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What makes me sick is the number of people on here defending sex offenders. If you ask me, the death penalty is too lenient on these creeps for the damage they do to the kids.
For what "creeps" are we talking about?
"Sex offenders" in general (like the 19 year old who slept with the 15 year old or the guy who got an 'indecent exposure' charge for pissing in an alley) or a particular kind of sex offender?
Are you seriously advocating that we kill a 19 year old kid who sleeps with a 15 year old girl because the offense happens to be qualified as a "sex offense"?
See, the problem not only with this issue but with life in general is that people have very, very weak minds and need little "labels" as surrogates for critical thinking so they know how to react in certain situations, since they're incapable of situational analysis. "Sex Offender", "Felon", "Democrat", "Republican", "Coke", "Pepsi".... The term "sex offender" is no different... It doesn't matter to these people that the severity of sex offenses can be wildly different... no, the circus-watchers have been trained to react a certain way to that term, and what you get from them is what we see here with petertherock.
For what "creeps" are we talking about?
"Sex offenders" in general (like the 19 year old who slept with the 15 year old or the guy who got an 'indecent exposure' charge for pissing in an alley) or a particular kind of sex offender?
Are you seriously advocating that we kill a 19 year old kid who sleeps with a 15 year old girl because the offense happens to be qualified as a "sex offense"?
See, the problem not only with this issue but with life in general is that people have very, very weak minds and need little "labels" as surrogates for critical thinking so they know how to react in certain situations, since they're incapable of situational analysis. "Sex Offender", "Felon", "Democrat", "Republican", "Coke", "Pepsi".... The term "sex offender" is no different... It doesn't matter to these people that the severity of sex offenses can be wildly different... no, the circus-watchers have been trained to react a certain way to that term, and what you get from them is what we see here with petertherock.
again, this post deals with over 18 and under 12. is that ever justifiable in your opinion? we are not talking about consenting adults here!
See, the problem not only with this issue but with life in general is that people have very, very weak minds and need little "labels" as surrogates for critical thinking so they know how to react in certain situations, since they're incapable of situational analysis. "Sex Offender", "Felon", "Democrat", "Republican", "Coke", "Pepsi".... The term "sex offender" is no different... It doesn't matter to these people that the severity of sex offenses can be wildly different... no, the circus-watchers have been trained to react a certain way to that term, and what you get from them is what we see here with petertherock.
What makes me sick is the number of people on here defending sex offenders. If you ask me, the death penalty is too lenient on these creeps for the damage they do to the kids.
Perhaps less time watching daytime tv and listening to right-wing radio, and more time actually studying the issue of sexual abuse as understood by qualified professionals, would be just what the doctor ordered. There are many excellent resources to help dispel your misconceptions, like the IPT Forensics website for instance.
# What is the difference between a predator and an offender?
To be designated as a predator, the subject must have been found by the court to be a sexual predator. Florida law requires a written court finding for sexual predator status. Sexual predator designation only applies to sex offenses committed on or after October 1, 1993. In addition, the subject must have been convicted of either one first-degree felony sex crime, or two second degree felony sex crimes. In the latter situation, the second offense must occur within 10 years of the previous offense, conviction, or release from the sanction of the court, whichever is later. Additionally as of July 1, 2004, anyone civilly committed under the Florida Jimmy Ryce Sexually Violent Predator Act must also register as a sexual predator. See F.S. 775.21(3) for additional information regarding sexual predators.
The sex offender designation applies to any listed sex offense, regardless of the date the offense was committed, for which an offender is being released on or after October 1, 1997 from the "sanction imposed" for the offense, or, is currently under the care, custody, or control of the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC). "Sanction imposed" includes, but is not limited to, a fine, probation, community control, parole, and conditional release, control release or incarceration. See F.S. 943.0435(12) for additional information regarding sexual offenders.
This law was prospective rather than retroactive. If the subject was released from sanctions before the October 1, 1997 date, the subject is not required to register.
* Teach them to never talk to strangers.
* Teach them never to ride their bikes alone; always ride with a buddy and always wear their helmet.
* Teach them to never play in the street.
* Teach them to always look both ways and watch for cars before entering or crossing the street.
* Establish neighborhood boundaries in which they may play.
* Teach them to never open the door to a stranger when home alone.
* Teach them that, when answering the telephone, never give out any personal information or let the person who calls know if they are alone.
* Teach them to be sure to let their parents know exactly where they will be and for how long, and to always call and let them know if they decide to go somewhere else.
* If they should see a gun, teach them to stop, don't touch, call an adult.
* Teach them to never get into a car with someone they don't know.
* If they feel threatened, teach them to run away as fast as they can.
* Develop a secret password that must be used if someone unfamiliar is to pick them up from school or play.
* If they come home and something about their house doesn't look right, teach them to go immediately to a neighbor's for help.
* Teach them that 911 should be used only in emergencies.
* Teach your child to walk confidently and stay alert to where they are and what is going on around them.
* Teach your child to notice and report, strangers who hang around playgrounds, public restrooms and empty buildings.
* Teach your children that most people are good, but bad people do exist.
* Children should understand that appearance or demeanor cannot determine whether a person is good or bad. People are not always as they seem.
* Teach your children they have the right to say “NO” to anyone, even to an adult they know, who touches them inappropriately. They must yell “NO” Get away”, and tell a grownup safety friend.
* Make it your business to know your child’s friends and their parents.
* Review possible abduction “scenarios” with your child on a regular basis.
* Avoid shortcuts through empty parks, fields, laneways, alleys or behind buildings.
* Avoid clothing with your child’s name on it.
* Always accompany young children to the bathroom in public places.
* Review with your child what an emergency is and the types of emergencies that can occur.
* Keep an up to date photograph of your child with a current record of height, weight and any prominent scars or marks and location on the body. Also keep a strand of the child's hair or fingernail clipping for DNA testing and identification purposes.
* "Latch Key" children should be trained on what to do in case of an emergency (ie. fire, serious injury, stranger trying to enter home, etc.). The most important thing is to not panic.
* Teach children to yell the word "fire" over and over if someone is trying to abduct them. The word "fire" is an attention getter and normally most people will stop what they are doing to see where the fire is.
* Secure all firearms that are in the home. Use some type of gun safety lock and keep the weapon and ammunition stored separately when not being used.
* Your child must understand that grownups ask other grownups for help - not kids!
* If your child is being bullied at school, teach them to report it to a school official. Tell them that it is unacceptable to be threatened while at school.
* If your child walks to school, try to have them walk in a group with other children that they are familiar with. Also, instruct them to stay on a main sidewalk or route home. Tell them that some "shortcuts" may be dangerous.
* Monitor your child's activities on the Internet. Learn who they "chat" with and what they talk about. There are sexual predators who use the internet to attract their victims.
* When utilizing a babysitter, make sure that you leave specific emergency contact information so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency. Also, leave a list of any type of allergic or pre-existing medical conditions that your child might have.
is that ever justifiable in your opinion? we are not talking about consenting adults here!
... nor are we talking about justification.
We're talking about the magnitude of the punishment in relationship to the magnitude of the offense.
Lets say we continue on the path we're currently on until we finally hit the point where the punishment for every felony is death and the punishment for every misdemeanor is 20 years to life (extreme example, yes, but given current sentencing patterns for malum-prohibitum type offenses, it would definitely be a predictable ends assuming current trends continue forever)
Would this be OK to you?
After all, armed robbery is a pretty serious offense. Do we REALLY need those people roaming the streets? And should we REALLY be paying all this money to house them forever? Why not just kill everyone who commits a felony? Who cares if the "felony" in question is particularly serious or not... After all, we've established that the offense in question is a "felony" and a felony is a felony, by god, and a sex offender is a sex offender...
Sadly, the logical continuation of the positions held by most people on the issue of sentencing is that there is never a point where punishments are too harsh and that we as a society shouldn't pay any mind to the actual facts regarding recidivism, etc, but rather, should simply 'think of the children' and let our emotions guide the way. This is why we are country that incarcerates more people than any other on the planet.
Did you know that all felons must "register" in Florida no different than a sex offender (with a few narrow exceptions, mainly for people convicted in Federal court)? Not too many people- including folks with felonies on their record- know that... It's called "General Felon Registration" and it has been in place since 1997 (Senate Bill 958 (Ch. 97-299)
Of course, there isn't a "Neighborhood Felon Lookup" website like there currently is with sex offenders, but I would wager a years pay that we will see it soon enough.... So, a guy who mooned the President of his college and got an "indecent exposure" charge when he was 19 or the girl mentioned earlier- the one who stole the steak off the grill and was charged with a felony... Or the people who got caught with some moronically low levels of drugs when they were 23 but drew the wrong DA and Judge... It's foreseeable that these people- no matter if they've been living completely honest lives forever- could conceivably be on a "Felon Lookup" website and totally ruined as productive members of society.
Sorry I'm straying a bit to make my point, which I will summarize as this.
There *IS* a point when punishments are too hard.
*ALL CASES* should be given serious due consideration regarding facts and actual severity prior to sentencing. This discretion- the entire reason we have judges mete sentences and not just juries- is a safety valve that prevents people from being lynched based on public bias or irrational opinion. As sick as some sex offenders are (and some aren't) this standard applies to them thusly. Taking the discretion away from judges and making it simple matter of procedure tempts miscarriage of justice, as virtually every other mandatory minimum type program has shown.
Our system of justice tacitly acknowledges that it's better of let the occasional criminal to walk free than it is to convict an innocent man. It is better to ensure the occasionally shamefully low sentence handed down by an idiot judge than it is to handcuff all judges and potentially miscarry justice by sentencing someone unjustly.
Yeah, look at the Catholic priests who re-offended. Apparently the Church thought these people could be re-rehabilitated too so they just re-assigned the priests to different churches and of course they molested again. You cannot rehabilitate a pedophile.
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# What is the difference between a predator and an offender?
