Is Lifetime Sex Offender Registration Worse than Jail?
In the comments of a recent article I saw someone reference Dr. Marty Klein as an expert in sexual issues. I had not heard of Dr. Klein, so I did a little digging to see who he was and how he felt about our issues.
It turns out Dr. Klein is a renowned expert and lecturer on sexual topics. He’s a forensic expert who has written 7 books on topics such as pornography and even one called “America’s War on Sex”, which I feel I’ve been battling for decades now.
I came across one of his twitter posts, in which he wrote, “Lifetime #SexOffender registration is far worse than jail–so why are people trying to recall Judge Persky?” He wrote this several months ago in response to the public outcry over the Judge who sentenced Brock Turner, the Stanford student who received what many perceived as an overly lenient sentence for a sexual assault.
However, to anyone on the registry, a sentence of life on the sex offender registry is tantamount to a death sentence. Sure you are still alive, but you are socially dead, professionally dead and because of the extreme stigma, dead to many friends and family who fear that the association to you will destroy them also.
Dr. Klein explained his comments by saying, “As a lifetime registered sex offender, Brock Turner’s life is pretty much over. Months in jail, years in jail—as awful as that is, it’s most certainly LESS awful than being a registered sex offender for life… And by pretending that lifetime sex offender registration is a light sentence or a trivial detail, we continue to dehumanize those whose lives are ruined by it. While three years in prison may feel like a lifetime, it’s absolutely nothing in comparison to spending an actual lifetime as a registered sex offender.”
I’ve often wondered which element of my punishment was worse. Prison or being on the registry?
I did three years in prison. Sure, it was awful being separated from my family and the accommodations were horrible, but I survived. Each day I was able to cross another day off my calendar and know that this would eventually end. But the registry (in Florida, at least) is not like that. There is no end in sight and it seems that every year the government-imposed torture becomes worse.
If I could do some extra time in prison as a substitute for a lifetime on the registry would I take it? Would I even take five more years just to know that I’ll eventually be able to come out and become employable again, be able to live wherever a want, or not walk around my community with this palpable cloud lingering around me? Hell yes I would!
For more information about Dr. Kline: https://www.martyklein.com
Discover more from Florida Action Committee
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Fits in with what I observed while in prison. Most convicted sex offenders were more worried about living on the registry than doing their prison time. Still, there are places in this country where you can find people who will give you a chance. Michigan’s regulations are mild compared to Florida’s. But the idea from government that the registries are NOT punishment is simply ridiculous. It’s no way to treat people if you want them to respect authority or love their community.
Yup I agreed. When I was doing my sentence in jail, I was worried about my life outside on the registry because of the horror stories with probation and with the SO laws. There were also registered sex offenders returning to jail because jail was much more pleasant than being out there on the streets for them. Tragic but true.
yea, try to get the government to follow the law..they are more able to enforce criminal behavior then they are at following their own law..Ask black Americans..they had to threaten to burn the country down in order for the supreme court toilet to admit they were human…That will give you an idea of what will need to be done to convince the government to do the right thing..
I was sitting in the lobby of the Sheriffs office waiting my turn to register. There was a guy sitting across from me muttering this is bullshit, etc. He looked up at me and asked what are you here for. I said registering like everyone else. He said so you did burglary or something. I said no. He went on to say he had to register because he was a habitual felon. He told me he burglarized a homes 3 times, armed robbery, car jacking, assault and battery and so on at least 20 crimes he rattled off. He said this is bullshit I have to register once a year for a couple of years and some other crap. He said he was going to violate because he could just do 6 months, and this would go away.
He asked me what I did, and I told him I was accused of having sex with my wife 1 month before her 18th birthday. I was given adjudication withheld, no time no probation but I must register for the rest of my life. He said a few choice words and said he felt sorry for me. He said he couldn’t imagine having to come to this office for the rest of his life. He asked can’t you do some time or something. I said nope it’s for life. I was being consoled by a man who was a habitual felon. The crazy part was is he had options.
Think about this. I am 71 years old. I have been on the registry for 12 years. After being released from jail and probation my choices were pretty straight forward. I would move into a high rise apartment or into a senior citizen center. The only thing that was certain was that I could not tell ANYONE about my past. Of course family and previous friends disappeared. I chose to move to a over 65 community. I have made more friends here than I thought was possible. I socialize with alot of new friends. No going on vacations with them however. Sometimes, yes, I feel like this is not what life should be like. But, every time I see a sunrise or sunset I feel not so bad. Should this kind of punishment be changed, YES. But you cannot let THEM win. I am beginning to ramble.
I have been off the registry about 5 months now and just about purged myself from the internet for the most part.
Florida had me locked in pretty good. Luckily I was blessed with an above average talent in all things technolohy which offset some of the problems, at least as far as employment went so I was able to keep throwing money at the problem which I know is not the usual situation for a RSO.
Still, life was severely diminished. Now, after months I still get nervous being near a school or find myself in a situation that would have been a concern I was a RSO. The worste was the uniform officer that would come to check on me every other month.
Being an RSO is most definitely worste than prison, because your not really in the real world and exluded from many of the things that make life good while each of them are dangled in your face to taunt you which is not the case in prison.
I plan to become more active in the RSO community in the future. Do I believe the registry is useless, well not really, I had to do classes when I was on probation in a group. My case was very dumb in nature if you put any type of logic to it which is why I was able to get everything vacated. Some people it might be good for but, I would say for the majority that it’s an unjust punishment.
This is a bad time to make the fight for RSO’s. SJW’S and political correctness is in full swing. Hopefully they push their agenda so far to the left people become rebellious to the idea of either. At least we will know when we are making progress once the concept of a juvenile sex offender no longer exist, that’s just dumb, the fact they not only exist but are a decent portion of RSO’s, I find it sickening, if your a juvenile and charged with a sex offense, the way things are now, the greater mercy would to just excute them instead of turning them into shadows that will never experience or have the same opportunities in life as everyone else for something that could easily just be a girlfriend who was a couple of years younger.
Political correctness is a cancer far was than RSO.
When Injustice becomes law, resistance is duty!!!
Very well said. I did five years in federal prison for what the law called constructive possession of child porn. This means there was no direct evidence I even knew about child porn on a computer that others shared. It’s like being found guilty of possessing cocaine in the center console of a car that more than one person drives but was registered to me. Fair? No! But the judge said I have to accept the guilty verdict. I did my time in prison. Now lifetime supervision and registration. Frankly, I’m already dead. No job. No family. No love life. I just eat. Look for work. Sleep in between nightmares. And do it all over again every day for a crime that has a statutory maximum punishment of ten years. So why then is there lifetime supervision and registration? The answer is cruel and unusual punishment that the courts don’t care about…or at least their rulings have said so by words and implication. I’m already dead. I accept that, “your honor.”
Cases like yours, Is what will one day HELP OUR FIGHT !!! If the maximum sentence for your charge is 10 years, Then ANY SAY PAST that 10 year mark, Is FALSE IMPRISONMENT , KIDNAPPING, And I’m sure at least a dozen more Violations (I’m just waking up and can’t think yet), But the most important Crime being Committed against you is, CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT !!. And regardless of What “Type” of crime you Committed, It’s AGAINST THE LAW AND THE CONSTITUTION to punish someone longer than the Maximum sentence allowed !!. This is COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM THE REGISTERY !!!!!!. And this is happening MORE AND MORE everyday !!. And it’s ILLEGAL !!. It’s time we Did something !! I’m ready to “Put myself out there” if needed ! It’s time to change things before “Our Government” starts Killing off RSO’s like rats !! Or (they really already have) starts a “OPEN SEASON” on RSO’s !!.. We have “SERVED OUR TIMES, AND PAID OUR DEBT TO SOCIETY !!!!!!. Just like EVERY OTHER CRIMINAL !! We deserve to be treated AS GOOD AS EVERY OTHER CRIMINAL too !!!!. It’s time to fight !!. After 13 years (when I wasn’t supposed to be on it to begin with) I’m tired of this !!. Things have gotten Completely Out Of Control !!
I could not agree more. Nothing will change until enough noise is made to wake people up. PLEASE contact the site admin for my email address as I would love to have someone who is as passionate and pissed off as I am working with me to make that noise.
If they will allow it my email is [email protected] is not PLEASE contact the site admin on this site (whom I have authorized to give out my email address) for my email address as I would love to have someone who is as passionate and pissed off as I am working with me to make that noise.
There is more than one way to skin a horse and thinking outside the box has solved or helped to solve many problems. Hope to hear from you soon!