next door than a sex offender. Separate societies for deviant behavior will solve prison overcrowding. I'll bet I'm the only person on this site who is not only a registered sex offender but also a committed SVP who was released by a jury from civil commitment.
Do you want to know the real tragedy of all the sex offender registries?
1. Children as young as 8 years old have been sentenced to Lifetime Registration as a sex offender.
2. Americans have allowed the the civil rights of all citizens to be trampled.
These Public Registries, Public Shaming LISTS have been applied Retroactively, which is violation of the United States Constitution Article 1, section 9 which states,"No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed". But these Slimy, Slithering, Fat Politicians know most Americans cannot afford to fight for their civil rights, so they pass the law, and make those who can raise the 30 or 40 thousand dollars to fight for their rights do so. NO BILL OF ATTAINDER OR EX POST FACTO LAW SHALL BE PASSED.
It does not take a rocket scientist to diagram that sentence.
But still, they get away with it because all the Sheeple of America will do nothing as long as they get their 2 car garage, and BMWs.
Wake up America.. We all are losing our rights.
Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere.
The countless lives ruined by applying Retroactive Sex Offender laws to men who have served their time for a crime 30 years ago, and now are made Sex Offenders is most devastating to the Children of these men. Video: youtube.com/cfcamerica
Until Americans wake up and realize their rights are being taken away daily by those politicians who wish to elevate their careers and bank account... This nation is doomed to a nazi like political landscape in the very near future.
Watch This Video:
youtube.com/govnbobbyjindal
I am a registered sex offender here in Oregon. I have a misdemeanor for doing something stupid.I made a mistake nearly ten years ago.The new laws now force me to register for life.It's no wonder the registery is inaccurate and unreliable.It's loaded with people like me who did screw up but am not a danger to anyone.If they eliminated people like me who they openly say are not a threat and spent the time and money monitoring the dangerous offenders it would be reliable.This would drop the number of sex offenders by over 90%.If they openly admit that the majority of sex offenders are not really a threat then why are we monitoring them?What are we paying for?Why waste the resources and ruin lives
I am a registered sex offender here in Oregon. I have a misdemeanor for doing something stupid.I made a mistake nearly ten years ago.The new laws now force me to register for life.It's no wonder the registery is inaccurate and unreliable.It's loaded with people like me who did screw up but am not a danger to anyone.If they eliminated people like me who they openly say are not a threat and spent the time and money monitoring the dangerous offenders it would be reliable.This would drop the number of sex offenders by over 90%.If they openly admit that the majority of sex offenders are not really a threat then why are we monitoring them?What are we paying for?Why waste the resources and ruin lives
I am a registered sex offender here in Oregon. I have a misdemeanor for doing something stupid.I made a mistake nearly ten years ago.The new laws now force me to register for life.It's no wonder the registery is inaccurate and unreliable.It's loaded with people like me who did screw up but am not a danger to anyone.If they eliminated people like me who they openly say are not a threat and spent the time and money monitoring the dangerous offenders it would be reliable.This would drop the number of sex offenders by over 90%.If they openly admit that the majority of sex offenders are not really a threat then why are we monitoring them?What are we paying for?Why waste the resources and ruin lives
I also wanted to add that the Adam Walsh Act that has been ruled unconstitutional in several court challenges requires ANY failure to register be a felony.This means that if I don't go in person and register(and they don't keep normal hours and it's very scary)for each time I get a different car,change jobs,move,create a screen name to post on internet articles like this,sign up for any classes at all,or even go on vacation for over ten days in another state. This would make me a felon when the original crime wasn't one.This constant threat haunts me everyday.I worry always if I am in comliance.I often choose not to take vacations or buy a new car because I don't want to go be humiliated and threatened by the police.My house has been vandalized and I'm more afraid of the police than the criminals so I don't call 911. I found a bullet lodged in my front porch. My front bay window has been shot out with a pellet gun.I have paint pellet stains on the front of my house.I'm not even on the state web site due to my low level crime.This is something no one can understand unless you have lived it.The stress is overwhelming and often all consuming.All this for a misdemeanor I can hardly remember because I was drunk.My life is ruined unless this changes
I also wanted to add that the Adam Walsh Act that has been ruled unconstitutional in several court challenges requires ANY failure to register be a felony.This means that if I don't go in person and register(and they don't keep normal hours and it's very scary)for each time I get a different car,change jobs,move,create a screen name to post on internet articles like this,sign up for any classes at all,or even go on vacation for over ten days in another state. This would make me a felon when the original crime wasn't one.This constant threat haunts me everyday.I worry always if I am in comliance.I often choose not to take vacations or buy a new car because I don't want to go be humiliated and threatened by the police.My house has been vandalized and I'm more afraid of the police than the criminals so I don't call 911. I found a bullet lodged in my front porch. My front bay window has been shot out with a pellet gun.I have paint pellet stains on the front of my house.I'm not even on the state web site due to my low level crime.This is something no one can understand unless you have lived it.The stress is overwhelming and often all consuming.All this for a misdemeanor I can hardly remember because I was drunk.My life is ruined unless this changes
The fourteenth amendment says, "Equal protection". "Equal punishment"
Which leads to the issue of hate crimes.
The registrant, wrongly convicted or not, becomes a target of hate crimes.
States (California) further assist these vigilantes by providing online addresses and directions of the offender.
As long a the public continues to equate "sex offender" and "child molester" you will not understand the comments of those that oppose Jessica's Law and the Adam Walsh Act. Our sex offender laws do not distingish between youthful indiscretions and those that are mentally ill and have hurt a child.
You'll find that those crimes are a small percentage. Stealing a candy bar is not the same as robbing a bank at gunpoint. And yet, all sex offenses are treated the same. If we are to have equal justice, equal punishment, then half of the men in our country should serve their time as well. Our fathers would have never had their lives ruined over teen sex. There has to be an underlying reason for all of this which if ignored will have many unintended consequences. Maybe the life of your son?
How can the laws be equal, when each state has different "age of consent laws?" Only 5 states have the age of 18, as being the age of consent. Here in California, having a relationship with a 17 year old will include you on the "sex registry", while in all other states it isn't considered a crime. What's equal about that? Even Sarah Palin's daughter was underage, while her boyfriend was considered an adult.
And yet, here in California, these young men are considered "the boggy man" not suited to live in this world, according to the way many think. What have we done? This is effecting a whole generation. Instead of becoming contributors to our society, they will become a drain. And while we are trying to protect children, we are destroying whole families.
I also wanted to add that the Adam Walsh Act that has been ruled unconstitutional in several court challenges requires ANY failure to register be a felony.This means that if I don't go in person and register(and they don't keep normal hours and it's very scary)for each time I get a different car,change jobs,move,create a screen name to post on internet articles like this,sign up for any classes at all,or even go on vacation for over ten days in another state. This would make me a felon when the original crime wasn't one.This constant threat haunts me everyday.I worry always if I am in comliance.I often choose not to take vacations or buy a new car because I don't want to go be humiliated and threatened by the police.My house has been vandalized and I'm more afraid of the police than the criminals so I don't call 911. I found a bullet lodged in my front porch. My front bay window has been shot out with a pellet gun.I have paint pellet stains on the front of my house.I'm not even on the state web site due to my low level crime.This is something no one can understand unless you have lived it.The stress is overwhelming and often all consuming.All this for a misdemeanor I can hardly remember because I was drunk.My life is ruined unless this changes
First I want to thank the Examiner for publishing TRUTHFUL sex offender data.
Secondly, I must reaffirm that according to the Department Of Justice and major university studies, less than 10% re-offend and most sexual abuse is committed by people well known to the victim (i.e. father, doctor) and have no record record.
Also, as pointed out in this article, many on the registry these days are non-violent offenders to begin with. Streaking, mooning, voyeurism, public urination, teens having consensual sex, and even public breast feeding are sex crimes now. The descriptions of these petty crimes are often flawed too. For example, a teenager in Oklahoma had consensual sex with another teenager and is now listed as a "predator" on that state's registry with his offense described as "aggravated sexual assault", yet no coercion was involved. Even though his record has been expunged, Oklahoma still keeps him on the public registry.
Indeed the sex offender registry needs reform and soon. Far-reaching registries cost states millions and that raises tax dollars. Instead we should only focus on legitimate predators who are now in the minority of all people included on registries, thanks to political corruption.
It is great that you have the facts right and are willing to publish them. Most of the media is caught up on this issue and using it to push the panic on sex offenders even futher. The question also unanswered is how much in tax payer money are these laws costing us? If the truth were told we could be saving millions by not having these sex offender laws on the books, or at lease narrowing them down to include only those sex offenders who are a real danger to the public. Having been in Law Enforcement for over 25 years I can tell you we are spending millions and wasting a lot of hours on something that is getting us NO return at all in saftey. Tim
Watch This Video:
youtube.com/govnbobbyjindal
OMG
I forgot to SAY,
THANK YOU FOR PUBLISHING THE TRUTH.
99 percent of writers today, simply report what they find some where, or are told to publish... basically Propaganda.
The fervor with which these politicians, lawmakers and Media, OMG, the Media are throwing Gasoline on a Lighted Match!
Every person deserves to be safe from rape or molestation.
The lawmakers of America are Raping our Men, Women and Children with these craze laws.
The article stated:
"Genarlow Wilson famously served over two years of a ten-year sentence for having consensual oral sex with a girl two years his junior when he was 17."
I wouldn't use this case to make your point. This was not a Romeo/Juliet afair. The 15 year old girl was gang banged and another girl alleged rape at the party. The jury found him guilty of oral sex with the 15 year old knowing he had raped the unconscious older girl.
We had a sexual offender here in Neillsville WI that served on the school board and was a foster parent who later adopted 3 special needs girls(sexually abused) and no one did a thing about it. His record does not show up under Wisconsin's registry.
My2cents...It's good he was able to have a life.You didn't mention what his offense was so I'm not sure where you were going with your comment.Because he wasn't listed in the public site his crime was no doubt minor and should have been forced to register anyway.People need the ability to live their lives after a conviction. Especially those who have only a minor offense and has proved over time not to be a threat.Two boys here now 16 have to register because at 14 they mooned the school bus.This is not what the registry was designed for.Who cares that some 14 yr old mooned a bus.They called is indecent exposure in view of a child.The child was their other 14 yr old friend still only the bus.He was the only kid left on the bus.What a horrible system we have.We destroy people for doing things we did as kids
My2Cents, I have three questions for you. Did this sex offender re-offend? What was his crime? and How long ago was it?
If you don't know the answers, then I suggest you do more research and find out. He could just be someone who looked into a window 20 years ago and simply wants to move on with his life now. If he is not listed on a public registry, then he has probably not committed rape before.
Gather the facts before you judge a former sex offender.
Corporate news channels are not a good source of information since most "reports" are inflated with hype.
"Therapy works for these people. Let them be punished for their crimes, let them out and let them get on with their lives. Let them work. Let them have stable homes and families and let them live in peace. Harassing them, making them move and continually punishing them does far more harm than good. A sex offender in therapy with a job and a place to live is less of a threat than one that is constantly harassed." — Robert Shilling, Detective, Seattle, WA Crimes Against Children Division
"If the 2,000-foot rule had been in effect 10 years ago, I can't think of a single case from our files that would have been any different." — Sgt. Bryce Smith, Sex Offender Registry Officer, Scott County, Iowa
"What you're doing is pushing people more underground, pushing them away from treatment and pushing them away from monitoring, you're really not improving the safety, but you are giving people a false sense of safety." — John Gruber, Executive Director of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers
"We went from knowing where about 90 percent of them were. We're lucky if we know where 50 to 55 percent of them are now...the law created an atmosphere that these individuals can't find a place to live." — Sheriff Don Zeller, Linn County, Iowa
"When I talk with friends, colleagues and neighbors regarding this law, the first reaction is that we must do everything we can to protect our children. Absolutely. But I am afraid this statute gives parents and communities a false sense of protection against crimes that most often occur not at school bus stops, but where children are in the greatest danger: their own homes." — J. Tom Morgan, Former DeKalb County DA
"It may be time to do away with sex offender registration laws altogether. At the very least, the federal government should commission research to study the laws' effectiveness. In the meantime, several changes should be made. States should differentiate between serious and non-serious offenders and only require registration of the most serious offenders. Next, public access to online sites should be dismantled, and registries should be kept at the local police stations. This would provide at least a minimal screening process to those seeking inquiries. Lastly, we should experiment with restorative justice models such as what has happened in Canada where sex offenders moving into a community meet with members of the community in a public forum facilitated by a trained mediator. This type of forum gives the community an opportunity to meet the offender face to face and express their concerns and for the offender to show the community that he is earnestly seeking to change his life." — Rachel King, Professor of Law, Howard University School of Law, Washington, D.C.
"Though laudable in their intent, there is little evidence that recently enacted housing policies achieve their stated goals of reducing recidivistic sexual violence. In fact, there is little research at all evaluating the effectiveness of these policies. Furthermore, these policies are not evidence-based in their development or implementation, as they tend to capture the widely heterogeneous group of sex offenders rather than utilize risk assessment technology to identify those who pose a high danger to public safety." — Jill S. Levenson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Human Services, Lynn University
"Housing restrictions have passed in most localities with little resistance. Child safety is rightly the primary concern when sex offender restrictions are imposed. It seems to make sense that decreasing access to potential victims would be a feasible strategy to preventing sex crimes. There is no evidence, however, that such laws are effective in reducing recidivistic sexual violence. On the other hand, such laws aggravate the scarcity of housing options for sex offenders, forcing them out of metropolitan areas and farther away from the social support, employment opportunities and social services that are known to aid offenders in successful community re-entry." — Jill S. Levenson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Human Services, Lynn University, 'Sex offender residence restrictions. A Report to the Florida Legislature,' October 2005
"The recent wave of sex offender legislation is based upon emotion and myths about sex offenders which are not supported by valid research or evidence. Legislation in this area should be based upon facts and valid evidence. The NACDL encourages criminal defense lawyers, prosecutors and legislators to oppose legislation based upon myth and public emotion. In doing so we can ensure both public safety and due process." — Report of the Sex Offender Policy Task Force, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
"I would rather have someone who has committed a sex offense be going to work every day, come home tired, have a sense of well-being that comes from having a regular paycheck and a safe home, as opposed to having a sex offender who has a lot of free time on his hands." — Richard Hamill, President of the New York State Alliance of Sex Offender Service Providers
"The current law applies to too many offenders and I spend 'way, way too much of my time' trying to enforce it, I believe less than 10% of the state's 8,000 convicted sex offenders to be high-risk and is lobbying lawmakers to focus on them" — Sgt. Gary Stansill, Tulsa Police Department, Sex-crimes Unit
"What we're doing with sexual predator laws is creating or enlarging an exception to those constraints. We're saying the government can take away people's liberty ... based on a prediction that somebody might be dangerous in the future." — Eric Janus, Vice Dean, William Mitchell College of Law
"The more cities choose to install these ordinances, the more ex-offenders will become an exile class, sex offenders are less likely to reoffend if they're allowed to reintegrate into society, to get a job, to establish stable roots, a support network, a home, by forcing these people to be refugees, politicians are essentially making their own citizens less safe." — William Buckman, defense attorney and national sex offender policy expert
"... mean spirited vengeful legislation is only an incitement to vigilante injustice masquerading as a responsible public safety measure." — Margaret Love, Former Justice Department Pardon Attorney
"Strangers make up 7% of child molesters; the vast majority are family members. But you wouldn't know it from watching TV. When stranger predators are everywhere on TV, it suggests that they are everywhere in the real world: in your school yard, roaming your street, and especially climbing the DSL line into your kids' bedrooms as if it were an ivied trellis." — James Poniewozik, Time Magazine staff writer
"It is sad 20th Century Commentary that society views the convicted felon as a social outcast. He has done wrong, so we rationalize and condone punishment in various forms. We express a desire for rehabilitation of the individual, while simultaneously we do everything to prevent it. Society cares little for the conditions which a prisoner must suffer while in prison, it cares even less for his future when he is released from prison. He is a marked man. We tell him to return to the norm of behavior, yet we brand him as virtually unemployable, he is required to live his normal activities severely restricted and we react with sickened wonder and disgust when he returns to a life of crime." — Former Chief Circuit Judge Donald Lay
Thank You for posting this article! It's sooooo true.
I have a single, nonviolent, misdemeanor, which occurred between two adults, with No minors present. It was at a nude rock festival and we both had our clothes on the entire time. She was 29 and i was 33 and i thought it was a consensual hug.
It was about 14 years ago and I now have to comply with extensive indignant registration requirements in FLorida that are waaaaaaaaaaay more extensive than my original probation sentence. I could leave the country with a phone call during my sentence, now i have a hard time leaving the county. And, i haven’t even had a parking ticket since. I could go on for many pages about the injustices and civil liberties I’ve lost over this ONE incident.
Please, Can’t we even remove the SINGLE, NONVIOLENT, MISDEMEANORS WHICH OCCUR BETWEEN ADULTS from these sex offender registries?? I am lumped into all kinds of child cyber crime bills and constanat new retroactive laws, Pedophiile websites and the like when i had nothing to do with a minor.
ps. Not the judge, prosecutor or anybody informed me of any sex offender registration whatsoever, not a single word, during plea bargaining or sentencing, or when they forced my hand on a plea. I have paperwork to support all my statements.
The laws may be well intentioned but the judicial systems are becoming suspect. I was told i’d get a year deferred sentence and probably dismissal. A defendant is told one thing and then they do another. The problem is with the passing of these retroactive laws. Defendants weigh the consequences when they take a plea. We cannot weigh what we aren’t informed of until years after our sentence is completed. I would’ve never taken a plea had i known i’d have to register as a sex offender.
STOP MAKING ME PAY FOR OTHER PEOPLE’S CRIMES!!
NOT ALL PEOPLE YOU CALL SEX OFFENDERS ARE DANGEROUS. Any profiler worth their salt will tell you, "People act out out of hopelessness, powerlessness, desperation, lack of connection to the community, family and friends, high stress, anger, and a sense of victimization". The term "Sex Offender" has come to mean only one thing - someone who cannot stop themselves from raping and murdering children" This is simply not true. It's just another of the myths that people simply repeat, reprint and perpetuate rather than look at the actual research. We used to have many words for specific crimes. In reality, this general term, “sex offender”, is cast upon everyone from the homeless public urinator to the perpetrator of the horrific crime mentioned above. I am not a "sex offender ". "Sex Offender” is present tense. It implies that at this very moment I am committing a sex offense. I am most certainly not. I am a "former" offender; someone wh
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