Reforming Florida’s Sex Offender Registry Laws
For years, policymakers have been told that putting more information about people on public registries will automatically make communities safer. A recent debate in Australia suggests that some lawmakers over there are not so sure. Lawmakers there are pushing back against aspects of a proposed law known as Daniel’s Law, which would create a system allowing members of the public
Read moreCanada has taken a much more rational approach to managing persons required to register as sex offenders in the community. A recent CBC report out of Ottawa highlighted one such case where notification led to vigilantism. In August, Ottawa police issued a public safety notification about a man they described as a high-risk violent sexual offender who had moved to
Read moreThings are getting very harsh in the UK when it comes to how society deals with people convicted of sexual offenses. Two stories this week should get everyone’s attention. The BBC is reporting on the UK’s increasingly aggressive approach to managing sex offenders’ location, while The Guardian reports that thousands of male prisoners in England and Wales could soon be
Read moreOne missing underscore in a Skyrim-themed username put an innocent Nova Scotia man in prison for 18 months. A 2018 child-luring investigation, which began in Madison, Wisconsin, and eventually extended to Halifax, Canada, was based on a false premise. Police were looking for a man using the Kik messaging service under the name “fus__ro_dah” (two underscores after “fus”), but they
Read moreIn Glasgow, an angry crowd gathered outside an apartment complex after rumors spread online that two sex offenders had been moved into the property. Police ultimately allowed a small group of protesters into the residence in an effort to dispel the situation. Turns out nobody was there. The public “sex offender” label has become an invitation for vigilantism. The risk
Read moreHave you googled your name recently? You might be shocked by what you find. In addition to the FDLE website, you’ll find dozens of “registries” listing your sex offender status. Some are operated by local police, some by news stations, some by private entities seeking to profit, and many by extortionists who list the embarrassing information and then charge you
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