Unexpected comments from a prosecutor
Ingham County (Michigan) Prosecutor Carol A. Siemon, issued a statement concerning the sentencing of former Michigan State football players in connection with a sexual offense.
Below is an excerpt from her statement, quoted directly:
The sex offender registry is a blunt instrument that I believe needs to be reformed and streamlined so that law enforcement can make better use of the information. It would be more effective as a law enforcement tool to keep the public safe if it targeted the cases that are most likely to result in recidivism – child abuse and child sexual assault, for example, or serial rapists.
The sex offender registry is just one example of the types of cases where we have laws that are well-intentioned, but go too far from their original intent – and don’t allow our courts to provide a proportionate response.
When a prosecutor can recognize how misguided the registry has become, we know change needs to come!
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This sex registry is a farce. Those that pass these “laws” don’t know how many innocent people that are hurt thru no fault of their own. Parents, “oh your son is a sex offender, we can’t associate with you because of that.” This goes for wives and especially the children. Can a “sex offender” reform and change their lives?” Yes, but the politicians keep changing the “law” like they WANT the offender to re offend or do something stupid and get put back in to prison. It is hard to find a job or housing with this classification. on the individual.They are prevented from voting because of the committee that is supposed to review their paper work trying to regain this privilege. I know this for a fact because I went from 2006 to 2015 before I went before the Governor and the Committee just to be denied this right. There are a lot of people who can’t vote even tho they have completed their requirements. Over one and a half million people ion Florida fall into this category. When I left Prison, I was involved with the Prison Ministry, Prison Fellowship, Jail ministry , drug and alcohol,ministry, Nursing home ministry and kept my nose clean, but that didn’t make any difference to the Governor and the committee that was supposed to be reviewing the material submitted. At one time I was told that the Review committee was five4 years behind. Go figure. Thanks for l;listening./
If his ‘lordship’ Scott thinks there’s any possibility of you voting Democrat you can bet no matter what you will not get your voting rights back. I’m a firm believer that if one cannot vote then that one should not have to pay taxes. That’s one of the founding principles of the nation. Once a debt is paid it is paid…except in the eyes of his ‘lordship’. I have been a Republican all my life but will not this year donate to any Republican entity if there’s a possibility that one penny of the donation will go to his ‘lordship’s’ campaign.
Isn’t it interesting that the same people who deprive you of your voting right are the same ones who insist that our Bill of Rights are words to live by. One of the biggest free speech tools is the vote,
As long as your vote is in compliance with his ‘lordship’ Scott’s will.
I agree with your opinion about his “lordship”. He has now made it easier to put a “sex offender’ back in Prison. Now if an individual will be away from home three or more days, he has to notify the Sheriffs office and give them the information where they will be staying. This ”
list”
thas caused me more problems then think. I get countless emails about “sex offenders” in your neighborhood, so when an individual goes to this list, all they seew is the “bad” things they did in the past. Nothing about what they have done since being released from prison. Somebody is making money off this scheme, but those in control turn a blind eye and ear to this problem
Do a thousand good deeds and no one remembers. Do one bad deed and no one forgets. That’s the theme of many Florida bureaucrats.
The growth of registries is a symptom of the nature of registries. Registries increase people’s level of suspicion. When people are insecure, they demand the government do more to make them feel safe. With more laws comes more awareness of crime and perceptions that more people are in danger, because the mosters seem everywhere. It is a pyramid scheme. You can’t just come in and draw a line saying stop adding people here and leave the scheme intact.
Yep, then come election time, the politicians feed the fear some more.
I’m new to this forum and I’m not from Florida. I WAS falsely accused of a sexual assault, passed a polygraph BEFORE trial, brought to trial with NO evidence and convicted on emotional arguments to a jury. I got a 5-10 year sentence and ended up doing the whole 10 years because in order to get out early I had to admit to a crime I KNOW I did not do. My point being that the system is broken from step 1. I can promise you their are many other people going through what I did. The registry is a political “feel good ” for politicians. What other charges, including murder do you have to register? NONE
Joel points out the other thing that people don’t understand about sex offenses. Juries are convicting even when there is more than 1 reasonable doubt. The accusation is all the proof that they need. Same reason why news media publish the name and picture of anyone accused immediately. They just assume that you are guilty. It has become the easiest crime to prosecute.
I am reading a book about political prisoners in communist Romania at the end of World War II. You’re story sounds familiar. Punish a ‘target’, guilty or not, until the only hope the ‘target’ has is admitting guilt, then with a hope of consideration. In Florida it doesn’t matter if the victim forgives the perpetrator, Florida still wants to get its ‘pound of flesh’ and the payments that go along with it. Florida encourages permanent ‘victim hood’…it keeps the state in business.
The Registries are a complete failure. People should stop supporting any idea that they simply need to be “reformed”. The Registries are not bad because there are too many people listed on them. They are bad because they do not work and put all Americans in more danger than they would be if the Registries did not exist. The Registries also gravely harm America. I personally don’t even think it is close to debatable.
As long as politicians can cause public hysteria, the registry will continue to grow in”membership”. It’s not effective in it’s purpose, nor is it needed in it’s current format. European countries have proven that.
Why do they seem to have more sense up north?
A female prosecutor said this????
AHHHHHHHH a breath of fresh air…….. Finally!!
Hopefully her words will go far and help stop the madness.