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But again, there are a wide range of sex offenses other than child molestation. If the knee-jerk reaction of John and Jane Q. Public upon seeing a name on the registry (without further research) is, "child molester! Let's get 'em!" then that's a problem.
The value of these lists to me is not as a deterrent to offenders. It is rather to notify those who come in contact with the offenders so that they can proceed accordingly. For example my sister found out that the 35yo son of her neighbor was a child molester. Well obviously she took precautions with my little niece as this POS hung around over there frequently.
But again, there are a wide range of sex offenses other than child molestation. If the knee-jerk reaction of John and Jane Q. Public upon seeing a name on the registry (without further research) is, "child molester! Let's get 'em!" then that's a problem.
Of course there are caveats to what i said. I personally don't think 19 year old Johnny should be executed for dating 17 year old Jane. I'm talking about the type we usually envision.
We had a house sale fall through; the buyers said they checked the sex offender registry and found one near the house. Um, really? shouldn't they have checked that BEFORE making an offer? And did they check their current neighborhood (in San Francisco)?
I do think it's ridiculous to put people on such lists for skinny dipping or peeing in public. Some people won't look beyond them being on the list, won't check the reasons.
So the list may affect the value/sale-ability of your house, if a public pee-er moves in a block or two away.
I just did a google search; the top listing was a site called "homefacts". They showed 19 offenders in my zip code, with street address, but not reason for being on the list. If I click through on each one, I can see the category of their offense, "sex abuse" or "sex assault". That doesn't tell me if it was domestic or strangers, adult or child. No, none of those are OK, but a domestic offender of an adult is less likely to be a problem for my (theoretical) child.
And if I didn't know the area well, I wouldn't know none of these guys are even near my house, and might be turned off to the whole area.
"While several children recanted their testimony prior to trial, these recantations were ignored: "It's well known that children are telling the truth when they say they've been abused. But [they] are usually lying when they deny it.", Wenatchee Child Protective Services (CPS) supervisor Tim Abbey stated.[7]"
some well known cases:
1982 – Kern county child abuse case
1983 – McMartin preschool trial in California
1984 – Fells Acres Day Care Center
1984 – Bernard F. Baran, Jr., convicted January 30, 1985.
1985 – Bronx Five case
1985 – Wee Care Nursery School in New Jersey in April
On the one hand the recidivism rate for sexual offenders is fairly high, but on the other, the idea that they become a kind of "anti-citizen" on a list who can't find employment or housing because of their past offenses, even if they've served time for them, is problematic. I don't know what the answer is.
...this happens to most any felon, at least in terms of employment.
All of your rights? The right to live in a home,the right to have a job and support oneself and ones family? What if the offender is married and has a family, should they all lose the right to live in peace?
I see no issue with LEO's having a database that is only accessible by them when needed for investigation but this public list has done way more harm than it ever did good.
Nobody can show where that list has saved anyone or deterred anything.
Technically, they aren't losing any of those rights. They only lose those rights if everyone they come into contact with is aware of their "status" and then treats them in that way. For example, if YOU lived close by and took them under your wing, so to speak, they'd have you as a friend.
The people who care about such things (e.g. those with kids) would make it a point to find out. Those who didn't care would not.
All of your rights? The right to live in a home,the right to have a job and support oneself and ones family? What if the offender is married and has a family, should they all lose the right to live in peace?
I see no issue with LEO's having a database that is only accessible by them when needed for investigation but this public list has done way more harm than it ever did good.
Nobody can show where that list has saved anyone or deterred anything.
Right to live in peace? Really? What about the rights of their poor innocent victims whose lives they forever destroyed? What about their rights? Nobody can show that these lists hadn't saved anyone or deterred anything either.
Last edited by T.Biddle; 09-03-2017 at 07:15 PM..
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