Kids As Young As 12 Are Being Put On The Kansas Sex Offender Website

[OneBlueSky]

http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/1976777.html

Just playing doctor could put your child on the Kansas sex offender website.

The sex offender website is filled with information about people who have committed horrible crimes against children. But KAKE News has learned kids not even old enough to drive are being called sex offenders.

On the website are the faces of Kansas sex offenders. Many of them men, in their forties and fifties, who have molested and raped young children. But some are children themselves, also labeled as sex offenders.

"This is the new scarlet letter and I don't think we want to be branding kids with it," said Wichita attorney Roger Falk.

Kids can be put on this list as young as 10 years old for what some may describe as "playing doctor" but the law has ruled as criminal offenses. Just ask a Kansas teen, who we will call Kevin.

- more . . .

http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/1976777.html

[bullimiami]

1. what the hell is wrong with kansas?

damn.

[Scout1071]

5. I'm going to count to 10 and let you read my response below

before I respond.

Yes. A 12 year old boy can be a sexual predator.

This happened to a friend of mine. She was only in kindergarten and he was in the 6th grade. Sound consensual to you?

[jayctravis]

15. I'm so very sorry for your friend's experience...

but aren't minor children allowed a certain modicum of anonymity that adults are not? I'm asking, not trying to tear down your response.

[LostinVA]

27. Twelve-year-olds can definitely be sexual predators

And many rapists, serial killers, etc. start doing stuff to children younger than them. It should definitely eb done on a case-by-case basis, though.

A colleague's six-year-old niece was digitally raped by a 13-year-old neighbor boy. He got therapy, that was it. He needed therapy, but some punishment should have been metted out, even if it was community service. He sexually assaulted a young child,a nd he was definitely old enough to know what he was doing.

[tridim]

8. People like my parents

Who are socially liberal but vote Republican every time. They end up with all these crazy fundies and complain about it, but still vote Republican again anyway. That's what's wrong with Kansas.

[jayctravis]

13. This will backfire.

Much as I can in no way condone sex offenders, they should be allowed to put their life back together after they've served time. If they make the registry list ridiculous with people, it will be meaningless.

This country is built on the idea that if you pay your dues, you are given a chance to reform. Isn't that what Christianity is built upon?

Didn't a thing about reinstating previous felons the right to vote after they served their sentence get voted down?

If this had gone through, it would have obliterated their chance to purge voter rolls in that fashion.

[Skittles]

2. I very much believe young sex offenders can be rehabilitated

this is just nuts

[Mythsaje]

9. I would tend to think so too...

There's a difference between curiosity and vicious intent.

[sproutster]

31. I am going to relate an intensly personal experience...

Ok, I am 36 and almost 37. I grew up in a rural town with a largly absentee single father. Well, the local boys decided I was "cute" and branded me a slut at age 12. They used to attack me after school in like a ... gosh "wilding?"
There were 4 main people, they were in 8th grade. They molested me, hit me, spit on me and beat me. On one occasion they drug me under the school and my sister called the cops. I have no recollection of what happened on this one occasion.
...
I went back to that town in my 30's. Many of those boys are upstanding citizens, and I have made peace with them. I do not believe they are adult sexual predators. I do believe that ONE is. I believe he is in prison.

While I of course prayed for vengence and whatnot during the years between the attacks and when I went back. I found that yes, they can be rehabilitated, and yes I would trust a daughter at two of their homes. I should feel differently, you would think. But I have thought long and hard about this, and I was very very angry... but I believe most are good men even though they were HORRIBLE boys.

I believe in rehabilitation.

[Scout1071]

3. I find this extremely offensive. A 12 yr old can be a sexual offender too

Sorry, but it sure doesn't list the age of the girl involved. Is a 10 or 12 year old making a 3, 4, 5, 6+ year old girl give him oral sex make him a sexual predator? You are fucking A right it does.

Doesn't mean that he himself wasn't sexually abused and in need of therapy, but it makes him a sexual predator. And it makes me feel sorry for some little girl.

[Fovea]

10. I understand your point

It needs to be said that 'can be'
but usually is not.

Remember, some of this is from hysteria generated by the Reagan era culture wars, in which Rove was trained. I think of this as 'the McMartin Reflex.'

[wellst0nev0ter]

11. Yeah, Em In Jail, Especially This Kid

Kevin is on the list. He and his mother agreed to share their story, as long as they were not identified. Several years ago, Kevin's mom walked in on him performing a sex act on another child, who was under the age of ten. His mother was concerned and took Kevin to a therapist. The girl was also counseled.

"Next thing I know, I have my son registered as a sex offender because I took him in for counseling.

Kansas law requires the therapist to report children involved in sexual situations, no matter how innocent they seem. If they don't, they could lose their license.

Kevin's mom knew the incident would have to be reported, but she never expected her son would end up on the website.

Yep, no charges were filed because both parties knew the kids were kids and didn't know any better. But now he's a registered sex offender. Hope you feel safe.

[Occulus]

19. Several years ago???

And the kid is now... twelve.

Something in that family is not right. I strongly suspect the kid is himself a victim, somehow, somewhere along the line, most likely repeatedly, and possibly ongoing.

My conclusion: this is very likely a kid who 'slipped through the cracks'.

"His mother was concerned and took Kevin to a therapist. The girl was also counseled."

Was his mother?

What if she was doing something to him?

"The illegally abused often grow up to be offedners themselves." I can't tell you where I've heard this mantra. Okay, fine, let's apply it.

Investigate the mother, too.

[wellst0nev0ter]

21. *Sigh* The Mother Took The Kid In For Therapy

If she was involved in any of this, why would she go through that route, knowing that the therapist will tip off the authority? Obviously she took the responsible route.

And apparently the mother of the girl did not press charges, they decided that this is just a case of childhood indiscretion (although pretty alarming) and moved on.

[400Years]

29. let's form an unruly mob and go on a rampage

We don't know anything about what really happened but who cares!

[jayctravis]

17. Yes...but this is something his parents should smack the hell

out of him for. He should receive counseling and should be rehabilitated before let back into normal society where he can spend any unsupervised time with anyone who might become a potential victim.

I have a slight qualm about releasing an adolescent's personal information on a website though. An adult post-sentence predator needs to be monitored by his neighbors. A child predator needs to be reined in by his own parents.

[Occulus]

18. Okay, fine, but does THAT mean

he should be subject to the full application of the state's sex offender registry?

Something tells me a welve-year-old cannot possibly fully comprehend the consequences of his actions upon his life when he is 18. 20. 21.

This is a clear overreach on the part of the prosecutor. NO twelve-year-old deserves to be punished for the rest of his or her life.

[wtmusic]

4. And they will end up in some database, stigmatized for life

Either lock 'em up, or set 'em free. No one deserves to be stigmatized if they've served their time.

[bluestateguy]

6. At the very least, their names should be cleared at 18, or 21.

And their names should only be put up for committing truly heinous acts.

Some kid who pulls up a girls skirt at school should get suspended f(and maybe get a good old fashioned spanking from the old man too), but not be stigmatized for life.

That's just silly. It's a bizarre hybrid combination of hysterical puritanism mixed with exteme feminism.

[Scout1071]

7. Based on circumstance. Damn. Not all of it is just playing "doctor." nt

[LostinVA]

28. I agree, Scout. See my post up thread

I know someone who's little girl was raped by a 13-year-old.

Most kids can be helped by therapy, etc., but some are just sociopathic. *sigh*

[Maru Kitteh]

12. In a few months they can just marry them off anyway

They likes 'em young in Kansas apparently. Creepy. Very. Creepy.

[foreigncorrespondent]

14. Oh that is fucking ridiculous!

Just give all the pedophiles all the information they need for their victims.

Fucking idiots!

[depakid]

16. What a SICK reputation that state has

I'd be embassassed to admit that I lived there.

[LiberalPersona]

23. I AM embarrased that I live here n/t

[depakid]

24. I can't imagine what it must be like for teachers

who have to travel to professional conferences. I'd have to guess that some of them are probably choosing not to go.

[Hekate]

20. Imagine some perverted troll out looking for kids on that site...

Putting children as young as twelve years old on a website with adult offenders is a recipe for disaster -- I'm willing to bet those kids will be targeted for molestation and worse by aficianados of child porn.

Laws that are "one size fits all" are like Procrustes' bed. According to legend Procrustes was a willing host to strangers -- but if they were too long for his bed he cut them to fit and if they were too short he stretched them on a rack until they fit. The Procrustean Bed...

I have no time for adult sex offenders, but can we please imagine that minors can be rehabilitated, counseled, and rescued? And then put some energy into making that happen?

There is a reason that there is a body of juvenile law different from adult law, and it has nothing to do with condoning crime. It's about lack of maturity -- science has shown that the human brain isn't even done growing at the age of 18 years.

The US used to believe in rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. Now we talk about life without parole and the death sentence, and about putting them in prison with adults. We're headed in a really nasty direction, and it does us no credit as a nation. This is not just Kansas' problem.

Hekate

[xchrom]

25. DU likes it's histrionic responses like the rest

of the country likes ''entertainment tonight''.

i'm not saying children can't indulge in inappropriate and dangerous behavior -- but please, they're children -- very susceptible to proper therapy and social conditioning.

putting their faces on a sex offenders web site goes way beyond extreme.

[Behind the Aegis]

22. yet one more reason why registries are shit.

Who do they actually protect? They are nothing more than "scarlet letters." Every time I see shit like this, all I can see is Helen Lovejoy shrieking, "Won't someone think of the children? Won't someone PLEASE think of the children?"

[BiggJawn]

26. Just take 'em out and shoot 'em.

Shit, you nip 'em in the bud when they're 10 or so, you won't have to deal with 'em when they're 40, right? :sarcasm:

Some of the stuff I read on this site just turns my gut.

[noonwitch]

30. A 12 year old sex offender needs to be in treatment

I don't think that a 12 year old should be on the registry. I do think that a 12 year old needs to be treated seriously-a locked sex offender's program, if the nature of the crime is particularly violent, but always a residential treatment program that takes him out of the community for a while so he and his parents/guardian/foster parents can participate in with him to help him deal with the issues that caused him to hurt another person that way. A 12 year old sex offender is almost always also a victim somewhere down the line. Seeing the person who perpatrated against him punished also has treatment value, in a justice sense and in a deterrent/lesson sense.

[MadHound]

32. Just one more reason that we need to get rid of these damn registries

They are sweeping up and stigmatizing people for life who don't deserve to be. Pretty soon we'll be doing the same for other offenses besides sexual ones.

Sorry, but if you've paid your debt to society, then you've paid in full and shouldn't be stigmatized for the rest of your life.

This is just absolute insanity.