What do the following people have in common?
- An Air Force Colonel
- A prison guard
- A Christian school teacher
They are all in positions where they are responsible for protecting people? Yes, but not what I was looking for. They all require specialized training and background clearances? True, but again, not what I had in mind. They are all people we should trust and respect? Ok, not the answer I had in mind. Guess again…
They are all sex offenders? Bingo! You guessed it!
I scan the headlines daily to share relevant news with our members. Within the past 24 hours, I’ve read stories about a former Air Force colonel ordered to pay $150,000 for raping a 15-year-old girl 30 times, the State of New York being ordered to pay $500,000 to a woman who was raped by a Department of Corrections officer at Rikers Island prison, and a former teacher at a Christian academy in Springfield, Oregon who will serve time in state prison for having sex with a student.
And that’s just in 24 hours. These stories come out every day! I generally don’t re-post them because we’re not about judging or shaming, but occasionally I feel like shouting from the rooftops, DON’T PEOPLE REALIZE THAT IT’S NOT PEOPLE ON THE REGISTRY COMMITTING THESE CRIMES!?!?!?!
97% of sexual offenses are committed by someone not on the registry. They are committed by people in the military, people in law enforcement, people in your child’s classroom and very sadly and most commonly, people in your home!
Sex offender registries were created in the wake of tragic but incredibly rare occurrences and have fostered a misconception that people on these lists are ultimately going to snatch your kid from a playground. Could you imagine what life would be like if people were instilled with the belief that their child was inevitably going to get killed in front of your house by a recidivist drunk driver? The streets would be empty! Yet the latter scenario is far more likely than the former!
“Police officer”, “teacher”, “uncle”, “sex offender” are useless labels when it comes to protecting our children from sexual abuse. The “sex offender” label only serves to punish the individual after the crime, but does NOTHING to prevent the crime from happening in the first place. Every “sex offender” was a once a “parent”, “child”, “neighbor”, “uncle”, etc.
We agree that sex offenses should be punished appropriately. But the registry is not appropriate – neither for the offender, the victim or the potential victim.
I think that your shout from the rooftop would be more accurate saying that it’s not “registered offenders” committing these crimes. If they did what they are accused of, they are certainly sex offenders.
You are right!
Good, concise read. I could point out all of the good things about it but I have limited time and don’t want to waste yours. So forgive me for just pointing out an issue. You said those people are “sex offenders” and then shortly after said “IT’S NOT SEX OFFENDERS COMMITTING THESE CRIMES”. Probably not really intentional but you called people who are listed on the $EX Offender Registries “SEX OFFENDERS”. I think you should have said something like “IT’S NOT PEOPLE WHO ARE LISTED ON THE $EX OFFENDER REGISTRIES WHO ARE COMMITTING THESE CRIMES”.
Also, I know when the uninformed rubes who support the Registries read things like that they think, “That’s right, because the Registries work.” So that must ALWAYS be addressed. Perhaps follow that statement above with, “Understand that is not because Registries ‘work’, because Registries do nothing beneficial. Facts have clearly shown that Registries do not improve recidivism and they are much worse than just merely worthless.”
The $EX Offender Registries serve no legitimate public safety or law enforcement purpose. They exist for gossip, harassment, and to give shallow-thinking people their jollies and get them off.
Will – you are right – I edited the post. Thanks for pointing out this error
A companion issue:
http://www.govtech.com/public-safety/Police-Hope-Software-Can-Help-Avoid-Losing-Sex-Offenders.html
Supposedly, states are “losing track” of registrants by the thousands. But notice there’s no claim that sex crime is increasing in those states. It’s just another indication that registrants aren’t the ones that the public should be so concerned about. Do a little digging and you’ll find that nearly all sex crime was committed by those without criminal records in the days before the public registry as well.
Anyone can be a sex offender! There is a woman who has created a business of planting files on men’s computers and then taking the computers to the police. Within days of the men’s arrest, she takes everything of value from the man’s house. The police do nothing to stop her from robbing them since she is ‘helping them’. The police even let her continue to drive the car she stole from one of the victims! At least two victims lost over $25,000 each. The money is only part of it. She does this after getting pregnant so she can sell the baby while the man is in jail. The computer scandal is her newest ploy. The first time she shoved the guy out of a car so he went into a coma, then robbed him. This sounds far fetched, so please do comment if you are a journalist or attorney wanting to take on an interesting case and I can provide details. It’s like a real life “Gone Girl”.
Please provide a link to the source of this story. If this story is true, then it needs to be shouted out. Unless there is documentation or credible testimony that this is happening, we do not need stories that are fake news to highlight the already obvious plight and negation of rights of registered citizens.
Thanks Eric! I need an attorney in Illinois interested in persuing this true story. I can provide the evidence. Going to police is fruitless. I can give them the location and license plate of the stolen car and they do nothing. I have court transcripts of ‘closed door’ sessions where defendent and defendent’s lawyer we’re locked out of the courtroom when fake evidence was planted in court record by ‘substitute’ judge. This happened in county with biggest payouts of false convictions in the USA. Help me find a lawyer in Lake County Illinois and I will discuss this with him. The woman started working with prosecutors initially to get off charge of shoving a man out of a car and having him go into a coma.
Link or stop
Well, the good news is that eventually they’ll have everyone in prison for something. (please note the sarcasm…)
These are the places where they should be conducting these sex sting operations to catch real child predators. They would catch many more real child predators if they look for them in the right places, like these, instead of creating situations, like going onto adult sites to pretend to be catching child predators.
The teacher gets 20 months? The Colonel did 6 months? And the guard no time? Am I missing something here?
Indeed – the truth is that Sex offender registries might have started with a valid intention but that has been perverted by law enforcement and politicians (such as career victim Florida Senator Lauren Book) until they are now political tools used to emotionally manipulate the public with lies and punish American citizens who have fully paid their debt and even listed even if their “crime” was victim-less and they present zero threat to anyone.
This needs to be put on billboards and printed in newspapers so that the masses can be told the truth which is as stated above:
“97% of sexual offenses are committed by someone not on the registry. They are committed by people in the military, people in law enforcement, people in your child’s classroom and very sadly and most commonly, people in your home!”
Once you know the truth you realize that sex offender registries are useless punishment which label and create second class citizens and nothing more.
I might add these examples you mentioned will probably be in prison for at least 15 or 20 yrs. if not for life and will never be on a registry. If they are they will be to old to be a threat to anyone.
This is true, except for us in Florida whose name goes on the registry when sentenced. All persons currently in prison for a sexual offence in the state of Florida are on the state registry AND the national one.
Two of the 3 cited articles mention their sentence. Neither the Air Force colonel or teacher will serve more than a few years. They both will be on the registry. The colonel will be on the registry for at least 20 years (Article mentions he’s from NY and his info is not searchable meaning he is classified as a level 1), life if he is classified as predatory. I am unfamiliar with the time for the teacher. There was no mention of the disposition in the ex Correctional officers case. I’m sure his level will be at least a level 2 which puts him on the registry for life.
Steven
Thank you for the correction.
That being so there must be a lot of information concerning these cases that we haven’t been told or there would be public out cry about it as there was in the case of the 67 yr old man in Kansas who was only sent to jail for 6 yrs for inappropriate touching a 14 or 13 yr old ( not sure which one) .
Really though the main problem is with the registry. The blog that likened it to the labeling as was done to Jews in Germany is a perfect example. It was just a simple J . But what was it’s purpose, to single out for discrimination. So even if they simply put on our drivers license a single letter that only law enforcement would recognize it would be for no purpose but to discriminate. For if a police officer sees you doing something suspicious he’s going to ask for your ID. And he’s going to run it. Your criminal history will come up so what is the purpose of an identifier. Nothing but to discriminate and harassment purposes.
The Alabama case is great news but it didn’t go far enough . Any ID identifier is nothing more than discrimination.
The whole question is whether discrimination is legal in this country or not. If it is everyone has a reason to be fearful because. You just might be next.
About the three mentioned above if there is any credit to the judicial system at all I’m sure they will have to undergo extensive psychological therapy and evaluation before they are released from custody, to be sure they are not a threat to anyone else. If that is done the registry is useless.