Last night’s membership call covered topics ranging from the myths about the registry to the sex offense law reform hurdles that we all face. The guest speaker on the call was Dr. Emily Horowitz, Sociologist & Department Chairperson at St. Francis College in NY. She discussed how the registry is nothing but a “naming and shaming” scheme, and how her research of over 300 peer-review studies has shown that registries are ineffective at preventing crime and, instead, create barriers to offender reintegration.
If you would like to hear this month’s Member Call, you can listen by Phone: (605) 475-4953, Access# 739392, When prompted for recording ID enter 9#
Make sure you catch our monthly call on the first Thursday of each Month at 8pm EST. Next Month’s call will be a legal update.
I am grateful that FAC made a recording of this call available, for those of us who have to put the kiddos to bed and have trouble making it at that time. I finally had a chance to listen, and it was incredible. Please consider doing the same for the Ron Kleiner call!
I just want to make a remark about my last comment at Feb 9th / 12:20…. Where I said I would seek justice if some vigilant person decided to go on a rampage and shoot into my house and hurt or kill a family member, I wasn’t pointing out any one specifically!. But I would hope that the person would be caught up with by law enforcement, and hopefully before I did!!. I know that the chance of someone doing that is not likely, but not impossible.. And I would like to say again, that one awfull thought is something else that puts added stress in all of our life’s that are on the registry.. While I am on the subject about stress related issues. Sometimes i wonder how I have survived this long at age 68, I have been through way over the amount of stress a normal person should have to go through. Either by my messed up being mentally ill and the stressful situations that I now deal with because of my mental illness!!. I have never even been diagnosed with mental issues untill the New Melentium! ( 2000 ) And I still have personal issues that have not been diagnosed yet. I have docs. that I have talked to but I might as well have been talking to a wall!. Anyway it’s got a lot to do with certain personal pain that I know I will live with untill the end of my life. I do think I remember bits and pieces of happiness in my life especially as a young boy and a day or so along the way. I wished to God often that I can be a completely free individual for my remainder of years, just to feel what it’s like! Yes, I am begging, Please, Please,Please!!
I was on the call that was about what the registry has, and still does, and will continue to disrupt my life and cause dispare and hopelessness in continuing my life with a tremendous amount of stress, depression, and anxiety!!. I often wonder will a vigilant person come by my house and shoot into a window and kill my mother!. That alone would send me over the edge, I will seek justice my way, as those who continue to seek justice towards me!! I am considered a very nice person that likes to help others no matter what they may need or want! BUT: Since being on the registry most of my friends and some relatives have nothing to do with me after still finding out about my past! It hurts so bad I often cry wondering what to do to be happy before I die!! Some friends do talk to me if I call them, but I don’t call them like I should. I am ashamed of how I got to this point, and I hate myself!! I accuately don’t want to live any longer but my mom needs me, and I have two sisters and a dog that loves me! I was in SO therapy from 1989 to 2006. When I finally graduated I was sooo happy to be free from probation and not to worry of reoffendind because of what I learned in the group setting. [ SHARE ] I felt good about myself and happy, even though I still suffered with panic attacks, I learned in the group how to be rational in a negative situation. I had always suffered [ lifelong ] with anxiety. But now I had a newfound way to deal with it. And I am sure the anxiety played a roll in my offence along with other things. So just as I Graduated from the group! the registry started at exactly the same time!. I could not believe it. I was going to have to deal with continued control from someone else, and for ten more years!!. My happiness went away just as fast as it came. Then the ” law makers ” kept adding on to the registry and the more depressed and anxious I got. It don’t do much good to be ” RATIONAL” as I had learned over and over from all group members doing there Steps of progress to better themselfs and continue into society as a ” Welcomed Back” Unified individual!!. Now 13 years later since the registry began, I suffer with chronic physical pain and Chronic emotion pain. I do still have my immediate family. And I have FAC and I think I just might see a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel!!. Thanks !!…….