May 13, 2013
Contact: Gail Colletta
561.305.4959
Lake Monroe, FL— May 13, 2013.
Registering Juveniles; Sex Offender Registry Does More Harm Than Good Says Human Rights Watch
Last month the Human Rights Watch released a detailed report showing the significant harm caused to juveniles forced to register as sex offenders. The report highlights the lifetime of enduring punishments imposed on registrants, many of whom were children themselves at the time their offenses were committed and points to studies showing that the registration laws are ineffective at meeting their intended objectives.
Most of these registrants committed offenses that were more in line with experimentation rather than predatory acts, yet the registry offers no distinction.
The full report (http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/us0513_ForUpload_1.pdf) details the impossible life former offenders face as registrants. Sanctions, such as public notification and residency restrictions create scenarios that make it practically impossible for these individuals to find stable housing, employment, parent their children or live meaningful lives. They are subjected to stigmatization and often violence.
“Placing children who commit sex offenses on a registry – often for life – is going too far” the report states. Sex offender registration laws have grown out of control and impose harsh punishments on registrants and their families that are completely disproportionate to most of their offenses. Worst of all, the report also finds that studies have yet to prove the registry is even effective.
The Florida Action Committee strongly encourages everyone to read the Human Rights Watch Report and become informed of this great injustice.
Florida Action Committee (FAC), founded in 2006, is a state-wide consortium of concerned citizens and professionals whose purpose is to promote the prevention of sexual abuse while preserving the safety and dignity of all citizens through carefully structured laws targeting the truly violent, forced, and/or dangerous predatory acts of sex. FAC believes that many aspects of the current approach to sex offenders seriously undermine justice and actually increase the threat of sexual assault against others, particularly children. FAC opposes a publicized registry of sex offenders and seeks to bring an end to the humiliation of people who have already paid for their crimes. FAC asserts that only by supporting justice for all people—offenders and victims alike can a truly safe society be built and secured for all Americans.
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