Petition to Declare Public Sex Offender Registration in the United States a Violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
Today, approximately one-million people in the United States are forced to register as “sex offenders”. The label leads to stigmatization, separation from society, loss of employment, loss of housing and even exposure to violence at the hands of vigilantes. The stigmatization extends to the spouses, children, family, friends, employer and anyone that associates with the registrant. The isolation, shame, stress, fear of violence, loss of income and other psychological effects are experienced by the entire household.
Sarah, you are probably correct that it will never get past them, but if it is not sent to them that’s a guarantee they will never see it. Who knows, one of the staff may just stumble across it out of curiosity and open up its viewing to other staff members.
This is a very good video and well worth passing on to friends and the legislature. I thought last year California had voted to change their lifetime registration law to a tier program which will be instituted in 2019 or 2020, is this true? Leaving only 3 states to lifetime registration laws. Let’s hope and pray for things to change in Florida. Thank you FAC for doing all you do.
For the record, Senate Bill 421 was signed into Law by Gov Jerry Brown last December and goes into effect Jan. 1st, 2021. California will then have 3 Tier system and no longer have lifetime registration. My case dates back to 1990 in San Diego where I was serving in the US Navy and had planned on reenlisting and was offered a Selective Re-enlistment Bonus of $30,000 paid over my upcoming 6 year enlistment at $5,000 yearly and I was going to stay at my Duty station on San Clemente Island for the next 6 years and I was going to be promoted. The case had just started but the Navy stood behind me because of my exemplary duty in the words of my Commanding Officer. But a plea would end my career and that was all my Public Defender wanted me to do.
I didn’t want to admit to something I didn’t do but was left no other choice. Thus, I didn’t reenlist and my Naval career ended. I was granted relief with PC 1203.4 and the requirement to register was going to end in 3 years, part of the agreement under the plea deal. But a year into it, I had to move back to Florida because my father was dying of cancer. This was in 1991, no worldwide web was in effect and Florida had no sex offender registration so I didn’t have a problem. In 2007,Megan’s Law brought my case to FDLE’s attention and I was notified I had to register. I tried to fight it but I was arrested for “failure to comply” in 2008 and the nightmare began. I am living in our RV and my company of 12 years was taken over and they “laid me off” in 2013 and I have been unable to work in my Broadcast industry since. If I move back to California, the 3 years registration begins anew but with SB 421going into effect in 2 years, that’s what I plan to do. I will be placed into Tier 2 but thankfully it’s retroactive to the conviction date, 1990, so I pray the 20 year requirement of Tier 2 will be met. But unemployed these last 5 years have been devastating financially but nothing compared to what the requirement to register has had on every other parts of my life.
I don’t know when this video was released, or if it had an impact on the State legislators who finally passed the act that will provide a tiered registry system starting in 2020. How that law is implemented will decide whether I return to my home state of California or not.
It is too bad that the lawmakers in Florida can not see this video…
they can if you send it to them.
I forwarded this video to Governor Rick Scott and recommended that he or one of his staff…especially AG Bondi…might want to view it. It would be educational for both of them as they appear to have little knowledge on the subject and lots of paranoia.
Why would it matter? They already know how their actions hurt more than help. Career politicians like Lauren Book are not concerned about facts or reality for that matter.
In fact, their rely on the suspension of logical thought for their BS rhetoric to even work.
They are well aware of facts but American politics has never let facts or even reality get in the way of the agenda. Which is to use sex offenders as second class citizens with less rights (although not technically locked up still not totally free with the label – sex offender) and to use them as a scapegoat and whipping boys for all to see.
We are too valuable for them to let go of.
I am deeply concerned due to the wording of the new law in my case:
My date of conviction was in 2000 and I was placed on probation with a “suspended sentence” hanging over my head if I didn’t comply with probation terms. I was 4.5 years into probation when I got violated and sent to prison (actions of a bad cop who finally had his life ended short). I didn’t get out of prison until August 2007. I completed parole after 5 years, ending in 2012. a FULL 12 YEARS after my conviction. I’ve assumed I am a Tier 2 rather than Tier 1, just to play the calculations safe.
But now I read that the clock starts from the date of release from custody. This essentially means I will be on the registry a lot longer than my conviction date. When i first saw this new law go into effect, it appeared I would be able to petition in 2021. Now it looks like either 2027 or 2047. I will either be 47 or 67 years old to be able to petition. This is completely unfair and heartbreaking. How the hell am I supposed to move on with my life?
I take solace in knowing i’m by no means the only one on the registry and no longer feel that I stand out among a crowd. However, with the new law things will only get worse for me.
Suicide looks like a wonderful option if this is the case.
Suicide? You are better off spending your time spamming the Mailboxes and Inboxes of all the Idiots and misguided politicians with facts, than you are ending your own life. What the hell? What kind of a weak will-power idea is that? Suicide instead of fighting your oppressors is nothing to be proud of. You should be fighting the Stupidity epidemic of sex offense registry laws. That would help YOU and hundreds of thousands of other people. Get it together man. Please.
‘Folding on the battle field’ is not the answer. That means the do-gooder, legislator, bureaucrats win. Suicide just may be their very goal for RSO’s. Don’t give them that satisfaction.
I think the main issue of why suicide enters into the picture is because of the extremely overwhelming odds placed against “us” (well, in particular “me” as I can’t speak for everyone). It’s not so much about beating the system back into submission with facts but that given the current state of the world I personally don’t see much hope. Getting a politician to listen and take action takes considerable amount of time/money and leverage. Most of those options not a lot of us have in abundance.
I think about my status. I’ve been one of the very fortunate ones where I have maintained very good employment despite the odds. I want to travel and just keep my head down and savor what the planet has to offer. But in order to really travel anymore the way I see things is I have to get off the registry for starters. That requires a change in state law. So either the judicial system has to agree the registry is ineffective and overturn it, or the lawmakers have to agree to lighten the laws – and that’s not going to happen because they want to keep getting re-elected. If, by some miracle the judicial system overturns the registry, now I can take my fight to the federal level to somehow get them to overturn IML AND get Homeland Security to issue non-SO branded passports as well as allow me to travel like everyone else. After that – the countries who have signed onto IML and INTERPOL have to back out of that.
So – in my mind the timeline of something like this would take so long that I’d be dead by the time it’s fixed assuming it all goes smoothly.
I’m trying to make the best of it where I’m at – but frankly I feel like a prisoner in my own country. I also fully understand it sounds like I’m being ungrateful for what freedoms I have compared to others who live in far more restrictive states. It’s the road we are all on eventually, and we’re such a minority I don’t see any of us getting any relief anytime in my lifetime.
I am in agreement with you and history as proven that when a society/country is in decline as is clearly the case in the United States there are always those who are made to suffer as scapegoats – this is exactly the role of a sex offender and the PUBLIC sex offender registry.
Most of us on this hateful hit-list should not be listed and at the very least should have a way off just as one can get out of prison eventually unless they are in for life – in FLORIDA we are all lifers!
There is never a time for true freedom. I have been “free” for 20 years and yet I have to check the website of every state I plan on visiting to see how long I can be there without having to register with the POLICE (but I just wanted my kid to see Disney World!)
What part of “freedom” do they not get? Clearly the brand of sex offender is a lifetime sentence and is most obviously…without a doubt PUNISHMENT.
Our lives are impacted in endless negative ways (can’t think of one plus) which most do not consider or think that we MUST deserve because the government tells them we do – like the government has their best interests in mind – they already bought that lie so the general public is not going to give 2 shits about a “bunch of perverts” complaining they can’t travel…can’t find housing…can’t find a decent job (any job)…can’t live where they would like…can’t visit their child’s school play…Endless
You may need some new goals. Life isn’t over on the registry you can still do something great. Banana George didn’t start water skiing until he was 40 and stepped out the skis at 46 before setting a lot of records and getting into the hall of fame.