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#1, unlike other offenders, have a substantially higher rate of repeat offenses vs. other criminals.
#2, can often target young children, and a parent has every right to know which neighbors to keep her children safe around. Children don't have the same set of skills to remain safe as an adult does, so parents need to be informed. How would you feel as a parent to have your child being babysat or playing board games with the friendly neighbor only to later learn he is a convicted sexual offender?
#3, since a sexual offense is typically a lesser offense, than say, murder, there are more sexual offenders on our streets than murderers (as the murderers are often locked up, where the sex offenders are right next door). If you're living near a criminal (of any variety), wouldn't you want to at least know?
Please be so kind as to show how many times a registered sex offender has committed another offense on someone in his/her neighborhood?
Then, please be so kind to show where the public notification of where they live has stopped anything.
I can show plenty of cases where the lists have caused unwarranted damage to the person on the list.
To add to this, why isn't there a public list of those who've been convicted of abuse of the elderly both financial and physical? In many cases they're just as vulnerable as a child if not more so.
I find it interesting that the original question of this thread has been blown into should there be punishment or overturning whole laws.
Back to the OP, again, there's been NO benefit shown from any of these PUBLIC lists. No issue with L.E. having a database or knowing where all the offenders are, that's their job but the public? Nope.
I totally agree, and we forget these people have families that are adversely affected by the PUBLIC registry
I have always had a bit of a problem with publicizing where sex offenders live by warning people they are moving into their neighborhood. Surely, some of these people are beyond help (in which case I don't understand why they're being freed), but for those who want to get on with their lives, doesn't this practice basically make that improbable?
If a person has served their time in prison, haven't they then paid their "debt to society"?
Why are sex offenders singled out? Why not drug dealers, attempted murderers, and drunk drivers?
True sex offenders have a very high rate of re-offending. Society needs to be aware of their presence.
The problem is classifying what constitutes being who should be labeled a sexual offender. The young couple, where one is below the age of consent, and the other over should never be labeled a sex offender.
How many reading this had sexual contact (not necessary intercourse) with a girlfriend or boyfriend that was on the 'other' side of this arbitrary 'age of consent'? How many of you ever 'streaked', went skinny dipping at the lake or river, wrote your name in the snow, etc., etc.? Should you be registered as a sex offender?
Assume the age of consent is 18.
A couple who are both 17 are sexually active. No problem, no 'adult' taking advantage of a minor.
Their birthdays are only a day apart. The 17+364 days year old gives a present to the 18 year old in private. Crime, the 18 year old could be labeled a sex offender for life.
The next day the 18+1 day year old gives a present to the other 18 year old. Again, no problem, as now both are adults.
I don't think anybody would like to overturn Megan's law, but the 'Freedom of Speech' guaranteed under the Constitution also seems (as far as the press goes) to include 'freedom from responsibility.'
If you - or the press, or anybody else - publish the name and address of a 'sex offender' and get it wrong - should you, perhaps, publish the address of a paedetrician and should some ignorant prat not know that there is a (slight) difference between the words 'paedetrician' and 'paedophile' and should the paedetrician be targetted, who is responsible? Is there (or should there be) a limit to the responsibility?
No the person or persons that commit a hate motivated crime against anyone on a " sex offender list " should be tried and sentenced to the fullest extend under ours HATE CRIME LAWS.....
If a person has served their time in prison, haven't they then paid their "debt to society"?
Why are sex offenders singled out? Why not drug dealers, attempted murderers, and drunk drivers?
Some are repeat offenders.
In Florida they have websites where you can see where they live.
My biggest issue is with the tax payers being held accountable for their bills in jail and otherwise. If someone wants to go the wrong side of the road sort of speak, then they should be the ones paying the price for it, and not honest citizens who did nothing wrong.
Most sex offenders are pedophiles. Not every pedophile is a child molestor but every child molestor is a pedophile.
I'd have no way of knowing if my next door neighbor is a pedophile as I don't know what his attractions are.
Yet, if my next door was a child molestor, I'd think I and the rest of the community have a right to know.
Those people deserve to be arrested for life.
Actually, that's not true. Pedophilia is a diagnosis, and they go after CHILDREN..pre-pubesent children. But there are people on the registry who are on it for Romeo and Juliet stuff, or a myriad of other stupid offenses, or are wrongly accused...in many states all an accuser has to do it, is be under 13 or claim they were and that's all the "evidence" needed.
There are over 200 offenses that can put you on the registry, and many don't even involve children.
In some states it's legal for and 18 year old to be with a 16 year old sexually, but if the same 16 yr old sends a naked photo of themselves to the 18 yr old, they BOTH get in trouble for CP.
It's crazy. The registry needs to be revamped...get rid of the stupid stuff, and misdemeanors, and ONLY put actual dangerous people on it...better yet, just keep them in jail.
I find it interesting that the original question of this thread has been blown into should there be punishment or overturning whole laws.
Back to the OP, again, there's been NO benefit shown from any of these PUBLIC lists. No issue with L.E. having a database or knowing where all the offenders are, that's their job but the public? Nope.
No benefits as far as YOU can see...
I have seen several benefits and so have other posters...
You most likely skimmed over my initial post and this is okay, I know with long threads such as these often times posters skim and want to get the gist and to meat of the thread...
So I will state it again, just for you...
I had an ex b/f in 8th grade and he had a very "cool" dad, he was in his 40's... his dad always encouraged his son to bring friends over and even bought beer for children ranging in 14-16 years old, really?
I could not stand going to my b/f's house, I thought his dad was a creeper and I trusted my instinct..
We broke up very soon after , we did not date long..
Well before our 8th grade year ended he ( His father) had gotten a friend of ours PREGNANT...
A 15 YEAR OLD GIRL!
They were going to move to a different state and her parents found out through one oif her friends and they contacted authorities and he was locked up..when the hearings were set a lot of other young girls came forward stating booze and pot was involved as to why they slept with him..
it was basically rape..these girls were all 13-16..sick..
Well I move back to California and settle in my owen home ( I was 30 at the time) I ran a search. after all my son was 5 at the time and we relocated to a different area of town.
Well I saw his ugly mug come up and I was mortified that he lived so close to me.
After this? I saw him doing his rounds by the HS everyday several times especially during lunch ( Some kids go to lunch at the park across from the hs) Why would he cruise by there? His kids were all over 18 and he had no grandchildren that age?
So I called the PD and gave them the info and they talked to him and reminded him that he could not be around schools period..I felt a little more at peace knowing I had done my part to keep this pervert away from other kids! As well as informed my neighbors about him so they would let their children know where to be and not be..
#1, unlike other offenders, have a substantially higher rate of repeat offenses vs. other criminals.
That's simply not true. This was one of the subjects of my undergraduate research so I've examined and refuted these claims before.
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#2, can often target young children, and a parent has every right to know which neighbors to keep her children safe around. Children don't have the same set of skills to remain safe as an adult does, so parents need to be informed. How would you feel as a parent to have your child being babysat or playing board games with the friendly neighbor only to later learn he is a convicted sexual offender?
Depends what the offense was, how long ago, what the circumstances were, etc. I've had various problems with neighbors but not any who were registrants.
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#3, since a sexual offense is typically a lesser offense, than say, murder, there are more sexual offenders on our streets than murderers (as the murderers are often locked up, where the sex offenders are right next door). If you're living near a criminal (of any variety), wouldn't you want to at least know?
The most heinous or habitual sex offenders are usually locked up for a very considerable period as well. And if we have a registry for carjackers, check-forgers and everything else, then fine, let's have one for sex offenders. Until then, it's a bad idea based on emotion and fear, not facts.
I don't think anybody would like to overturn Megan's law, but the 'Freedom of Speech' guaranteed under the Constitution also seems (as far as the press goes) to include 'freedom from responsibility.'
I've advocated repealing Megan's Law for years. It was actually the subject of my undergraduate thesis at college, which was well received.
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Crime, the 18 year old could be labeled a sex offender for life.