During confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, Republicans hammered away at her record in cases involving sex offenders. Much of that centered around misleading claims about sentences she handed out to people convicted of possessing child pornography. But GOP senators also repeatedly questioned Jackson on her views on sex offender registries, a topic she wrote about as a law student in the 1990s.
In 1994, Congress enacted a law mandating that all states create registries of people convicted of sex offenses and crimes against children. Two years later, it passed what’s known as Megan’s Law, a follow-up bill that made information in those registries available to the public. Since then, a broad slate of new laws has been passed, which expanded the types of crimes that classify someone as a sex offender and imposed strict rules they must meet to avoid further criminal punishment. As of 2018, there were an estimated 900,000 people in the U.S. listed on sex offender registries.
The vast majority of Americans believe sex offender registries make their communities safer, according to polls. A growing body of research, however, suggests otherwise. A long list of studies using decades of data have found no significant evidence that registries prevent sex crimes. Some even indicate that the laws imposed on sex offenders may make them more likely to commit crimes in the future.
What a Title! Everybody Understands That The Registry Does Not Work… Okay Heard This For Yrs Now. Funny Thing Is Nobody Does Nothing about This! Why Because No One Can Do Nothing About It … Yes It’s Sad But I Have Been Hearing About The Same Problems For Over 14 yrs Now… Yes I Have Tried To Talk To My County Members But Don’t Hold You’re Breath As Long As The Book Family Has Anything To Say About It It Will Never Change ! I Have Sense Moved states And Live A Life Of Happiness And Living My Best Life While Still On The Regestery That I Can Live…Florida Is A Trap State Once Your On Floriduh’s Regestery You Are Screwed For Life!…
Yes many say registries don’t work? Guess if its not broken don’t fix it. So whats broken in the sex registry? Who controls the evil within? Nothing wrong with the new age sex registry is their? Sure their are pro’s and con’s attributed to the registry but who said you were NAKED or unlearned in this trial and error of law enforcement.
Why does anyone get involved in many ordeals or is their a right to know act that America wants to know about the other person. Guess some are wanting to get in others affairs. I believe Hank Williams had a song about “Mind your own business” seems the sex offender is everyone’s business as compared to others.
Sure the registry has its faults even the methods are questionable but if it goes against the bible than that’s a question in and of itself. Counselors of God playing the harlot in much of this ordeal. One could talk about the right or wrong of the physical encounter which is bad in and of itself but better is a little with righteousness than great revenue without right.
I am sure many would agree with that one with all the mixed emotions about the registry today and who wants to get the winning hand in all this… Its not always about winning its about justice or should we all go back to school. Even Cherokee has a good point on much of this registry.
I have comprised a list of things we can be/are called. Some may be legit terms for our situations, some are wrong, and some are degrading. Some are present tense and some past tense, but many people still refer to or believe that is what we are.
#1Criminals
#2 Cons / Ex-cons
#3 Felons, Ex-felons or former felons (Once a felon always a felon according to some)
#4 Ex-offenders / Offenders
#5 Prisoners
#6 Inmates
#7 Parolees
#8 Probationers
#9 Registrants
#10 Sex-offenders
#11 Predators
#12 deviants
Feel free to add your own. If we are going to fight this crap, we have to be prepared and know what we are up against. Not only is the public calling us these things, the news, politicians and prosecutors love to stir the pot. They use scary words to put fear in people, law makers, the police and judges.
Perverts
Bush lurkers
Prison slang that I don’t want to repeat
Pedophiles
Sex Trafficker
Always Frisky
Monsters
People Forced to Register
Registrants
Registrant Community
Non-offending Citizens
sexual deviant.
This is a great article on a popular site. I think I will send the author a thank you. I have done it in the past, thanking someone for taking on a difficult subject. And I always get a thank you.
I think the Internet term you want is that the registry is FUBAR
Abolishment of tge registry is the only solution.
If by “fixing” the registry the author means to amend it to prevent sex crime, the answer is a resounding NO.
Considering 95+ percent of sex crime is committed by those not on the registry and the recidivism rate of registrants is around 5% (mostly registry violations; actual crime would probably lower that and actual sex crime would probably lower it significantly), all the obligations and restrictions should be imposed on those not on the registry. Those that complain or scoff at such a thought should be reminded that such rules are regulatory, not punitive and all in the name of protecting children.
My non-expert opinion is to get rid of the sex offense registry because it’s based on lies, emotions, and rare child murders. This law wouldn’t of prevented those murders and doesn’t prevent sex crimes from happening. It causes more harm to the person who offended, their family, community, and the country as a whole by looking at those already convicted. The real threat haven’t Been caught yet and the eyes are on the wrong field. Get rid of the registry and have real meaningful reform.
How long until people realize that SORs are a “foot in the door” against every citizen’s civil rights whether on the registry or off.
When law enforcement realizes they can use the “We have reason to believe that you are on a SOR and are in violation of such” excuse, or “You fit the description of a person on the registry” as their reasonable articulable suspicion of committing a “felony” making an otherwise illegal search an siezure of citizen’s property completely legal under this premise.
The people that stand behind the registries dont realize that they’re “throwing the baby out with the bathwater”, forfietting freedom for the sake of vendetta.
I would prefer an elimination of the registry, but most likely it’s here to stay. So my thoughts are to make it private again. Make it possible for people to get off after their probation is complete. Eliminate housing restrictions. Eliminate all of the other restrictions post sentence
And yet we have ever expanding restrictions that sound good that are completely impractical. We have no way to make amends or even move forward. Sigh, there have been days where we wonder if this life is worth existing. I spoke for myself. Move forward I suppose.
At last! An article on a well-trafficked site that chooses to tell the plain truth without apology or slant.
This article seems to tell the plain and honest truth about all of our grievances.
Hopefully, this is the beginning of a floodgate of national conversation.
We have heard far, far too much rhetoric; it’s time to hear (and speak) FACTS and SCIENCE!