Do you think the public “sex offender registries” are helpful in identifying who the sex offenders in our communities are? Think again!
According to research from Bowling Green State University, police officers in the US were charged with forcible rape 405 times between 2005 and 2013. That’s an average of 45 a year. Forcible fondling was more common, with 636 instances. And the majority of sexual offenses committed by police are not reported (SOURCE). Similarly, we are always seeing headlines about teachers or coaches being caught sexually abusing their students.
In defense of police and teachers, a very small percentage commit these crimes. The overwhelming majority are doing their job professionally and living a law abiding life. The same can be said about people on the sex offender registry. There will be a small percentage who re-offend, but the overwhelming majority are also just trying to live their lives.
Police and teachers have strong unions to protect them. The study estimates that for every sexual assault at the hands of a police officer that makes the news, there are — on average, five more that do not. About half of the victims are children. People required to register have no unions to protect them – in fact, they are under such constant surveillance and scrutiny that small technical violations of the long list or requirements placed on them will send them right back to prison.
Historically, we’ve taught our children that their teachers and police are to be trusted – we’ve taught them that the people on the registry are dangerous and to be avoided. What that has done is create a false sense of security. Contrary to what we are teaching our children, the overwhelming majority of sexual offenses are committed by someone who is not on the registry and is actually known to and trusted by the victim.
The registry has proven itself counter-productive – it is merely punishment. If we want to make strides towards prevention, we need to refocus our attention and resources towards teaching our children who the real potential sex offenders in their community are. Anyone! Anybody in their community, their schools, their social circles and even their family can be an offender and instead of looking out for “a person” that can harm them, they need to look out for “an act” that can harm them.
That is the only way to prevent sexual abuse.
I’m a firm believer that people just don’t wake up one morning and think, I’m gonna break the law. Many male offenders were themselves molested by an adult relative, which for the most part go unreported, leaving permanent scars and a mental programming that is hard to change w/o intervention. Only to resurface later on in life with the introduction of alcohol and X rated movies. Pornography is the door the majority of male and female sex offenders walk through. Watching pornography programs the brain into objectifying others as sex objects and not human beings with feelings and rights. Alcohol or other drugs are also involved with most sex offenses. It’s a fantasy world that doesn’t exist in real life. It’s a lie from Satan making people think and feel ‘it’s ok’ to express sexuality by acting out on who’s available. Typically a family member, son, daughter, nephew, niece etc…I feel looking for the most vulnerable person like the single parent with pre-teen and teenage children before they make a terrible mistake, is the best way to intervene and stop the cycle of sin. They are prime candidates for crossing the line with regard to Satanic attack. There are of course, evil people out there that simply take what they want w/o regard for human life. I’m speaking for those that fall off the morality wagon for what ever reason and in a very short period of time, are in a fog of what’s right vs wrong…they are worth being given a second chance…they are not bad people…they got swept away in the moment…
G, thanks for contributing your thoughts.
Everyone’s situation is different and it’s dangerous to categorically assume that male offenders were themselves victims or that Alcohol or drugs were involved in most sex offenses or that pornography is the gateway to sexually offending. If you make those claims it would be helpful to cite your sources for that information because we know that some of what you say may be accurate, some is totally inaccurate and some delves into areas we’d rather not go.
People required to register are not a homogeneous group. You have many people who had had a consensual relationship which but for being just outside a statutory line was illegal. You have people who were not out to harm anyone but were baited and switched during the course of an online sting. You have people who were children themselves on this registry who simply didn’t have the maturity.
You also have plenty of people who are involved in alcohol or drugs that never sexually offended and if you look at the percentage of people who watched porn and compare it to the percentage of people on the registry, you’ll realize that maybe it’s not “programming everyone’s brain” after all.
I appreciate your post, because it fosters a dialogue and allows us to hear people’s perception and gives us the opportunity to reply. Much of what you say is true. There are many who are not serial offenders but had a one-time, brief, lapse in judgement. I’m sure there are also those where alcohol or drugs contributed to that lapse, but in any case that does not formulate an excuse.
What I think we agree on is that a program that villainizes these people forever, takes away resources from intervention programs that might actually help end the cycle of violence.
very well spoken, very clear message.. do you guys have a channel at youtube? because if not it will be a great idea to have one channel at youtube and one at facebook so it can be more overreaching .. thanks a lot
We do not have anyone managing our social media.
Good post. Thank you.
Thank you FAC for another great article and help educate the media, our legislators and the public with factual information. I totally agree and statistics from a U.S. Department of Justice website nsopw.gov states “that 1 in six boys and 1 in 4 girls are sexually abused before the age of 18”. If we look at census statistics from 2010 the female population was approximately 157 million. If 1 out of every 4 had been sexually abused before 18 years of age that is 39.25 million. The male population was approximately 150 million, 1 out of every 6 sexually abused by the age of 18 would be 25 million. That is 64.25 sexually abused children. These are government statistics. As FAC states and I believe we all agree we do not in any way condone sexual activity between adults and children, nor do we condone any sexual activity that would break laws in any state” However the government should not have it both ways. Another words the statistics are true and sad……millions of people have been sexually abused. The government also has passed legislation for sex offender registries, has enforced unconstitutional punishment upon those of us on the registry, and has painted a picture that we are monstrous individuals and should be feared. WE however are the safe ones. Yes it’s proven the abuse of these millions of people are done usually by people who are in power over them, who know them and are trusted or abuse their control over these victims. The ones who have never been caught but continue to lurk at work places, schools, homes etc. Yes although most people in professions, friends of the family or family members themselves do not abuse, it is THESE people who do. Yes doctors, teachers, coaches, dentists, Washington Politician’s, T.V. personalities, clergy, Aunts, Uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins, and the list goes on. It is not the stranger (in most cases). Again I say we are the safe ones. Those of us on the registry who have either been caught or entrapped who the statistics correctly prove of our low recidivism rate especially as more time has passed since our arrest and as we age. We do not have to be feared, we are not lurking about.
Yes thank you to FAC and those who take the courage and time to spread the truth.
Congress and/or SCOTUS should be sent that article..
Another reason the general public never hears of police crimes is because the police control the media. Gone are the days when reporters actually investigated, unless it’s for a “sex offender” shock piece, the media now looks to the police to give them the news. Pathetic!
I agree that education of abuse needs to be a priority but it should include not only our children but the adults also because what so many politicians and victims advocate groups are doing are in fact a form of abuse and that abuses based on false information and myth and causes a lot of damage to individuals mentally emotionally financially and physically not to mention the collateral damage to their family member.
The issue of who dangerous people are in the community is an issue that needs to be addressed but also the facts must point out who the people are that are involved in new sex crimes.
Excellent, this message needs to be printed out and delivered to each door in this country. How do we do that? There will no doubt be a lot of opposition. Are there any politicians who are brave enough to agree with this message.
“Stranger Danger” is a marketing sound bite. Sounds good and is easy to remember but not effective – only 7% of child sex crimes are from stranger (with access) and nearly 100% (93%) are committed by someone the child and/or parents KNOW!
Harassing people on a registry will NOT prevent child sex crimes. It actually will directly be responsible for ENABLING some abuse – that’s right!
As the parents ignore the REAL threats around them and are distracted by the lie that checking for a little red dot on a map will do any good. Nothing but a “feel good” denial of reality at the expense of their child.
You would think parents would do more research but when you are taught to trust your government and LE – and that they have your best interests in mind…well, those days are long long gone!
And perhaps as many as 95% of all sex offenders prosecuted are FIRST TIME OFFENDERS. Of course, the opposition will say that it just took them years to get caught, but how can you argue that we are more dangerous after conviction as we are the most closely monitored people on the planet short of a USdiplomat in Cold War era Moscow. 😮
The opposition can claim that til they’re blue in the face, but what do they have to go on other than personal feelings, belief? They have popular perception on their side, for now, but no studies that I am aware of.
I’m starting to think that the reason for some of these sex sting operations (creating crimes and creating predators) is to cover up and distract everybody from the actual sexual predators. At least, that is what it really seems like is going on in Midland, TX. They’re supposedly targeting “human trafficking” and children being trafficked, but they go out and catch “predators” who are not offering to pay for sex with these pretend minors who are on Craigslist. What human trafficker does this for free??
We now know that the standard thing for police to do is to convince these guys that it would really help them if they take a polygraph to prove they have not had prior sexual contact with a minor and that they are not predators who prey on children. This is a set up. The test is either fake or they purposely conduct it innappropriately to make them fail it. Everybody who takes it fails it. We know for sure that this happens in Texas and in Washington State.
They then harass the individuals about lying. The harassing continues until the individual can come up with a story that meets the police’s standards for what they want and need to ensure an indictment and a conviction. It doesn’t matter if the story is true or not, and it certainly does not matter if the individual is a true predator or not. They don’t care. The police are just very happy to get what they want (when they get it). I have video evidence that shows exactly this. I’ve also heard other stories about it done to other people. Some men have gone on to take real polygraphs, with the same questions asked, somewhere else, and they pass with flying colors. I’ve heard this information can be used in court. However, we live in Texas. In Texas, apparently, anything that shows that someone is not a predator is not allowed in court. At least that is what criminal defense attorneys will tell you in Midland, TX. We’ve been through three and one private investigator. They will all tell you the same thing. They’re not even willing to use character witnesses or expert witnesses at the trial until after the conviction, because in Texas these witnesses are only used during the punishment phase of the trial. When I ask for clarification they just repeat the same thing, “That’s just typically how it’s done in Texas.” They’re obviously trying to cover their butts because they know damn well that the law says you can use character and expert witnesses in the phase of determining guilt or innocence. They are obviously just strongly discouraged from doing this because they need those conviction rates. In Midland, TX, you cannot find a criminal defense attorney who will fight for an innocent verdict for a sex sting operation case (no matter how much evidence there is of police wrong doing and evidence that clearly shows the individual is not a predator). They do everything they can to cover up all of this information and work hard to get you to shut up about it. Their job is just to work a getting the defendant a reduced sentence. They will straight forward tell you to expect a guilty verdict, even if there is overwhelming evidence that should make it an easy case to get an innocent verdict. They’re not allowed to do that.
I truly believe this is all a cover up to distract everybody from the true predators and the human traffickers. We know for sure we have many corrupt individuals working in our system. Either they are the the human traffickers themselves or they are being paid off by them. That’s what I really think is what could very well be going on here. What else am I supposed to think after this experience (seeing these things they are doing in our system)? What are other reasons for why they would do these things?
Money, political, a cover up to distract everybody from what is really going on, or a combination of them all
Aracely. I think you are putting too much trust in the polygraph . In my case I offered to take a polygraph test . My attorney talked to the defense attorney and the judge , Both said they don’t accept polygraph results because they are only 50% accurate at best. The public thinks they are like the word of God but there practically worthless.
David, the problem is not the polygraph itself. It’s what they use it for. In my 22 year old son’s case (who has neurological issues due to pre-epilepsy and has been functioning like someone in the high range of Autism) it was used to harass him until he could come up with a story the idiot officer wanted, about having been innapropriate with a minor. He really believed they would just let him go because they would have talked to his cousin (who the story was about) and it would be clear that it was not true at all. He made up a story about touching his 11 yr old cousin’s shoulder (He said “2 years ago” when asked when it happened) and the cousin brushed off his hand (off her shoulder). The idiot officer changed the already made up story to turn it into what he wanted and needed because of course this was not good enough for what he wanted it to be and needed. The idiot officer turned it into “touching the breast”. My son finally just agreed and went along with it because after telling the officer repeatedly that nothing like that had ever happened, he figured out that this officer had to get what he wanted. Otherwise, he was just going to continue harassing him, until he heard a story that would make him happy. And this story very much made this officer happy. I have the video. The officer is very angry when he is not getting what he wants. As soon as the made up stories start, you can hear in his voice how happy he gets. He even says, “Good, tell me more”. Even then, the made up story is not good enough. So, he gets angry again. He’s very frustrated that he can’t get something he wants. So, he (the officer) finally just gives up and changes it into what wants it to be (touching the breast). My son just gives in and goes along with it. He seriously believed that they would talk to the cousin and find out that it was not true at all.
Guess what?? They never even checked to on my niece. They really didn’t give a damn if she had “been sexually abused” or not. They just took the made up story and ran with it. It was used to indict him and now it’s going to be used to try to convict him. The prosecutor obviously did not watch that video or she is just as evil as that officer and doesn’t care if that it’s a story the officer created. They just want what they want, and they do whatever it takes to get what they want.
@ David:
Not quite. Polygraphs are completely, totally, 100% worthless.
Also, ask the judge why he orders probationers to take polygraphs when he knows they are only 50% accurate, at best (according to him). Strikes as a bit disingenuous, imho.
Dustin
I think what it really boils down to is they don’t have any other evidence except say so and you pass a polygraph they don’t have a case. So the polygraph is great if it will work for there benefit but no good if they think it won’t.
There whole job is to convict people not to uphold law or justice. Police ,court appointed lawyers. And Judges all sleep together.
Well said! The part that really stuck out was the part about children being educated on what to look out for and not so much on who. Let’s teach that first.
Another article that needs to get to the masses. Maybe that reporter in Miami that did the Ron Book interview would be interested in seeing this.
Please feel free to share this!