Sex Offender Registry

[Phoebe]

I share both Pete's concern and dithering on this issue. I have made use of such registries. It helps me none when I see someone who was convicted of public urination. Even though we're just repeating public information in a more easily accessible way, it does feel unfair relative to how we treat other crimes, and that's compounded if the person is restricted in where they can live and work and so on. Yet it helps when I see somebody who is actually involved in pedophilia or child pornography, because what I understand from the research is that we can expect people like this to repeat the same behaviors throughout their lifetime, and I want to know their face and where they're likely to be roaming around, nor do I think it's prudent for them ever to be able to work in certain kinds of jobs where they will have contact with children. It seems like we should be able to draw a line between these different types of crimes, but I gather that's not happening everywhere.

[Mike]

I live quite near the geographic center of my town. As such, any registered sex offender in my city without a specific address or whose address is somehow problematic for the mapping software of the registry shows up on the map as living about three houses down from me. It looks like there's a halfway house on my block with 17 sex offenders in in. A block from a school.

I know that the sex offender registries, the restrictions on where they can live, and other restrictions on convicted sex offenders makes it nearly impossible for them to ever become productive citizens again once they have served their time... above and beyond the problems of any former criminal who is forced to report their record to all prospective employers. Unless they lie about it.

[poorpete]

And, since often an abuser was abused as a child, in some ways, it's better for our society in the long-run to break that chain, even if it's relatively unfair.
Yick.
Honestly never looked at one. Glad to know it gives the crime.

[Tahlvin]

It sure would be nice if there were some way to calculate the likelihood of recidivism. It's one thing again with the grooming pedophile who is likely to repeat, compared to the guy who made a mistake when he was 19 in a drunken case of he said/she said. But there are certainly other types of violent criminals that the public should also be made aware of being in their midst.

It certainly seems there is room for a more humane approach that encourages and allows released offenders to move on and be productive members of society, while protecting society from those who mean to harm others. I'm just not the one to figure it out.

[Phoebe]

[mimekiller]

I'm not going to on a rant but its just awful, top to bottom awful and rife with people who have no business being on any kind of registry never mind a sex offender one. But it has become a FORBIDDEN TOPIC that no one running from office is going to touch because who wants to be known as the friend of the sex criminal.

[Mike]

Mime is correct.

[poorpete]

Prison reform was taboo politically (mixture of people not wanting to defend criminals and not wanting to talk about men getting raped unless as a joke) and now finally being discussed openly. But yeah, this is a bit harder boat to row.

[mimekiller]