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Old 10-31-2008, 08:53 AM
 
1,619 posts, read 2,816,223 times
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What are your thoughts about the Adam Walsh Act? I think it certainly has its merits however, I think it needs to be thoroughly reviewed and modified..I think what is more important is the type of offender on the registry; I do not believe all 'offenders' should be on a registry. I think that a 16 - 17year old who has been dating an almost 16-17 year old...etc., is not in the same category as a pedophile or a repeat sex offener, violent offender and that 'puppy love', boyfriend/girlfriend thing in high school who would have their life(ves) ruined by being on the offender registry cannot compare to ...

I think if legislators really thought this through...and modified this bill, a) would be easier to have registries in full compliance; take less time getting offenders on the registry (there is a case I know of specifically where it took 3 years to get a violent pedophile on the registry and that's inexcusable)..

Thoughts?
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Old 10-31-2008, 04:31 PM
 
Location: Michigan
12,711 posts, read 13,432,021 times
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I've heard it expressed as an axiom that any law named after a person is a bad law. I tend to agree, and in this instance I definitely agree.

Laws like this do little to help public safety, and do a lot to stoke fear and paranoia--as well as to further implant in people's minds the anti-concept of a "sex offense." That is, if you rape a person your offense will not be classified with other crimes of violence (e.g. murder, mayhem, battery, etc.) but rather with someone who took a roll in the hay with an underage girlfriend. That is obscene.

Not to mention: if this is all right are we going to have public registries for drunk drivers? Bad check writers? Litterbugs?
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Old 10-31-2008, 07:40 PM
 
Location: Orlando
8,274 posts, read 12,813,408 times
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What the Walsh family has gone through was something I would wish on no one. While it is a horrific tragedy I can't help but think so many have been spared from the work of the Walsh family. Many that have no idea of them have redoubtably been saved great heart ache. It is a measure that can't be recorded. but the life of this one little boy caused it. Seems a much greater legacy has been achieved and something amazing has come from such a tragedy.
The emotion tied to the pain of this family to get back at everyone will be too much and it can create harm where it wasnt needed. the repeat and violent offeenders. just leave them in jail. don't deal with release. thats the simple answer. but to ear mark young people because they dated someoen not close enough to their age seems an over reaction.
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Old 11-01-2008, 01:57 PM
 
Location: Durham, NC
499 posts, read 1,524,979 times
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I think it is UNCONSTITUTIONAL and much of it equates to FASCISM!

This guy John Walsh has been using his son's unfortunate death to make money and bring himself celebrity status for over 25 years. He is a tool of politicians and the prison industrial complex.

Not all registered sex offenders are child molesters and not all people convicted of child sexual abuse are incurable pedophiles. Poeple REALLY need to get informed and educated on this subject as more and more laws are being made and more and more people are added to these registries every day.
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Old 11-01-2008, 02:00 PM
 
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I don't believe in sex offender registries. They are inherently biased and race based.

What about murderer registries? Shoplifting registries to be posted in every supermarket? Fare-evader registries posted at every subway and bus stop?
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Old 11-01-2008, 02:18 PM
 
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There is a small grassroots group that is wanting a domestic violence registry...there are pros and cons to that too...I firmly believe that there are different classifications of offenders, and those include sex offenders. As I stated earlier, not all sex offenders are pedophiles however all pedophiles are sex offenders; I also believe that there are degrees of sex offenders, non-pedophile offenders. Aside from the "high school" romances, there are low-risk offenders, some of them not quite in the middle of the 'normal bell curve' and they don't understand why people are upset with them because they 'touched someone' and these offenders (and I use that term carefully), with a sex offender program and some education would probably never 'offend' again...and then there are those repeat violent offenders who, after the second or third violent assault should never have their third or fourth opportunity to offend again ever!

I certainly think there are enough 'red flags' with those offenders that probation and parole, or the Department of Corrections itself, and of course the judiciary should recognize immediately and thus, do something to prevent another assault. For example, as much as it is controversial, I think cases like this should include civil confinement (and this is a brightly colored red-flag) when a violent sex offender is up for parole and chooses NOT to take parole and rather max out because that is saying...hey, if I max out, then no-one will be looking over me, no probation/parole officer...and then I can live wherever I want and no one can stop me....when a person is convicted and sentenced for sexual assault and part of that sentence is completing the sex offender program while incarcerated and they do not complete that program by the time they are getting ready to be released from maxing out, then that offender has not, in my opinion, completed their entire sentence, and thus civil confinment should be the next stop for them until they do so.


Sex offender registries in many states are not current; and for those offenders who are not in compliance and they are not being overseen and/or there is no warrant out for them...then the system is not working.

If anyone has not looked at their county's sex offender registry, you should take a few minutes to do so; you might be shocked to see how many say not in compliance, not being overseen, and no warrant ....
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Old 11-01-2008, 02:32 PM
 
274 posts, read 604,759 times
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I have looked in my state's registry. I did not see one white face. I guess there are no white sex offenders.
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Old 11-01-2008, 02:48 PM
 
Location: Durham, NC
499 posts, read 1,524,979 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarmaple View Post
As I stated earlier, not all sex offenders are pedophiles however all pedophiles are sex offenders;
Actually pedophilia is NOT a crime , but a mental health issue. And pedophilia is different from being attracted to underage adolescents; this is generally termed "hebephilia"; or "ephebophilia" for fully developed, but underaged minors.

Law enforcement and politicians (with the help of the compliant media) want to lump ALL sex offenders and all people convicted of sexual abuse involving minors together. And the very liberal use of the term "pedophile" has furthered this misinformed propoganda.


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Old 11-01-2008, 03:07 PM
 
Location: Michigan
12,711 posts, read 13,432,021 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarmaple View Post
As I stated earlier, not all sex offenders are pedophiles however all pedophiles are sex offenders
The bolded is incorrect. Pedophilia is a psychiatric condition and can be diagnosed on the basis of thoughts and fantasies alone, without any actual offenses being committed. Moreover, if there were a hypothetical country with no age of consent law, there would still be pedophiles in that country, but they would not be sex offenders whether they acted on their preference or not.

ETA: I see Ron got to that point before I did. Just to clarify what Ron said; hebephilia or ephebophilia is not a recognized mental pathology. It is just a word people use to avoid having to answer the embarrassing question of why we set our age of consent so ridiculously high in the U.S.
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Old 11-01-2008, 03:18 PM
 
1,619 posts, read 2,816,223 times
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Thank for your enlightening me on that; I appreciate it. I do understand that there are societies that do accept an older person 'loving' and enjoying a child...perhaps there is a term we can use instead that would make the clarification better. I am very active in victims' rights, etc., and am on different boards and organizations that are specific to domestic violence and sexual assault....I think it is important, now that I have been better informed, to make that point/clarification to these organizations as well.

So, for arguments sake, at this time, I will use the generic term sex offender as just that, sex offenders...those who deliberately and violently assault... those offenders to be on the registry...not to include 'kids' in love, etc. who, for one reason or another, or because a parent loathes the 'boyfriend' and finds out that their daughter who is not quite 16 .....and goes to the police....because they hate the boyfriend...that kid should not be on the offender registry and have his life ruined when it is consentual ....

Reasonable?
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