His harshest punishment is a lifetime on the sex offender registry.

“His harshest punishment is a lifetime on the sex offender registry”

Wait a minute… did someone say the sex offender registry is “the harshest punishment”?

Yes, someone did! San Francisco Gate writer Debra Saunders said so in an opinion piece on why Brock Turner, the Stanford University student only got three years for sexually assaulting another student. She opined, that judges might be handing out lower prison sentences because they realize that being on the sex offender registry is the harshest punishment of all. “His earning power is diminished because he won’t be able to get most professional licenses. He’ll be on the same database as pedophiles.” she pointed out.

But wait another minute… didn’t the US Supreme Court say the registry wasn’t punishment in 2003’s Smith v. Doe?

How can it go from not being punishment at all in 2003 to the “harshest punishment” (her words not mine) in 2016?

Could it be that subsequent to the 2003 SCOTUS decision, States had;

– put the registry online and made it publicly accessible; and

– imposed restrictions on where registrants can live; and

– imposed restrictions on where registrants can go; and

– imposed restrictions on what registrants can do for a living; and

– imposed restrictions on internet use ; and

– increased the duration of this “non-punishment” to life sentences; and

– increased the number of “offenses” that qualify for this “non punishment”; and

– increased sanctions for violating this “non-punishment” to felony jail time; and

– increased amount of information required to report IN PERSON; and

– impeded international travel; and

– over 100 other “non-punishments” that go along with registration?

We think so, but apparently the Supreme Court doesn’t.