Palm Beach Judge Recognizes Stigma of Sex Offender Label
A Palm Beach Judge said “ You may as well write a tattoo across his forehead that says sex offender” when reminding the Prosecutor of the debilitating consequences of being labeled a sex offender. “When he tries to get a job, when he tries to have a good relationship with someone, when he tries to bring his kids to school. That’s a significant consequence.” Judge Scott Suskauer said at the sentencing of a man who was convicted of having a consensual relationship with a 17 year old when he was 25.
The “victim”, who had since turned 18, who couldn’t be present in court because of an order preventing contact, wrote a letter in support of the man, even asking for permission them to have contact.
I imagine it’s possible that one day this man and his victim will marry. They might have kids together. Then the whole family will suffer the crippling stigma of the sex offender label, punishing the “victim” for the rest of her life.
This case is a reminder that not all people on the sex offender registry are the same. A one-size-fits all registry doesn’t fit all.
Note how the source article recognizes that the sex offender label is “Punishment”.
You might want to write the journalist to thank her for covering this in a fair and unbiased way. She can be reached at: [email protected]
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Would it help to make contact with newspaper reporters such as Hannah Phillips of the Palm Beach Post that you referred to in your FAC letter of 3/17 ([email protected])? I am nearing 90 years old and find it difficult to live with the added restrictions of so many different new rules. New rules that might be difficult to fulfill should I ever want to travel to a funeral in a far distant state and need to stay in a motel enroute. Every state and municipality have their own restrictions and if we break any of them, we could be at risk of being caught and reincarcerated. I’ve been told by my supervising officer, that if I ask permission to stay overnight in Indian River County, I’ll need to pay a fee.
I committed my crime in about 2003 and was adjudicated with one count in 2005. I have not had one recommittal since then. I have been under surveillance of multiple pastors and elders of various churches since my sentencing. One of them may not be alive today, but I think I could have them testify that I have been acting righteously since 2005. I believe I could prove by many friends that they have not seen any different. Also, if they were honest and able, the two officers who have watched over me since living here for the past 12 years, would have to testify the same.
My wife, who will be 89 in August, has only one strong eye and shouldn’t drive any long distance. Her siblings and son do not live close enough to be able to visit them without an overnight stay. I feel that we are similar to ones who are under house arrest.
My children live in areas that I would not be free to live with them due to laws regarding nearness to child congregating areas.
There doesn’t seem to be any hope of rehabilitation or restoration for us who have wives who are not guilty of any crimes. There is no grace in this law. There seems to be retribution only.
I am a member of FAC.
Yes, reach out to Journalists and contact FAC membership for more information on the senior registrant subcommittee.
I’m noticing no one is mentioning the written “Scarlet Letter” we wear with the blue label on our drivers license. I have a hard time with finding the need for my pharmacist knowing I’m a sexual predator each and every time I go through the drive through to pick up prescriptions, the bank, the embarrassment of presenting my D.L. to the receptionist at the doctors or dentist, renting or buying a car, plane trips, etc. I did 15 years under DOC which included 2,25 yrs. CRD and was threatened each visit. My EOS was 2010, almost 15 years, they told me I would be free and since 2010 I’ve been free with shackles. I will be 84 in June, when can my wife and I live in peace?
So the judge departed from the second plea deal by sentencing him to only 30 days in jail and he didn’t “adjudicate him as a felon” (whatever that means) but still required him to register?
If the judge didn’t believe that was proper why did he make him register? Especially since the first deal said no jail, a lessor charge and no registration. I thought the judge had the final say on details of a plea deal.
In Florida, adjudication withheld means that a judge has decided not to formally convict a defendant, even though they have pleaded guilty or no contest, or were found guilty. The defendant may still face penalties like probation, fines, community service, or registration as a sex offender.
Here’s a thought on this article that the judge who so eloquently said, what if these two people do marry?
My thought is….. he should be exonerated and absolved of record. Yep marriage is a not a crime. Making his wife happy is not a crime. It’s divine nature really. That’s a hell of a question judge.
Suskauer’s contact info is at
https://www.15thcircuit.com/judges/suskauer-scott
in case anyone is interested.
Copy/paste post
MARCH 2, 2025 BY ANNA P. SAMMONS
SORNA’s $10 Billion Price Tag
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) recently dispatched this letter urging DOGE to cut funding for the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Fun fact: contrary to popular belief, SORNA does not govern the federal sex offender registry because there IS no federal sex offender registry. Instead, we have a complex patchwork of compliance obligations that vary considerably from state to state and even city to city. SORNA is essentially a sprawling federal overlaw that aims to regulate these various systems. SORNA has not been studies as extensively as the older state systems have been, but recent studies suggest that since it passed, it has not demonstrated a statistically significant impact on lowering recidivism rates.
SORNA’s cost? A cool $10 billion annually, siphoned from taxpayers to sustain a regime ACSOL argues is both cruel and pointless. (Unless, of course, the cruelty is the point—a glaring possibility the letter’s authors sidestep with almost tragic naiveté.)
The ACSOL letter zeroes in on SORNA’s absurdity and excess with almost painful earnestness. For example, the letter highlights some recently issued regulations that impose impossible burdens on registrants. Many now face quarterly check-ins—four times a year—despite the fact that most state laws require just one and will not permit quarterly check-ins. Then there are the “unique identifiers” that are now being branded onto passports for those convicted of sex offenses involving victims under the age of 18. That includes people convicted of statutory rape for having underaged girlfriends 25 years ago. Only two modern regimes have added similar markings to the passports of its citizens to identify them as members of a pariah class: Nazi Germany, with its “J” stamp on Jewish passports, and the Soviet Union, which coded Jewish citizens’ travel papers.
ACSOL’s ask is simple: defund SORNA and reroute that $10 billion to something worthwhile.
Let’s pause for a moment to wrap our heads around that number. $10 billion. Every year. It’s so much money it’s hard to grasp without some sort of context. Here’s what that cash we’d save by eliminating SORNA could buy instead:
Housing for child victims. With 1 million child crime victims yearly (per the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention), $10 billion could grant each one $50,000 to invest and then use to make a home down payment when they grow up.
Free pianos and piano lessons for every 4th grader. Picture every 4th grader attending one of America’s struggling public schools—roughly 1 million, per National Center for Education Statistics—getting a free electronic keyboard and $50 weekly lessons, all year.
Housekeeping for low-income families. Figuring $80 per biweekly cleaning, $10 billion could cover a year of professional house-cleaning service for every single-parent, low-income household in America (based on U.S. Census data).
Free College for all high achievers. $10 billion could bankroll full rides (four years at a public college or university of their chopice) for every student in America scoring above 1200 on the SAT—that’s relying on the numbers provided by College Board stats.
ACSOL promises to post any DOGE response on their website, where you can also read the full letter and weigh in.