NC: Death behind bars of another man forced to register
We’ve written several times over the last few years about the lack of any consideration for people who are elderly or sick when it comes to registration requirements. Simply, there are no exceptions. Even if someone is bedridden or in a coma, there is nothing in Florida Statutes that provides an exception to IN PERSON registration.
The fact that these individuals are being prosecuted and jailed for registration violations while they are terminally ill, elderly or suffering with mental illnesses or dementia completely lacks common sense. Not only, in many cases, does their condition make it difficult or impossible to comply with the myriad of requirements imposed on them, but it also, in many cases, renders them incapable of re offending.
In North Carolina, a 61 year old man died behind bars this week. He was jailed for failure to register as a sex offender. He had stage 4 cancer and didn’t even make it two months in jail. Not a new crime, just a failure to register – a technical crime.
We don’t know the full circumstances of his case or how much his terminal illness played into his failure to register, but we do know that people who are at the end stages of a terminal illness, elderly or who have a mental or physical condition that renders them unlikely to re-offend and difficult to comply, do not deserve to be jailed for technical violations that are beyond their control.
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How do these people sleep at night this is sickening. I just lost 12k in court fees over a dumb ass Registration tec. And now on probation have a horrible PO was planning to leave the state about now lost shit loads of clients PO came to house made whole family stand outside while she searched it every room were talking 1/2 million dollar home my wife has had nervous break down over this shit charge was 25 years ago for LLA…a girl friend which was legal age difference in other states every day I can’t grasp why these fucking people have aturoity over me like this. The court process was so political like I was being tried all over on the original charge and PO treating me like a piece of crap this pathologically is takings it’s toll
Some areas of this country are finding better ways of handling probation/parole violations than incarcerating people. This could also be applied to registration technical violations that would not be a crime for a citizen not on the registry. It might mean removing much of the leadership in Tallahassee before changes like these could be implemented. It would also require using common sense for a change.
http://www.jmijustice.org/blog/dutchess-probation-violation-review-committee/
Some voices are starting to be heard concerning imprisoning people for things that would not imprison other people in this country.
A large proportion of people “fail” probation or parole and end up back in jail or prison because of conduct that for the rest of us would be perfectly legal, or at least not worthy of incarceration. This applies to those on the registry, too. I am friends with three people with a past sex offense who have been recently arrested or are being threatened with an arrest for things that I as a citizen of the United States of America could never be arrested. All three individuals are leading lives as law-abiding citizens, in spite of the impediments society has placed in their way. They are basically being arrested for being human beings with all the traits that go with being a human being.
Probation and parole conditions are layered on to the many other barriers that states and the federal government erect that prevent successful reentry, like prohibiting former offenders from applying for food or housing assistance, or preventing them from acquiring certain professional licenses. And this does not stop with probation as it continues on with the registry.
I am living in a police state now. I do the sex offender probation and the registry for my husband. I am grateful to the LA Times for their work to “right these wrongs”.
https:/www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-parole-violations-recidivism-20190622-story.html
Registering is not punishment. Registrants need to follow the law first even if that means disobeying doctor’s orders and leaving the ICU and hiring an out of state ambulance equipped with intra-aortic balloon pump to transport registrant to police station despite compromised immune system and open oozing bedsores.