Michael Price
For the past 10 years, we have seen Megan�s Law signed into law for sex offenders to register with police upon release from prison or while on parole / probation. We have also seen the advent of the Jacob Wetterling Act which required all states and territories to create a sex offender register. Recently in Florida, we have seen the advent of the Jessica Lunsford Act which imposed much more stringent laws and penalties for sex offenders. With all the registries that have come to life due to Megan's Law, there has not been a single child saved in the entire country.
Yes there have been some horrific deaths in the last few months, children who were taken and sexually abused then murdered, may they rest in peace. Due to these children's deaths, now the entire country sees a sex offender behind every bush or tree. Yes it is agreed that there should be a registry, but a registry that had been designed to follow the most serious of offenders, the predators that have shown to be predatory in nature, pedophiles that target young children of age below 12. This sadly is not what has happened.
The entire country is outraged from these needless and unfortunate deaths. Contrary to public belief, sex offenders around the country feel exactly as you do. They are just as horrified that these monsters have committed yet another needless act against children. Sex offenders feel just as every person does when it comes to harming children in any way. Do you punish an entire school for the misdeeds of a single or few students?
With over 550,000 registered sex offenders in this country. The grand majority of them would never have made any register except for the politicians creating the hysterical laws that we see today. Most of the "sex offenders" of today are your children, your brother or sister, daddy or even grandpa. What was the crime? In most instances it was nothing more than urinating behind a tree, mooning (a typical teenage prank), skinny dipping, or numerous other non-violent victimless offenses that years ago were common. Check your state laws to see what offenses are now listed as sex crimes. You may be very much surprised what you find out.
It may be your son going out on a date with a girl who stated she was his age or a year younger only to find out after they had sex she was in fact 12 or 14. This goes the same with your brother or sister who met someone at a bar, went home with them, and find out when the police knock at the door the "bar date" was in fact 14 or 15. When it comes to daddy or grandpa, most of the time it is during a bitter divorce that the vicious wife prods the children into making a claim that daddy or maybe grandpa molested the children. This happens more than any statistic will ever show as it becomes his word against hers. There is little or no defense. So who is the sex offender?
Your local elected officials continue to push that sex offenders need more and more restrictions placed upon them. Every single law maker is pushing or has hurriedly pushed and passed increasingly stiffer laws and penalties against all sex offenders. Why then is it felt to further punish over 550,000 plus their families for the deeds of 3? Is this morally or ethically justified? Law makers need to look deeper before creating more laws that prohibit a sex offender the chance to live a productive, meaningful life. The attitude is to lock them up and throw away the key.
What is it going to take to stop this inhuman, immoral hysteria these very same officials keep spouting out daily against sex offenders? 90 % of the time, sex offenses occurs from someone the child knows, a father, brother, uncle, grandfather, neighbor or family friend � than by a random stranger, of which none has any record. Only 5.3% of sex offenders (men who had committed rape or sexual assault) were rearrested for another sex crime, this site is from the U.S. Department of Justice � Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of Sex Offenders Released from Prison in 1994. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/rsorp94.htm . I would also invite you to look at http://www.sosen.org where you will find even more information about sex offenders.
What has been the impact of the registries? When it comes to sex offenders, we fear them; we demand they be listed on public registries, in some states for life. We keep them jobless. We keep them homeless. We deny them help from social services. We keep them hopeless. In many areas around the country, the local cities or towns are creating legislation to drive them out of town completely. Where will they end up? You don't wish for your loved ones near them, yet if it is one of your own family members, would you feel the same? I doubt it very much.
Yet these very same people now have a scarlet letter branded upon them for the rest of their lives. Is this fair? Do they deserve a life sentence? Shouldn't they be allowed the same opportunity as any other felon to start their lives again? Shouldn't they be able to prove they can become a productive member of society again? Yes they should.
Education is the key. If parents would become more responsible and actually watch their children, many things that could happen will not, such as it was when you were a young child. Yes parents should educate their children how to stay safe, what is a good touch, what is a bad touch and what to do if such touching happens. This is not a new concept but the same as your parents did with you when you were a child. You knew where not to go or who to stay away from. Did the all terrible sex offender jump out of that bush with you? No, very much doubt it.
Sadly in today's society with both parents working; it may be left up to a sitter or some other "responsible" adult to warn them against the things to watch out for. This may never happen should the care taker feel it is beyond their specific duties. Or as many children find themselves to being "latch key" kids who have no adult around until a parent comes home from work. It is still the responsibility of the parents to educate the children of the dangers of today.
A sex offender registry is needed in this country, where a single site contains information for those who prove they are the very worst, not for the types of offenders many states have today. I was always told that it is much easier to find something in a small pile than a large one. The sex registries defy their own usefulness by having every single supposed crime listed rather than those who have proven beyond a doubt they belong on any registry. It is draining much needed funds from law enforcement, taking away needed funds for education, and has become more of a burden than its own worth.
