Sex Offender Registry...

[liberalitch]

I have always had mixed feelings about the registry and still do.
Most Psychiatrists DO say that a sex offender is the most difficult to rehabilitate criminal.

But I went on the registry website for Virginia.... While having three "pages" (I certainly didn't print it out) of people in my zip code and those immediately surrounding mine was disturbing.... when I typed in the zip code for my school (just that one, not surrounding ones) there were two pages alone!

Now granted that does not say what they were convicted of.... could be statutory rape of someone who consented.

[TexasSissy]

1. My city includes the offense, the age, and the gender of the victim.

It also includes current address (surprise! most addresses are either the jail....or "moved.") AND a photo!

You can look these up by zip code. It was particularly helpful in showing that there is apparently an apartment house in my zip code area where a number of these scumbags reside (or resided). An area that it would be prudent not to drive past, I'd say.

Why would you have a problem with a sex offender registry? Particularly one that includes pedophiles?

[dsc]

16. because they also include people who did nothing that bad

Also, it is a case of retroactive punishment in many states. In most cases these registries were retroactive thus a person could have been caught in a 'gay' sting, agreed to a plea, and then years later have to be registered as a sex offender. Many policemen have entrapped gays in toilets and parks over the years to make money. The gays often would pay a large fine to avoid a public trial. Now they are on registries.

[blogbear]

2. I agree and what's more the registry could be another example

of statutes being aimed at 'certain' individuals while other more favored 'culprits' escape justice 'unmolested'..

[Evergreen Emerald]

3. what?

children are to young to "consent." That is why it is a crime.

[RC]

4. It's not that cut and dried.

Some of these "children" are/were dating someone a year or two older. The older one reached the age of consent and the parent/s of the younger saw their chance to protect their poor daughter's reputation.

[Ilsa]

5. I know of a case of this.

The boy was 19 and he thought the girl was of age. She was very mature looking in her bikini at the pool where he was a life guard. They didn't have sex, but there was heavy petting. The parents pressed for prosecution to save the girl's stupid reputation, as if this really helps. His life is practically ruined over this. I wonder if he'll ever be anything other than a virgin. He is a registered sex offender now, even though there was no intercourse.

[Shadowen]

8. Plus, there are laws that are discriminatory towards gays.

Two gay teenagers having sex could get hard time in Kansas, and get their names in sex offender registries, when what they did was perfectly consensual.

[liberalitch]

14. Statutory rape could include a 15 year old girl and a 20 year old guy..

... who aren't aware of each other's ages

[all.of.me]

6. check out this site i visited

http://childsafenetwork.org/index.php

there are photos of the offenders in my town along with what they were convicted of, when and where.

i do wonder if some of this was consensual, though, because some of the guys are very young, and the girls in our town are sexually active at a very young age. so, hard to say, but better safe than sorry. i recognized one guy's photo. yuck!

[MercutioATC]

7. It says there are no sex offenders living in my city (which is false)

My county listing says there are 6. There are dozens in the city I used to live in, and that site says there are no records in that city, either.

Perhaps their database was just down at the time?

[all.of.me]

11. hmmmm.... i don't know.

it worked first time for my little town, but i got a better view when i searched for the county.

[Bozita]

9. If you pee at the side of the road and a cop catches you, ...

... he can ticket you for urinating in public or he can write you up for indecent exposure.

One ticket costs you $50; the other is a life sentence.

[bearfan454]

10. I know someone that happened to.

He's on the sexual predator list for peeing in public at a rest area.

[liberalitch]

15. See that's why I have mixed feelings....

If only such registration was required of child molesters, rapists and people whose crimes were sex based and statistly escalate into something more sinister.... but these people don't glow in the dark.

[nonconformist]

12. Both Kentucky and Michigan's registries list what they were

convicted of. Strange that Virgina's doesn't. If you're curious enough though, you could probably find out since you have their name and the state they were convicted in.

Agree, there is a world of difference between a 19 yr old convicted of 'statutory rape' and someone convicted of 'sexual assault on a minor (under 13)', to use two examples from my own town.

I agree with sex offender registries. I look at it as a part of their sentencing; it's the price you pay for sex crimes. If you don't want to live a life of shame, you should probably refrain from raping people.

I just checked my old neighborhood in Michigan that I moved from in 2002, and there is a 52 yr old man with multiple criminal sexual conduct convictions living directly across the street from our old house. *shudder*

[UdoKier]

13. I agree on your last point.

While crimes like non-aggravated date rape and consenting statutory rape are serious and should be punished, I don't think the motivations are necessarily the same, or that recidivism is necessarily as high as in the case of the violent rapist or the pedophile molester.

I think in the cases of non-aggravated date rape and consenting statutory rape, the offenders should be placed on the list after their second offense.


But they should still do their time.