As a Mom, I would want to know if there is a sex offender living near me and my child. But I would also want to know if there is a killer living near us, any burglars, kidnappers, In fact, it would put me at ease to know the criminal background or lack thereof of everyone who even so much as smiles at my child in the grocery store. That, however, is not possible. And even if I did know all of that, it doesn't ensure my child will never be in harm's way. In fact, it probably doesn't even come close to making my child any safer.
As is mentioned in the article below, sex offender registries include people who do not belong on them. College students who have streaked during a homecoming game, people charged with statutory rape when there was only a year or two difference in age between the two consenting parties involved. It's not fair and it violates a basic human right, privacy. When these people have served a sentence that a judge has deemed appropriate, that is their punishment. If the courts think that these people are at the risk of reoffending, perhaps keeping them locked up while they undergo proper treatment is the answer. Not releasing them and making the public aware of their names and whereabouts for a modern day lynching.
Does it seem ridiculous that we do this for sex offenders only? Are sex offenses worse than murder? We don't have a murderer registry. Why do we have a sex offenders registry?
As is mentioned in the article below, sex offender registries include people who do not belong on them. College students who have streaked during a homecoming game, people charged with statutory rape when there was only a year or two difference in age between the two consenting parties involved. It's not fair and it violates a basic human right, privacy. When these people have served a sentence that a judge has deemed appropriate, that is their punishment. If the courts think that these people are at the risk of reoffending, perhaps keeping them locked up while they undergo proper treatment is the answer. Not releasing them and making the public aware of their names and whereabouts for a modern day lynching.
Does it seem ridiculous that we do this for sex offenders only? Are sex offenses worse than murder? We don't have a murderer registry. Why do we have a sex offenders registry?
On the practical side, his trial and conviction have already been reported in the news. And who actually looks at these lists? (I did for the first time this morning, and found a bunch of shady-looking pictures from a shady-looking town near my home in New Jersey.) In the case of young children, you would hope that parents would not leave them with adults they do not know very well. And in the case of teenagers, it is unlikely that a 15-year-old is going to pull up the National Sex Offender Registry to make sure his cool new 20-year-old friend isn’t into child porn.Technorati Tags: sex offenders, sex offenders registry, prison
A registry for rapists and those who have committed violent crimes may be justified, but I haven’t taken a stand on that issue here. But in the case of other crimes, we should ditch the list – it’s an unwarranted punishment that serves little purpose.
Does the Sex Offender Registry Offend Justice? - Second Opinion - The McGill Daily
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