FAC Weekly Update 2025-07-08-Keep Your Focus on the Registry
Dear Members and Advocates,
Recently we’ve seen several comments and emails concerning new laws expanding the death penalty to sex offenses. So far this year Alabama, Oklahoma, Iowa and of course, Florida, introduced laws that would allow the death penalty for adults who sexually abuse children. In Putnam County, the first such case came up a couple of weeks ago when the State announced it was seeking the death penalty for a man accused of sex crimes with two children. We get it. Legislators love a good tough-on-crime headline. But here’s the thing: if you’re not out there committing new sex crimes, these laws have absolutely nothing to do with you!
The next time you see a headline about a new crime getting tougher penalties, ask yourself this question: “Was I planning on doing that?” If the answer is NO (which is what it should be), you have permission to not care. Take a deep breath and remember what actually affects our community. Registry expansion is something to worry about. Like when they add new reporting requirements so obscure, you’d need a crystal ball and a GPS just to stay compliant. Residency restrictions are a real problem that is making the public less safe. Punishing technical non-crimes is something to concern ourselves with. And retroactive application of new rules and restrictions is something we must fight against. Those are the things that impact us, and that’s where we should be focusing our energy.
Now we know what you are thinking… what about false accusations? Being on the public hit list puts a lot of focus on us and makes us vulnerable to false claims from people who think we deserve more punishment or don’t want us in their neighborhoods, so the easiest way to get rid of us is to make something up. That’s why we need to be extra vigilant. If you’re alone in an elevator and a kid walks on, walk off. It might seem unnecessary and you know you have no intention of even looking their way, but others don’t. If you’re supervising your own children, absolutely fight for the right to be at a playground, but if you don’t have kids you probably shouldn’t be there anyhow. And unless it’s someone in your own family, the only messages you should have on your phone concerning minors are Amber Alerts. The reality is that in today’s world, these are becoming best practices for every adult.
We are a vulnerable population. Not because we’re weak, but because the system has made us targets. The stigma, the misconceptions, and the laws make it easy to get caught in a trap even when you’re doing nothing wrong. The fact that our pictures, home addresses, jobs and even what cars we drive are posted on the internet, sometimes causes us to become sitting ducks like this guy in Indiana. That means we have to be smarter, safer, and sadly, more prepared than others. So keep your eyes open, your records updated, and most importantly, keep your energy focused on the fights that matter.
Sincerely,
The Florida Action Committee
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I must vehemently disagree with you on this one. By not caring about the worsening severity of the punishments for new offenders we grant a feeling justification for the increased punishments that the registry is bogged down with.
If the public see’s these punishments as justified then they will become emboldened to turn vigilante and they will start making our lives worse.
People already want to see the sex offenders punished for life and they do not need any other sense of justification added to their misconceptions.
If you think things are bad now just wait until it becomes commonplace to execute the accused. Once that starts happening many people on the registry will be attacked and or murdered. We already have several cases where this has occurred.
This new punishment designation does violate the Constitution but it will not likely be ruled unconstitutional due to the stigma staining whichever judge orders it unconstitutional.
We are in very dangerous times now and it will become much worse if we allow these draconian punishments to propagate.
I look forward to hearing the next smart, brave lawyer successfully convincing a federal court of appeals that of course the registry and the accompanying laws are punishment and intended to be punishment by the state’s legislatur because here we have a new law which says ok, if you commit said crime(s) we’re going to put you to death. The same crimes that previously we said call for “non-punitive/civil regulatory action by law enforcement.
Punitive laws enjoy Constitutional protection and since the death penalty is the ultimate punishment that means they cannot be enforced retro-actively, meaning the State can look back in time and gather up all those previously convicted under the same law(s) and say, hey, what you did is now punishable by death, we’re taking you death row. That would be obviously, ludicrously unconstitutional.
This new death penalty law creates a constitutional crisis. Here you have one group of people convicted of crime(s )and forced to follow “non-punitive” registration requirements and another group of people prospectively convicted of the same crime(s) and sentence to the most punitive sentence: death.
The legislature can’t have it both ways. How can you say this group’s requirements are non-punitive but this other group’s requirements are punitive (death) when they’ve been convicted of the same exact crime(s)? Either the laws are punitive or they’re not and the since the law now calls for death, the punitive vs. non-punitive argument is suddenly a no-brainer.
Once the punitive argument is settled, that means the Constitution finally comes to the rescue providing relief in many different ways for thousands and thousands of people nationwide dependent upon the date of convicted. For example for all those forced to register, forced out of their homes post-conviction are instantly removed from the registry and relieved of all requirements. For all those with a passport stamped years after conviction get a new, clean passport without the moniker. Residency restrictions applied to those post -conviction no longer apply and so on and so on….
Hence, that what this article means to me: don’t focus so much on the horrendous law itself, but rather on what it means for the registration scheme as a whole. In other words, bring it on. You think we’re so terrible that we should be put to death but in another breath you say sex offender laws and regulations AREN’T punitive??!! The civil/non-punitive argument suddenly becomes non-sensical.
If only it would work that way. In truth they will drag their feet and allow that vigilantes to get off with a slap on the wrist for battery upon the registered. The more common it becomes the more normalized it becomes and the more danger the registrants are in.
I do concur that you shouldn’t have to worry about it if you do not commit a crime however we also know that to be false. I see in the future entire prisons with registrants in them for life because they failed to complete a single registry requirement.
FAC obviously does not understand how rights slowly are eroded, taken away and decayed by this type of action by law makers. I am so disappointed with this post by FAC and several others lately that seem to justify insane punishments and comments made in favor of the registry.
This is another example of the erosion of rights that will creep into all aspects of the regulations for SOR mandatory punishments.
If law enforcement can seek the death penalty for physical child abuse, they will apply the same stringent regulations for minor infractions which will include life sentences without parole or probation for any so-called sex offence in the future. The death penalty sets a precedence that can be used to justify harsher life sentences for CP or other non-contact offences in the future. To kill someone who has not killed another or even maimed them for life is insane and unconstitutional in every way. So sad that FAC seems to support or at the very least not care about sentencing guidelines for sex offenses.
I think some of the concerns, stems from the fact that, if they can add a death penalty for these offenses. What’s to stop them from adding your offense(s)?
Exactly. Some of the folks who are on the registry were placed there retroactively. Given what various trolls have said, it’s not a stretch of the imagination.
Bwj
As they should
It’s all very simple..No crime ?No Time. Do not put blame on FAC, doing their work
The only reason we ALL should have heightened concern about attaching the death penalty to such a law is that the accused faces an uphill battle to avoid a capital conviction. God help the person who irritates the wrong idiot that then gets their son or daughter to fabricate a story.
If the stakes go up for the accused, they should for for filing false reports and for malicious prosecutions as well.