Sex offender registries poor safety policy
As an advocate for survivors of abuse and as someone who has personally been impacted by sexual violence, I care deeply about true accountability for offenders, prevention of new harm and the safety and healing of our communities. Because of those priorities and values, I was alarmed at The Register Guard’s editorial that advocated for a public safety policy that is disconnected from what we know works, does not keep our communities safe and fails to support families’ healing.
The overwhelming consensus from experts across the board is that sex offender registries do not to make communities safer. In one of the largest nationwide studies using the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report data, researchers found that after implementation of sex offender registration and notification laws, 70% of states experienced no change or saw an increase in the incidences of sexual assaults. It’s simply not a sensible public safety policy.
There are a number of reasons why the lists do not work. First, 95% of sex crimes are committed by people who would not be on any sex offender registry, even with full compliance. About 93% of sex crimes against children are committed by people close to that child, such as family members, authority figures or friends. So even in the best-case scenarios, sex offender registries massively miss the mark and provide a dangerous, false sense of protection for our children.
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Very well written article.
Great article but I would change the headline from “Sex offender registries poor safety policy” to “Sex offender registries ignore reality” or “Sex offender registries harm children with false sense of security” or “Sex offender registries safety lies”
Something with a bit more punch to it…after all the press has headlines like “Missing sex offenders!” when it should read “99% of sex offenders exactly where they should be – 1% missing” spin is what it’s all about!
Reality doesn’t matter at all – we must use the same techniques that the government and LE use against us to gain public support!
Agree with this completely. Certain slogans, mottos, memes, taglines, whatever ought to be adopted and used consistently and incessantly. This is a propaganda war. Registries have always been anti-factual so facts aren’t very important in all this. Informed people already know Registries are dumb and most Registry Supporters have no concern for facts.
Thank you! I am always encouraged to see that someone else who understands the situation and comes to the same clearly logical conclusion.
When you are at war as we clearly are, you must use the same weapons that your enemy uses. Turning the other cheek just results in you being slapped on both cheeks! No – you must hit back twice as hard after the first slap (being placed on this immoral and illegal “hit list” with no way off was the first slap)!
Time to take off the gloves and call a spade a spade and get the truth out there. Child safety has nothing to do with this abuse and professional victim Senator Lauren Book can lie all she wants but the truth doesn’t change.