A few days ago a bill was presented in the Louisiana legislature that “Creates a commission to study best practices for deterring sex offenses against children”. I am attaching a pdf copy of the bill, along with the link to the Louisiana legislature website where it is referred. There are some aspects in the bill that are disturbing and seem to lean toward further registered sex offender punishment rather than actually trying to solve anything.
https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?i=243648
Earlier in this legislative session, a bill (SB252) was proposed that would require surgical castration to certain offenders prior to release from prison. The author (Rep. Regina Ashford Barrow) of the bill is the same legislator that has now been put in charge of this new “commission to study best practices for deterring sex offenses against children”.
Senator Barrow is on Twitter at @BarrowRegina in case anyone wants to offer their opinion on this.
Surely, the commission will take a quick look at the effect the current myriad of “non-punitive sex offender restrictions” on the rate of sex crime in the state. (/sarc)
The commission’s conclusions are already drawn – their answer will be longer sentences and more restrictions on release. It doesn’t matter that nothing they do will affect whether or not sex crimes against children still occur as long as they create the appearance of action.
Simply creating a bill or new laws, has never been a real prevention method for any crime, whether harsh punishment is involved or not. For them to consider surgical castration as a method of prevention, good luck with that, as not only is it unconditional, but is not a preventative if the crime has already been committed!
You know, I do not want to bring up the recent school shooting, but it is relevant. The kid got in through an open door and was not challenged by anyone. For all the safety they pledge and awareness campaigns for stranger danger, most of the offenses occur with someone they know, NOT strangers.
I say that because the same with guns, I am not taking a stand either way, but the old saying of “If guns were outlawed, only outlaws would have guns” is pretty much true. You can legislate all you want, just like they did years ago with Pot. You know what, every kid I knew in high school was smoking pot, so where were they getting it? And who didn’t get an older friend to buy them a 6 pack of beer by paying them 3 times the cost of it?
So stop holding those of us whose offenses were 10,20, 30 or more years ago as hostages for the cause. Especially those of us who have had a spotless record since.
By the way, the more and more horrible restrictions they apply to us, by state or as a whole, something has got to give. Look at the simple win that was won over the Halloween signs in Registrants years last year. We want the BIG win but until then, eating away at some of the witch trials legislation will have to do.
So this commission does not at all include actual past offenders as representatives. I’m not surprised at all, however, it is extremely short sighted to not have a voice representing the people who actually caused the harm they are trying to stop from happening. It seems to me past perpetrators of harm would have THE most knowledge of how and why the harm occurred in the first place. They know their own thought process, triggers, what placed them and the victim in a place that caused the incident to occur. A one sided committee is only going to address one side, not helpful and another waste of tax dollars and time.