Comments on: “Abolish the registry,” says headline in Counterpunch

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 18:25:35 +0000

Here’s a suggestion for the homelessness that registries create. Start camping out in the parking lots of the courthouses or police stations where you are required to register. Bring your car, campers, tents what have you. As a taxpayer, you own those facilities. What better way for the police to keep an eye on you, and you have a safe place to live. I wonder how long it would take for laws to change when 100s or thousands of people start living at police stations or courthouses.

By: John C

John C — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 13:34:43 +0000

Never forget that as some have posted, it’s always about the money. The guy that runs the center for exploited children makes over a million a year. I think I know who is being exploited. You have ICE agents making Internet arrests because it’s so easy. They can sit on their butts and get an ISP arrest and search warrant. Then boom, you are done. When I got arrested for viewing pictures, no less than 12 people showed up, all to get a piece of the pie. The FBI, TBI, State Trooper and the local sheriff. These guys are about step removed from the gestapo. They are allowed to get away with it, because they pretend they are helping children, and everyone is on board with that. No politician is going to help, because at the next election, his opponent will gladly point out that he is for letting sexual predators run free and harming your children. Most mindless people will never look at the real truth. So even though they know what total BS this is. very little ever gets done. Now you really want to talk about ripoffs? The court orders therapy for SO’s. These people are the worst. They can’t make it in real life, so they prey on people that have committed sex crimes. They are basically just babysitters that snitch to your PO when you do something wrong, even though therapy is supposed to be confidential. They do nothing to actually help, they just put a band-aid on the problem, and control you, not cure you. Of course they collect money from this, and it is their say so as to whether you are “cured” or not. Since they are making money off of you, do you think you will ever be cured? What a system. If you tell them you have no interest in ever having sex with a child, you are labeled as being in denial, and you need even more help. There is no right answer with them.

By: John C

John C — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 13:19:14 +0000

The registry is so wrong in so many ways I don’t know where to begin. Just the fact that many people hate SO’s, and don’t even care what the crime is makes it a horrible weapon. I am surprised no one has burned a cross on my yard. To add to the problem, anyone that sees you on there knows you are a felon, and felons aren’t allowed to have guns, so you they are telling everyone that you can’t protect yourself from a home invasion. I had a real estate agent that told me the first thing she did when she got a potential listing was to check for SO’s on the registry. Does this show people charged with murder, manslaughter, arson, robbery, etc? Nope. Just us. I interviewed for a job, and disclosed to them that I was a SO, and an ex-felon. They were OK with it. Finally, I got an email from them asking if I were on the registry. I said yes, and never heard another word from them. I have had supposedly good friends turn me down because they don’t want the baggage that goes with me. And yes, I have to pay $150 every year from the honor of being on it. My crime? Looking at underage pictures. Only in America……

By: Justin Wesley

Justin Wesley — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 08:43:43 +0000

I’m in agreement with all that is said here. Unfortunately, I can testify to the fact I have lived 20 years branded as a sex offender from a consensual contact when I was 19 with a 15 yr old that escalated from telling a friend to a teacher to counselor to law enforcement. End game I was convicted. Not knowing the repercussions of the label “sex offender” when I was just starting out in life as an adult. Furthermore, technology was not like today. Internet consisted of AOL dial up. Today public awareness and internet have skewed the entire purpose of SO Registry. over the last 20 years I have lost a job, been publicly humiliated with flyers posted around my neighborhood, been denied jobs, denied a state professional license, currently being threatened at my current employment by an anonymous person leaving my SO Registration flyer in envelopes for management to receive stating if they don’t terminate me they will go public that the company employs a sex offender (bad PR is a BIG risk in my business) with now the most recent episode of spending thousands on a cruise ship reservation 9 months ago to be contacted last week (3 weeks before the departure date) by the cruise lines safety office inquiring they need details of the offense to review before they can decide if they’ll allow me to sail on the cruise ship in 3 weeks. The general public and businesses have taken a SO public awareness registration and turned it into a bible of judging, ridiculing, threatening, firing and humiliating people to what end? It MUST stop! I know everyone that’s on SO registration has experienced exactly what I have endured! I know the general public has no sympathy or even worse feels everyone on SO Registry deserves everything we get! It’s completely WRONG! The SO Registry is a continued lifetime punishment! I was given probation! I served my punishment. Yet 20 years later I live daily continuing to be punished. Whats worse is I was convicted in Wisconsin where they charge $100 annually for SO registration. How is this not an added punishment??? I served my sentence! Yet 20 years later I have to personally visit the local Florida sheriff to Re-Register TWICE a year, notify the sheriff of any plans to leave my residence more than 4 days, have a deputy come by to “verify my address” several times a year so my own children are asking “dad why is a deputy stopping at our house”, Pay $100 annually to be on Wisconsin SO registry where I was convicted and live the public humility of being branded a SO on a registry that offers no details of the offense other than conviction date of 20 years ago.How is this not cruel and unusual punishment?!?! Amazes me when confronted or asked by employers, friends, co-workers and now even cruise lines what the details are and I say I was 19 she was 15 and had consensual contact the reply is the same EVERYTIME! “Are you kidding me?!?! That’s it?!?!” The government wants public awareness with SO Registry??? Put the basic facts! Offender and victims age at time of offense! With consent or without! Or at least violent or non-violent! I don’t know where to begin, but with what I’ve read and there being 850,000 or whatever number, why can’t we form a class action suit to change the law, or abolish the registry???!!! I’ve been told by multiple employment prospects if I wasn’t on SO Registry they would have hired me! What can be done to change this? Whats worse even with the fact my circumstance was non-violent and a difference of 4 years of age when we were both teenagers, I’m sentenced to Lifetime Registration! Something has to be done!

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 04:22:15 +0000

The registry is for profit. Sex offender laws are just building blocks that are a reflection of law makers careers. If they really wanted to eradicate sex crime they would turn there focus on Hollywood and advertising agencies. They are the ones who exploit sex. Some things are meant to be behind closed doors. Sex is no longer sacret but a marketing tool. As the old saying goes good publicity or bad publicity it’s all money.
There is answers to our growing problems. But they don’t care. This is not the America that was founded almost 300 years ago.
Does a cop really want crime to end? He would be out of a job. The government is creating problems so that they can create supply and demand. Does electronic companies really want to build you a device that will last 20 or 30 years. Of course not. They have conditioned us to the point that every 5 yrs we are buying a new device when in fact they can build to last half your life.
No one in the government wants to let their hand off the money. They don’t care about America. They care about the god they worship MONEY. They act but in truth they don’t lose any sleep as they snuggle in the bed that is in their million dollar home
If they were smart they would sware in the country’s most trusted psychologist of sexual deviant behavior and let them model a system that could target potential sex offenders and stop them in their tracks and begin a reform on the potential sex offender.
The SO Registry should be blocked from the public but not law enforcement for the purpose of kidnapped victims. That is the only usefulness of the registry that can be. And all the public needs to know is that a sex offender has moved in your area not his/her address.
Bottom line. … if you should be required to register for life then you shouldn’t be let out to begin with.

By: There is a drunk driving registry....

There is a drunk driving registry.... — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 16:54:02 +0000

…in the state of Ohio (https://ext.dps.state.oh.us/omvi/)

Welcome to Ohio’s Habitual Offender Registry, a database of people who have been convicted at least five times of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and meet certain other criteria established by law.

You can search the Registry using any one (or more) of the above search boxes. For example, you can search by last name only, or by county only. Or you can refine your search by filling in multiple search parameters.

A state law adopted in September 2008 established the Registry, and defined who should be included:

•Anyone with five or more convictions during the past 20 years (at least one of the convictions must be since the law took effect on September 30, 2008).

•The Registry does not include convictions more than 20 years old.

•The Registry does not include deceased people.

•The Registry does not include out-of-state convictions.

•Juvenile offenses are included.

•If a single incident results in multiple impaired driving-related convictions, it is counted as one conviction for purposes of this Registry.

The Registry is compiled from information Ohio courts report to the Ohio Department of Public Safety and will be updated monthly. Click here to see Ohio Revised Code 5502.10, which established the Registry. Click here to see a complete list of offenses that are considered drunken driving-related for purposes of this Registry.

By: Emil S

Emil S — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 06:55:21 +0000

Dear friends,
we need to sue these commercial or for-profit websites that include sex offender registry data available in their websites. For example, website like Homefacts.com.

I’m in NC and if there are others who want to sue these website, may be we can do something about it.

http://californiarsol.org/2014/08/owner-of-websites-loses-case-in-federal-district-court/

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 22:37:17 +0000

In reply to Paul.

That’s what I hope happens but knowing how politicians’ minds tend to operate, I could see them correcting the injustice of putting juveniles on the registry while totally ignoring or making the problem worse for adults. I’m not convinced the public will put 2+2 together since we tend to sympathize with juveniles, in general. But I hope you are right.

By: d

Mon, 11 Apr 2016 06:07:55 +0000

In reply to Paul.

The sex crime hysteria is similar to the “war on drugs” in the way poorly considered laws get passed that do nothing to solve the original problem. Just like sex crimes, many first time drug offenders were/are dealt extremely harsh sentences. There’s as many, if not more, crazy stories of people’s lives being ruined by our stupid drug laws as there are lives being ruined by our stupid sex laws. Finally, now that marijuana is becoming legal, there’s hope for some relief on that front. Of course, now it’s becoming politically fashionable to question putting non-violent drug offenders in prison for long stays. If anybody wants to feel better about being a SO study up on federal drug cases. You would not believe how shady and incredibly dumb the system is. And very, very cruel.

At least the issue of kids being on the registry is getting some attention. No child should ever have been put on a public registry and the fact that over a quarter of SO’s are children just makes the whole registry/sex crime thing seem even more backwards and absurd. I think that abolishing the registry for juveniles will eventually lead to relief for adult registrants. At least it’s the start of a rational conversation about sex crimes.

Just like the drug thing, eventually so many people will be affected that it’ll reach the tipping point and peoples minds will change and the political pendulum will swing away from the extreme position we are dealing with right now. We must stay positive and believe that change is possible. Eventually even the Puritans realized there were no witches.

By: Paul

Paul — Sun, 10 Apr 2016 22:44:14 +0000

In reply to It does advocate on behalf of all impacted, not just kids. I agree with Judith's point on this particular issue. While it is abhorrent that we have not only considered putting juveniles on the registry but enacted that capability, lawmakers can easily use this as a diversionary tactic to correct this injustice while making laws for adults ever more punitive. In other words, while righting one wrong, they could be making another wrong even worse. There is a particular State Senator in my home state whose positions on juveniles and Romeo and Juliet scenarios has softened but he has become even more draconian for adults. Clever politicians always "walk back" their previous stances once their politics runs out of fashion. Many people did not know when the Adam Walsh Act passed that it allowed for juveniles to be placed on registries. Now that the cat has been let out of the bag on that and almost everyone can see the absurdity of doing that, SOME politicians (not all) are trying to make their views seem more current and fashionable. Judith is right; we can't let the rat b*st** politicians to use the issue of juveniles to scapegoat the rest of us.