Last night’s Florida Action Committee monthly member call was all about the family. Our guest, Shelley Kavanagh, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker currently working at the Centre for Offender Rehabilitation Education (CORE), is working on programs that aim to provide support for the families, and loved ones of registrants.
It’s important to acknowledge the victims of an underlying sexual offense, but there are other unintended victims that society has no problem trampling on; the family, friends and loved ones of registrants.
Like the person required to register, their family or anyone that lives with them suffer similar penalties. Their address is also a red dot on the sex offender map. Their vehicles are also registered and flagged in license plate scanners. Their associates and co-workers also shun them or question their judgment as if they’ve done something wrong.
The families, particularly the children of registrants, suffer. Their fathers (or mothers) can’t participate in their education, attend their sporting events or graduations. Visit them in hospitals. They cannot decorate for Halloween or Christmas. They cannot have parties or sleepovers.They grow up under a cloud of shame and isolation. It’s no wonder that children of registrants have such high rates of suicide.
Employers of sex offenders are also shamed. A few years ago, Miami’s ABC affiliate, Local10 news posted the employers of sex offenders. For what point? To hurt their business? To get them fired so that people who are trying to get their lives back on track are destabilized? All that does is hurt those willing to help someone reintegrate and take food out of the mouths of the families the registrant is working to support.
One hour ago, the New York Post posted an article about a man that sued Burger King. The article concludes, “[..] was convicted in 1994 of first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree sexual penetration and sentenced to about 6½ years in prison, according to Oregon Live. He was required to register as a sex offender for life. He told the site that the conviction is 25 years old and that he’s been a law-abiding citizen with no other convictions ever since.” The lawsuit that he brought has nothing to do with anything sexual. Why the NY Post and multiple other news outlets would even mention his conviction 25 years ago is completely irrelevant and unnecessary.
It’s one thing to impose the registry stigma where there’s a rational public safety interest – it’s completely different when the topic or target of the shame is irrelevant. When the line is crossed, you enter into the territory of intentionally causing emotional distress.
Let’s let 2019 be the year we start pushing back!
Being a registered sex offender also makes you automatically a target of false allegations. People often assume things against offenders. I used to not worry so much about it because my case was sex with a 17 year old when i was 26. I’m 55 now, and the last few years media has caused this fear based world. Now people look at me as if I committed the crime yesterday. New laws all of the restrict our freedom. Legislators know how to make laws that ruin your life but in a way it’s deemed constitutional. Most days, these days, I pray for death. I really dont want to live in this world. I couldn’t do it myself but sure don’t hate the idea of not waking up some morning. Sorry be such a downer but I really see no hope for offenders. No women will ever love me, no good job will ever hire me, and I have to live in a shit hole.
yeah the registry makes me depressed all the tim e i caught a attemted statutary rape cahrge in 2012e i was fuked up at a party and supposebly asked a 15 yr old to come bathroom and have sex took a plea misdemenor 1129 all suspended six months in jail now i gotta register once a yr for ten yrs over bullshit never F***** a girl touched or nothing sad life think suicide alot stigma
I picked up my charge in South Florida back in 2007.It was a non-violent/non-contact offense. After serving 7 years of an 8 year sentence I was released to go home to Illinois here I was born and raised. The laws there are similar to other states but since I’m on LIFETIME supervision and LIFETIME registration, that also means a lifetime requirement for “treatment” and polygraph examinations, which even if one passes, the tests continue as “maintenance”. Group is 30 dollars a pop and the polygraph tests are 360 a pop. I have to live on 13,000 a year combined social security and small VA pension. I told them finally “This “Treatment”is what’s insane! I’m outa here!” The Central ILLinois Probation Dept selling this “government slave” south back to Florida over this even though I’ve complied with all other restrictions laid upon me. Now I hear that once back there, I will have to replace my Illinois driver’s license with a Florida one that is stamped with some sort of giant “SO” identifying me as a registrant. It would seen to me that the sum total of all the liberty infringements, bills of attainder type punishment and all the other restrictions on residence, travel, prohibitions about where and when we are not supposed to be seen or heard place us in the position of Dred Scott back in 1857. We seem to have no rights that ANYBODY is bound to respect.
By all means,lets fight back. Pull no punches. They won’t !
All in the name of Destruction of the Constitution, in the establishment of The Police State
Unfortunately a felon with a conviction of Child Abuse is basically dead meat in America today no matter where they live.
The focus needs to be on the decriminalization of juveniles and non violent offenders on life long registries.
States such as Florida waste time and valuable LEA funding for useless punishments after the courts have spoken.
Rehabilitation focused on families is important but a rehabilitated offender is more!
I think laws should focus on rehabilitation. In many cases the victim does not hate the perpetrator but just wants the abuse to stop. I know several men who abused their own children and as much as society wants to hate this evil monster, the victim doesn’t want him to have his life ruined. They want the perpetrator to stop doing those things and in many cases would give anything to be part of the perpetrator’s life. Media never talked about what the victim wants if the victim doesn’t want to hate the person who committed the crime. And in fact what I’ve noticed the media only reports on the ones that they can paint as horrible monsters. If the victim said she/he doesn’t want the perpetrator to get a lot of time in prison and he gets a fairly soft sentence, the media’s agenda is to get people mad about the light sentence and won’t even mention that is what the victim wanted.
I agree with the last lines.
Time for us all to unite and push back.
However, my idea of pushing back and your idea of pushing back differ as night and day.
Jay, there are almost a million registered sex offenders in the US. most I’ve talked to don’t want to push because they don’t want to bring more attention. I feel that if offenders United, found a Congressman that plays well with others, some good changes could happen. It would require some research though. To know which Senators apposed some of the current laws would be a good place to start.
In general through there own agendas,rhetoric,paranoia,they create there own mess. (ex:Miami)
Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it..
These people did the same thing with witches,blacks,Irish,Japanese,”communist”,gays,mentally handicapped, BABIES!!! ect……list doesnt end, just changes names..
yes, these same people pointing fingers have even electrocuted, water boarded and castrated people for no crime other then being handicapped..ripping baby’s apart limb from limb and slowly squishing their brains with pliers for no crime other then they are not wanted to live..
99.999% of the time it becomes increasingly more insane to the point of public human on a stake burning party’s UNTIL physical force is returned upon them..
**Same as their German ancestors who partied hard while burning, torturing,experimenting,gassing,raping Jewish people to death….American politicians are nothing but evil pond scum that make demons look like paradigms of virtue and morality. And the people that vote them are pathetic.
You want your life restored? Are you tired yet of criminals whom have committed atrocity’s that make your crime look imaginary pointing the fingers at you and whipping the crowds to burn you at the stake? Until you are ready to make an extreme stand prepare for the day you are castrated and placed for public tortures and turnings till death…its happened before and it will happen again.. Martin Luther King didnt stop black oppression Farakan and the black panthers that were preparing to return force to the corrupt politicians did..
Unnecessary shaming is used intentionally to diminish the registered citizen and bias against them anything that would be considered in their favor. Once wearing the SO badge, the individual is reduced to a pack animal, thus justifying any ill treatment against him/her. Nothing you can do or say will ever change public opinion as long as you are on the registry. All your pre-arrest accomplishments mean nothing now.
Try being convicted of a misdemeanor only because I couldn’t prove that I didn’t do it was sentenced to the max of one year in the county jail. My employer believes me but can’t put me on the payroll due to insurance because I’m on the registry so I have to work under 1099 without company truck . He could try to fight this but can’t afford the stigma that would follow . Some times it’s just too hard to continue…
Good article. Unfortunately, sex scandals sell, so in the absence of them, the media has to invent them. Perpetually defining someone based on their worst day and never letting them transcend the label adds to the moral panic and hysteria. More stress and anxiety in the communities contribute toward more offending and giving the media something else to write about. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, where the whole community loses.
It has been push back time for years.
Right – but only now we’ve accumulated the member base and donations to fund lawsuits. We’re bringing them as quickly as we can.
I agree with you Only if the hand has been put into the fire more offer others will act.
In Texas, it is a 3rd degree FELONY to use any information from the SO registry to harass or intimidate the registree. Try getting law enforcement to do their job. Good luck. Even with recordings (video/audio).
why didn’t they mention all the kids on the sex offender’s street? A lot of people would probably rather the sex offender on their street not be listed, because it makes them have to keep their kids inside, because if they don’t, they are irresponsible parents. Not to mention good luck selling their homes as fast if the sex offender was not there.
DMC
Thank You for the reference to that article in the Denver Post . Good information. It’s dated September 1 , 2017. What has come of the cases mentioned since then? Also it quoted the 8th amendment to the US constitution which specifically prohibits public shaming. And saying that is exactly what the registry is. What is going on here?
The Colorado case was posted on here as well mentioned and talked about on here a few times after that ruling. Right now judge Matsch’s ruling of that case is on appeal in the 10th circuit and being attacked by a group of Attorney generals from states belonging to that circuit.
Oral arguments on the appeal were heard Nov or Dec. We are waiting for the three judge panel’s decision. Either way it’ll be big news when they publish it.
Yeh but it’s our wonderful government that has already determined that the registry as it is called is Not punishment . Even though public shaming which is basically the same thing and has been used for punishment for a couple thousand years, but all of a sudden it’s not punishment anymore. it’s now just a club membership. Evolution in reverse. Read your history books judges.
It’s about time! We need to politely (but FIRMLY) remind people that we are law-abiding, TAX-PAYING CITIZENS!! (After one’s debt to society is paid, it is paid. Period!)
I hope 2019 is the year we start to push back.
D*** straight its time to push back ….and hold accountable. This open season sniping has got to end. See what this judge said
Check out Denver Post
Colorado sex offender registration act is unconstitutional, federal judge declares
Ruling could set stage for changes nationwide to the way citizen get access to the list
Please include links as available to make retrieving info quicker and easier. We are all busy.
not me, I’m on disability from sever PTSD. I just sit around waiting for this ex post facto challenge to take me off since it was not part of my plea.