Sex Offender list

[André Masséna]

I am of the opinion that the Sex Offender list is a bit vague and all encompassing when it really should not be.

I recently found out that an ex-roommate of mine was a registered sex offender, and no one told me the entire time I lived with him. At first I was a bit pissed off that I had lived with a sex offender and no one so much as mentioned it, as it is something most people would like to know. However, after researching my friend's "crime" I found out what he had been in trouble for. He had apparently videotaped someone in the shower, the file article didn't say if it was a boy or girl, when he was 15 years old and had only been charged when he was 18 and found guilty of a FELONY charge by a judge that wanted to make an example of him... Sure, what he did was stupid. But kids do stupid things. I'm sure if someone found out some of the stupid things I did in my youth and then filed charges against me, I'd probably end up with a few months in jail myself. However, not to make excuses for him, I find it highly ridiculous that we list all sex offenders together on a list that can easily be accessed and searched. People who've fondled little kids are on the same standing as a guy who made a dumb decision and video taped somebody as either a joke or simply as a horny teenager. I've heard rumor, though not verified, that urinating in public is enough to get you a sex offender status. It's really a shame my old roommate has been put on the list for 10 years, considering these 10 years are vital for his success in life, I doubt anyone is going to be overly happy to hire a convicted sex offender of any job. Seems like the system needs to be revamped.

[★Bandiera Rossa☭]

also there is the fact that a registered pedophile moved in next door to me and the sex offender websites still haven't showed he lives here yet.

[Hookah Smoking Caterpiller]

Exactly, this is the problem with criminal system that groups all sex offences together, to be honest, minor sex offences such as your example, and solicicting should not be placed on the sex offenders' register, whereas pedophiles and other serious sex offences should be recorded and made avalible to the public (with precations to prevent viglantism, as poor quality newspapers have a tendency to whip up a storm and pitchfork armed masses against pedophiles)

[Justinian]

I just don't buy that making it impossible to get a job and re-integrate into normal society after jailtime, effectively isolating and persecuting "sex offenders" forever. For every pedophile there are a few people who had underage sex or did something stupid but not deserving of the sex offender label.

The more disconnected from society, the more likely to commit further crimes.

[merlinuscdxx]

I just don't buy that making it impossible to get a job and re-integrate into normal society after jailtime, effectively isolating and persecuting "sex offenders" forever. For every pedophile there are a few people who had underage sex or did something stupid but not deserving of the sex offender label.

The more disconnected from society, the more likely to commit further crimes.

QFT, and on the bolded point (emphasis mine), the crime isn't likely to be a "sex offense" (minor-as opposed to an actual sex offense i.e. rape, pedophilia, or other type of sexual assault), but, instead be a theft, robbery, or dealing drugs as the offender is unlikely to be able to find a job and support him/herself legally. Congratulations fear-mongering US media and legislators for turning another kid (albeit somewhat lacking in judgement and common sense- in the case of the OP's roommate) into a career criminal.

[Gelgoog]

I just don't buy that making it impossible to get a job and re-integrate into normal society after jailtime, effectively isolating and persecuting "sex offenders" forever. For every pedophile there are a few people who had underage sex or did something stupid but not deserving of the sex offender label.

The more disconnected from society, the more likely to commit further crimes.

exactly. As a major of criminal justice, I can tell you I absolutely loathe the sex offender registry. Everyone who hears your a sex offender automatically thinks your a pedophilia.

One of my professors who was a lawyer defended a guy who picked up a girl at a bar and they had sex. Turns out she was 17 but got into the bar with a fake ID. The guy being cautious even asked to see her ID to confirm she was of age, and he still got thrown in prison and labeled a sex offender even though he did everything possible to confirm she was of legal age, but he is still considered to have committed statutory rape even though both parties willingly consented. That right there is a miscarriage of justice.

two 17 year old kids losing their virginity to each other is rape? wtf? How about two adults getting it on in public for that voyeurism thrill, thats could be considered an lewd and lascivious or it could end up with them being on the sexual offenders registry. the damn list is so broad that it unjustly ruins the lives of people that for all intensive purposes are neither criminals nor sexual deviants.

its weird that you can be a murderer, do your time and get released and be considered a free man. Yet a sexual offender is branded for life. They might as well kill themselves because they will forever be outcasts in society.

[Da Skinna]

Not all sex offenses are equal.

Some are very wrong and morally deplorable. And others are just very naughty.

[Justinian]

its weird that you can be a murderer, do your time and get released and be considered a free man. Yet a sexual offender is branded for life. They might as well kill themselves because they will forever be outcasts in society.

Yeah, where is the publicly posted, available for all to see, tells you when they move next door "murderer's list"? That's the one I'd really like to see.

[Bovril]

The sex offenders list is not there to inform and protect the public, its there to win votes. People don't have the same perverse facination with straight forward violent criminals as they do with sex offenders, plus there's not so much of a "think of the children!!!" atitude involved, so the tabloids don't run the campaigns and you don't get to know when some one with a string of convictions for assaulting neighbours moves in next door.

[Gelgoog]

our justice system really is broken, it doesn't take a college degree to figure it out. Re-integrating convicts into society and the sexual offenders list are two mutually exclusive notions. You will never have a sexual offender reintegrate into society. I am surprised we haven't turned these people into domestic terrorists by now. I could certainly understand if they were to take out their hatred of their mistreatment.

[Old_Scratch]

I regret ever looking at the sex offender list. I never knew there were so many molesters around. Anyway, I agree that there are crimes that are unrightfully labled as a sex offence, in the legal sense. That kid who was "sexting" was put on the sex offenders list.

[the Black Prince]

Thankfully, I'm very glad that in the UK, the details of the register is only published in very specific circumstances to specific people, not the whole public because it serves no purpose.

As people have previously said, there are degrees of sex offending and a world of difference between someone who urinates in public to an underage boy who has consensual intercourse with his underage girlfriend to a 65 yr old flasher to a 45yr old child rapist. But all are on the same list and treated by central government exactly the same.

All our schedule 1 offenders, prevented from adopting and being school governors. If they ever ended up in care proceedings, the court can refuse to place their own child with them for that reason. All our on the DCSF's list 99 and therefore prevented from ever working with children for life, inc being involved in a youth project etc. Even though even the police would say that a great many people on the register pose absolutely no threat to children what so ever.

Our sex offender laws are a mess and a joke. They represent a populist knee jerk reaction that does bugger all to address the real problems posed by child sex offenders in an attempt to appear tough on crime to a hysterical tabloid press.

[Desperado †]

Pedo-phobia has gone too far. It creates massive barriers in communities. If everybody talked to each other more, and was more friendly, and kids were not told to 'not talk to strangers' but rather to think carefully and on your feet, the community would be far safer. Having everybody behind locked doors in silent neighbourhoods, where nobody knows who's kid belongs to who and who's your neighbour means that pedophiles and other criminals have it far easier. And all the while that we lock our kids inside we don't realise they're sticking enough info on the internet for a pedophile to track their day to day lives. We fear to send them down to the post office or to play in the park, and so they socialise on the internet which is far easier to watch. If everybody knew everybody, people would look out for each other more, and somebody might ring Janice if her daughter seemed to be leaving with an unfamilliar man.

It's one thing which saddens me to see the loss of religion in some areas, as Churches and Chapels are left abandoned that once served as constant meeting points for the community.

[the Black Prince]

hear hear!

And of course, locking ou children away and wrapping them up in cotton wool does far more damage than merely potentially exposing them to online paedophiles.

[Wilder]

In new Orleans it is a sex crime to pee in public, which I think is a bit unfair. I mean the French quarter is just one enormous urinal. What else are you going to do in that hell hole?

[Exarch]

it's just another example of how politicians want to appear 'tough' on sex crimes so they do something so epically stupid

[Ältester der Motten]

I hoped people would rather mention rape as a negative example of really bad sex offenses.


What are our societies coming to?

[Viking Prince]

A very obvious miscarriage of justice in Colorado -- prosecuting the annual naked pumpkin run in Boulder:

ACLU lobbying for changes in nudity laws : County News : Boulder ...
Apr 26, 2009 ... Only in Boulder. However it is absurd to tag someone with a sex offender for life moniker for stupidly participating in a Naked Pumpkin run ...

[jankren]

Sex offence is overrated.

[Ältester der Motten]

Sex offence is overrated.

This is also a valid point.



It should also be noted that it is much rather the prejudgemental person's fault if he automatically considers any and all "sex offenders" a serial rapist without any remorse.

Next time just take the words for what they are, not by what they could possibly, in some very particular circumstances, by vague chance potentially mean.
Sex offender just means he's been convicted for any offense that might have been considered sexual indecency wherever he was convicted. Big ing deal.