Sex Offenders in your Area? [Archive] - MysticWicks Online Pagan Community and Spiritual Sanctuary

Laiste

February 1st, 2002, 06:45 PM

While I don't know what the specific statistics for sex offenders not committing the crime again are...I would not count on them getting "treatment"! I would not want to take the chance! I would not go to their door...but at least I would be aware of the potential situation and be prepared!!! I have a young child and I am a woman who is home alone at night...so I worry about these things...to me sites like this provide very usefull information! You can never be too carefull!!

And who sounds "like a bunch of old hens"...the people on the sites or the people posting in this thread or both??!!

I don't know if you ever knew a child who was molested or raped or sexually abused in any way (or an adult for that matter!!) But I find your "old hens" statement highly offensive! If I took you the wrong way then my apologies!

seawitch

February 1st, 2002, 07:25 PM

imo.
i have been raped 3 times in my life. and not once by a regestered offender. the only guy that was procecuted was found not guilty because i was a slut in my youth.
i have 2 daughters of my own and nobody loves their children more than i do, and i work hard to keep them safe and educated. if i knew my neighbor to be a sex offender. i would just warn my child extra carefuly about that person.
and when i am home alone on the long winter nights i lock my door and sleep a little lighter
i check the regester once a year or so.
i am much to busy with my own life too worry about my neighbors.
sadly i don't think their is a person alive that doesn't know a child or someone, who hasn't been victimized in some way. but we can't hide in our homes, checking the net, for the next scary person to move in next door.
treatment in alaska is done before a person is released and adminstered by the state.
does every murderer of drug dealer have to check in with the state? no
and i fear the drug dealer more than the pervert
just my opinion

Danustouch

February 1st, 2002, 08:32 PM

Making this information available to parents, is not a witchhunt. Because nobody is saying that these sex offenders cannot be free to live their life, hold jobs, have houses, throw parties, or anything else. It is merely about providing parents with "Options".

For instance, say you used to allow your child to wait at the corner of your street to catch the school bus, with their friends. This provides you with the option to either choose NOT to do so from now on, or to at least make sure SOMEONE is keeping an eye on the kids, or to at least poke your head out of the curtains to check up on them.

Or..say your child plays at your friends house, two houses over. But...you call to check up on the child, and you hear that she left their house an hour ago. Well..this would give the police at least a CLUE of ONE thing that they could try to rule out.

Or, say you allow your daughter, and her friends, to go door to door to sell girlscout cookies, but only on your street, since you "Think" you know your neighbors. Well..now you may think twice, won't you?

The point is, it is far better to be safe, than sorry.

Incidentally, the statistics show that VERY few sex offenders have been able to stop their behavior after "Treatment". That is why there are so many "repeat" offenders. Even the much touted chemichal castration "treatment", has failed in most cases, because molestation and rape, are more about "power" then about sexual urge.

Pagecrd

February 1st, 2002, 10:33 PM

that it only takes 2 minutes to check the registry and as a parent i feel it is my profound duty to take what ever measures are necessary to protect my children from a possible danger. if that means checking my registry once a week than so be it. I also take the time to meet every parent and visit every home my child enters before they do. Not only that i join as many community groups as possible and accompany my children to every school event. I love my babies and its sad that some people dont find the time to check into these things. I personally know 3 offenders who were "treated" and or "rehabilitated" only to be back in prison now for the same crime. so no i do not believe that a majority of these people can be rehabilitated....

*goes to the offender site now* heehee

Pagecrd

February 1st, 2002, 10:36 PM

is a big difference between dealers, murderers, and offenders. sex offenders are sick and commit their crimes to release sick urges. the drug dealer commits his crime for money....im much more worried about the sick sex offender

Danustouch

February 1st, 2002, 10:55 PM

not to be nitpicky, since I do agree with most of your post, pagecrd. However, I have to make one small comment about that whole.."To release sexual urges" thing. That is not always, and in fact, rarely the case. Usually, in psychoanalytical studies of sex offenders, there is an underlying reason for their behavior, having nothing to do with sexual urge, but everything to do with a need to feel powerful, and dominant. And of course, children are the obvios target for such psychological needs, since they are innocent, and unable to defend themselves against it.

seawitch

February 1st, 2002, 11:11 PM

i wonder if the majority are criminaly insane sex freaks.
or young men 18 to 20 something with 15 year old girlfrinds, and realy angery parents

mol

February 1st, 2002, 11:23 PM

Believe it or not. Some sex offenders do get treatment and it does help them.

There are just some people who dont want to change. Thats the key point. Want.

Danustouch

February 1st, 2002, 11:30 PM

okkkkkkkkkkkkk..so a 20 something year old man somehow has the right to be sexually involved with a 15 year old??????? whoah..well..now THAT is new.

Anyway...this might shed a little light on the subject, some statistics.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/crimoff.htm#sex
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/soo.htm
http://www.prevent-abuse-now.com/stats.htm
http://www.pedowatch.org/pedowatch/stats.htm

Laiste

February 1st, 2002, 11:33 PM

Mol, what you say is true!!

So what we as parents and caregivers have to do is EVERYTHING we can to protect ourselves and our children from those who don't want to change!!! No one has the right to tell us we are doing something wrong by simply accessing all our means or protection!!

Danustouch

February 1st, 2002, 11:33 PM

Yes..there are some who have been rehabilitated. According to the research sites I just visited, mainly because of the shame of the public trial, and having their name and picture plastered all over the place.

Yet, then again, since a very large percentage of sex crimes go unreported, perhaps even some of those rehabilitated cases may have simply been..."not caught again yet" cases.

Laiste

February 1st, 2002, 11:45 PM

Danustouch,

I can understand when people freak over young teens dating older guys...but each situation is different! When I was 15 I met my husband. He was 23 at the time...he would not date me, no matter how hard I tried!! Finally when I was 20 we started to date! Well, for some men maybe they don't want to wait for the girl to get older like he did! I can understand this from personal experience. Yes he was a grown man...but at 15 a lot of girls are women!! Young women...but still women and some of them are mature enough to make the choice. Honestly not trying to argue...Just thought I'd share another view point

Danustouch

February 1st, 2002, 11:59 PM

Laiste, I can understand your situation. When I was 15, I met and fell in love with a 26 year old man. And thought he was deeply in love with me, as well. Unfortunately, he DIDNT have the patience and restraint that your husband did. And my parents found out, and completely freaked (understandably), and threaghtened him with the law.

However, now that I am older, and able to view that time in my life with clear, and unclouded vision, i see WHY my parents freaked out.

When you are 15 years old, you may THINK you are an adult, but the truth is, you have so much developing yet to do. You haven't worked, in most cases, you haven't ever lived on your own, you've barely BEGUN to date, you haven't completed your education (and we all know what a distraction love can be to an education..if I had a penny for every time i wrote letters to my boyfriend in class.....). Etc. Not to mention, the fear of me getting pregnant. A 15 year old, in most cases, is just at the very BEGINNING of finding out who she is. A 20 something year old man, in most cases, has a pretty good idea of who he is.

I remember thinking about attending the Winter Formal dance. He didn't want to go, because a)at that point, we were still hiding our romance and b)because he would feel so awkward, and out of place. And yet, because of me being who I was, I wouldn't go without him. So..I missed out on that experience. Which, is one of those many experiences in Highschool, which could make your memories so precious.

So...looking back, I wonder why I ever thought it was "ok". It wasn't. The FEELINGS weren't wrong. You can't help who you are attracted to, or who you love. But you can certainly see that in some situations ACTING upon those feelings is wrong.

My relationship with this man, cost me many valuable years with my parents, because of the problems it caused between them and I. It cost me their trust. I missed out on so much time with my friends, who were all going out with their "normal" boyfriends, to movies, and school events. I had to skip classes, to see him. And even if I hadn't been forbidden to see him, i remember how I was at 15. I was so caught up in Love, that I'd never have been able to concentrate on my education, or find out who I was, or explore who I was, my only thought at that point, would have been the next time I could see him again.

A 15 year old girl, has her whole life ahead of her. So much to discover, so much to experience. Dating a man so much older than she, could create roadblocks to all of that.

Incidentally, I am now 26, and have been married for two years to my husband, who is 39. However, I was 24 when I met him, already lived on my own since I was 20, gone to college, dated lots of men, and had a firm grasp on who I was. So that, is a completely differen't story :)

Twilight Garden

February 2nd, 2002, 12:38 AM

I think this is an intriguing thing to be aware of. Reguardless of the nature of the crime. I also understand that you should try to do everything in your capability to keep your child safe. Now I'm not saying "Don't let them ride their bike around the block." But just to be aware of what's going on around your child.

My step-daughter used to go to a private baptist :rolleyes: school and the Vice Principal was charged with molestation of a minor. Now it was with a consenting high school student, but still... Yuck! The VP of my 7yo (at the time) step-girl...

Also this same girl goes to Germany twice a year to visit her mom. The mom lives in a large apartment complex overseas in a not great neighborhood. We are not allowed to pry into what goes on over there. We just have to trust that everything is under control.

What I'm getting at is that: It's nice to be aware of what's going on around you, but you can't always do a whole heck of a lot. AND just because you do know what's going on doesn't mean you have to become an overbearing military leader either instead of a parent. Just being aware and doing your best is something to be proud of, not something to defend.

Enough of my verbal diarrhea...:)

Pagecrd

February 2nd, 2002, 12:11 PM

and sad that some people are that way. And it is true that many of them do these things for dominance. We have always tried to protect our children and so we never let anyone but family watch them. Turns out that even family can be sick and twisted as my family is finding out. Not all offenders will register with the registry and so we cant always know who's doing these things and whos not. My sister married a man we thought was wonderful, a great father and very hard working. He was a model parent always involved. Then one day after 7 years of having him in our family the police show up at the door and arrest him for raping a 5 yr old child. After questioning our children and my sisters children they found out that he also did the same to my neice when she was 3. My neice was too afraid to tell anyone because he told her we wouldnt love her anymore and we'd send her to live far away. He didnt rape my neice but he did force her to perform oral sex on him. The crime is the same. I feel for her and hr mom as my daughter endured surgery and the possibility of never having children when she grows up due to sexual abuse. It is my biased opinion that people who commit crimes against children shouldnt be given the chance to prove they are rehabilitated. My sisters x is due to be released in 2051 he will be 93 if he lives that long. I feel differently about the 20 yr old who has sex with a fifteen year old tho because many times these situations are consented. not saying i wouldnt be irate. I would be. actually id probably like to remove certain parts...heehee but thats a different story.

Pagecrd

February 2nd, 2002, 12:14 PM

anyway my sisters xhusband had already served 3 years in prison for the same crime 2 years before he met my sister. he was released early on parole because he was "rehabilitated"...some rehabilitation there. michigan has some very shotty laws tho as it is.

amberlaine

February 2nd, 2002, 02:50 PM

Ugh. I have mixed feelings about this.

Over all, though, I really do think that once someone has served their time, they should be reinstated as full citizens of this country with the rights that entails, which includes a right to privacy.

Especially since our legal system is not perfect, and people are sometimes convicted of crimes they did not commit.

I"m a parent, too, and I do see why people feel so passionately about this, but....

Me, I"m wary of everybody. I see everyone as a potential sex offender--and no, I'm not kidding. I dno't trust anybody I dont know, and I only trust the people I do know so far. I keep a very watchful eye on my little one, and I'm already tlaking to her (she's 3) about what is private, where she should never be touched, and what to do if someone touches her in a palce she shouldn't be touched. (NOt that it's much of an issue anymore, since I"m home with her all the time now)

But, no, I don't think I"m in favor of this sex offender registration thing. I think it's a violation of civil liberties.

mol

February 2nd, 2002, 03:04 PM

Originally posted by Pagecrd
is a big difference between dealers, murderers, and offenders. sex offenders are sick and commit their crimes to release sick urges. the drug dealer commits his crime for money....im much more worried about the sick sex offender

I take a look at the schools todays and I would say over half the kids are strung out...

You better start worrying a little more about the dealers as well, because at this rate there wont be enough brain cells pooled all together to run this country in about 30 to 40 years.

The dealers who are selling coke, crank, and crack to our children are as sick as the individuals that would put their hands on them.

amberlaine

February 2nd, 2002, 03:05 PM

oh, i hate it when i have to agree with mol.

Yvonne Belisle

February 2nd, 2002, 06:15 PM

I tend to think of the Jews who had to register and how when people wanted a group to persicute they were so easy to find. I beleive it is important to teach your children about safe touches and bad touches and the lines that are used on kids. They need to know that you will stand behind them and if someone says that if your kid tells they will hurt you that it won't happen. What happens when your kid goes missing because some drifter picked them up but you are busy harrassing the nieghbor with the cops? The police have a list they check it automatically when there is a potential problem. There are porobably more that are not registered or caught than you will ever know about. It can be anyone from anywhere. Some pidly little list of the ones that got caught isn't going to protect your kids. YOU ARE WHAT PROTECTS THEM! The knowledge that you give them is thier weapon but if you hand them too much it gives them a person to blame if they do something stupid. How about the kid who finds out they are pregnant and doesn't want thier boyfriend blamed gee Mr. _____ down the street is a bad person mom told me so it won't matter if they get blamed. When a kid is scared they grab at straws lives have been ruined by this kind of thing. I know someone who had documentation that he was in the hospital as in admitted to at the time he was accused of having sexually molested a minor. He is in jail currently because the jury didn't care he has mental problems therefore he must be guilty the kid must have gotten the days mixed up is how it was justified. He will have to register when he gets out for a crime he didn't commit. He is the exception the majority are guilty but that doesn't mean that everyone should know who they are or where. How about the idea of AIDS patients registering??? Same thing it's a good idea in many cases but by the same token bad. Good in that there are plenty of people that are infected that don't tell thier partners. Yet if forced to register they could be kept from employment and a lot of other things. It has too much potential for abuse I don't personally think any group should be forced to register. They tend to become targets when people are looking for people to hate.

Danustouch

February 2nd, 2002, 06:27 PM

Well..as you said..the wronfully accused in sexual abuse statistics, ARE in the minority. And furthermore, I think there is a HUGE difference in asking the Jews to register in WWII, and asking AIDS patients to register, as opposed to making it mandatory for a sex offender to register.

A)Jews had no control over who they were. It was their HERITAGE, not a Choice they made, and not a choice which harmed others.

B)AIDS patients are often not responsible for the virus they've contracted. And many of them go to great lengths, once they are aware of their disease, to prevent passing it on to others. The majority of Aids transmissions (at this point), happen when people do not know they have AIDS, and unknowingly pass it on. It is not the same as deliberately choosing to harm another human being.

So..having a sex offender register, is quite another ball of wax. As when they made the choice to deliberately harm another human being, they were probably well aware of the ramifications of their action, (being found out, having the media know the persons name, etc) and yet, they do it anyway. Yet, then they whine about their "Privacy" later???????? Gee..I don't know. I was always told to think about the consequences of my actions before I did them, while i was growing up. And be sure before you act, that you are willing to deal with all of the consequences.

Anyway..i'm getting a liiiiiiiiiiitle bit worked up here...so..im just going to say that I VEHEMENTLY disagree with the thought that making sex offenders register, is wrong.

Laiste

February 2nd, 2002, 07:01 PM

Well said Danustouch!! I agree with all of your statements above!!

I don't understand where the notion comes from that people, like me, who check out these sites, want to cause problems for the convicted felons or use these sites as the ONLY means of protecting our children. This is absolutly NOT true, for me anyway! Of course I teach my child about the horrors of the world we live in!! I have been doing this since he was very young and each year as he grows I add more things that are on his level! And to be quite honest I don't give a hoot about the rights of those who commit these horrific crimes...just my opinion!!

Yvonne Belisle

February 2nd, 2002, 07:31 PM

Then make it for all crimes none of the jerks who raped me were prior offenders the sob that picked a friends daughter up and molester her was not a prior offeneder and they wasted hours looking at the locals. If you teach your kids not to walk at the edge of the road and not to walk up to a car that has someone asking for directions. If you teach them not to go into peoples homes without you there unless it is someone you have already approved of. If you do not let your kids go out alone to sell candy or cookies door to door then the odds of them being a victem of this type of behavior is drastically reduced.

As for AIDS being different no it's not because no matter how many responsible people are out there you can't take into the numbers the hookers and drug users that don't care about anyone but themselves. Thier clients if they are hookers have the right to chose life right? Should these women and men be registered so thier clients know they are hiring thier deaths? It's a contraversial subject with strong emotions on all sides.

As for the Jews YES MY FAMILY AND EVERY OTHER JEW had the ability to hide and chose not to many thought that there was no harm in it. They did have a choice and it is a choice nsomething they were forced to be they chose to be jewish they chose to follow the way of thier parents. They knew there were other religions out there but they chose to stay true to what they believed in.

A sexual molester often comes from a number of backgrounds.
sick people that do it because they want to
people that are mentally defeciant and don't know beter
people that are genuinely attracted to children this could be an imbalance or it could be choice they may be afraid of adults I don't know I am not in thier heads

Point is everything in life is a choice and a risk. You walk outside there is risk you eat something you drink something there is risk. You chose what to do and by having information you can make the risk lesser or greater.

How about registering the drug dealers and pushers and runners ect that are poisoning and killing our kids with far greater numbers than the molester. How about the killers that are released after thier jail time if they didn't get life or leathal then guess what they are out there too. How about the juvie that does those things and doesn't have to register because he or she was under age? We don't have enough cops to take care of crime as is you want them to try to track down some guy who didn't register rather than catch the creep that killed the nieghbor down the street or sold your friends kids or your kids drugs? It's too easy to dissapear or buy a new identity in this day and age. If they don't want to be found odds are they won't and not a single person out there can look at a person and know that they ae wanted and for what. They are out there and it doesn't matter about the ones you know they are being watched it's the ones you don't so what do you do about it lock your kids up lock yourself up and don't interact with the world?? The only protection is teaching how to be as safe as you can in this world and going from there.

Laiste

February 2nd, 2002, 07:50 PM

Again, I haven't seen one person here say that they are relying on these sites to protect their children and all agree that you have to teach the children how to protect themselves! As far as drug dealers and other felons being on sites like these...who know perhaps one day they will be! Whether a person is listed on a site or not the local police departments are aware of these idividulas with convictions and when a crime of any type is commited they will look into known felons in the area who may fit the profile! This is unfortuantly can sometimes be a waste of time and perhaps some drifter will get away, but, unfortunatly it's just the way the law works. There is no easy way, unfortunatly, to go about it!

Like everyone here has said the best way is to teach our children how to protect themselves from all these crimes. This won't always work but at least we know we tried everything within our power to avoid it.

Danustouch

February 2nd, 2002, 09:04 PM

The sad thing about Child Molestation, and Rape, is that they so often go unreported by the victims, that it is really difficult to tell in many cases, whether an offender had a previous record, or not.

Danustouch

February 2nd, 2002, 09:08 PM

Oh..and Yvonne..

As for the Jews YES MY FAMILY AND EVERY OTHER JEW had the ability to hide and chose not to many thought that there was no harm in it. They did have a choice and it is a choice nsomething they were forced to be they chose to be jewish they chose to follow the way of thier parents. They knew there were other religions out there but they chose to stay true to what they believed in.

ummmmmmmm...what I meant by that was that Jew's have no choice in being BORN a Jew. They could choose to hide it....buttttt..they have no choice, in being born into that heritage, and that religion. And the religion causes no harm to others....so it is vastly differen't. Oy..i am so staying out of this freaking thread from now on..I am sick and tired of being misunderstood, and cannot wait until mercury retrograde passes.

Yvonne Belisle

February 2nd, 2002, 09:18 PM

Danu I still think you are a great person I just happen to disagree that they should be required to register. Reality is every neighborhood most likely has at least one most that no one knows of. People should behave accordingly.

mol

February 2nd, 2002, 10:46 PM

Originally posted by Danustouch

Anyway..i'm getting a liiiiiiiiiiitle bit worked up here...so..im just going to say that I VEHEMENTLY disagree with the thought that making sex offenders register, is wrong.

And I VEHEMENTLY disagree with you.

And you make it sound as if someone shouldnt be passionate about civil liberties (no matter what.) There is another side of the coin. No one is saying YOU are wrong. I am not even saying YOU are wrong. I am saying anything that takes away civil liberties is wrong in my eyes. The judges (IMO) should have to sentence registration. Even better yet, why dont you think about another solution...longer prison terms for repeat offenders which is actually in action right now. Someone who serves time...should get the chance to be free after paying that price.

Anyway, I am going to bow out of this discussion as it leaves an awful taste in my mouth. I will say that I am on the forefront with the ACLU for battling against this.

And so now I bow out...have fun.

Myst

February 2nd, 2002, 10:52 PM

Originally posted by amberlaine
Me, I"m wary of everybody. I see everyone as a potential sex offender--and no, I'm not kidding. I dno't trust anybody I dont know, and I only trust the people I do know so far. I keep a very watchful eye on my little one, and I'm already tlaking to her (she's 3) about what is private, where she should never be touched, and what to do if someone touches her in a palce she shouldn't be touched. (NOt that it's much of an issue anymore, since I"m home with her all the time now)

I'm unsure about the entire topic but what you said is how I plan to act with my children as well.

Yvonne Belisle

February 3rd, 2002, 01:09 AM

I'm really sorry so many of you disagree with me on this issue but we each have to have our own opinions and feelings or we would not be individuals.

I am against it for the following reasons and I am stating this because someone told me I wasn't that clear on why.

They have served thier time if they were not ready to be part of society they should not have been freed.

People become complacent thinking that they know who to watch out for.

THey become scape goats for any related crime. The person who assaulted the kid could have been a drifter but that won't keep thhe attacks and rocks from a known offender that is innocent. Just look at the muslims that have been attacked for the world trade center before you say it doesn't happen.

Also as Mol pointed out it is against civil liberties and when you take away one groups rights it becomes easier to remove the rights of another.

Children should be cautious of all people just because a person isn't on the list doesn't mean they haven't done it or won't.

Valoe

February 3rd, 2002, 04:42 AM

Yvonne - I agree with all you say; there are other very good reasons too.

A while ago one of our tackier newspapers got on a crusade and published photos of registered sex offenders. The police were furious as it meant that some of them moved/hid - the police were quite clear that they preferred to know where they are so that they could be aware of risks (for instance if one started hanging around a school, or looking for voluntary work with children). The other major problem with this was the vigilante mentality that some people got into and more than one person was harrassed or assaulted - and were *not* the person in the paper - just looked like them.

There is a difference between types of sex offenders: as has been pointed out, rapists are about power and the abuse of it. Paedophiles have a sexual orientation to children - this can not be changed but they can (with treatment) take control over acting on their orientation. There are paedophiles who have never acted on their feelings. I think it is unhelpful to have them all on the same register (BTW, here in the UK, registration is automatic on conviction). There was a case recently where a teenage boy was prosecuted for rape - it emerged that the girl (who was a similar age) had changed her mind at the last possible moment. While I would defend any girls right to say no, this seems grossly unfair for a young man who didn't have the control or experience to deal with the situation. Yet he will be on the register with paedophiles and violent rapists (I believe an appeal is still on the cards)

amberlaine

February 3rd, 2002, 10:35 AM

What's the point of even having sex offenders serve prison terms if we're just going to penalize and stigmatise them for the rest of their lives *anyway*? If prison is supposed to be punishment, then how can we justify continual punishment after they supposedly are "off punishment"?

Why don't we just make them wear scarlet letters on their chest so we can identify them immediately without having to look it up on some register?

In my opinion, something has to give. Either they are citizens of the country upon being released from jail, in which case their civil liberties should be reinstated, or instead of sending them to jail, we should just tatoo "sex offender" on their forehead and be done with it.

*shrug*

and as for this...

And to be quite honest I don't give a hoot about the rights of those who commit these horrific crimes...just my opinion!!
That's the crux of the problem. It doesn't matter if you care about their rights or not. The fact is, as citizens of this country, they have rights. Period. If you're worried about your kid being abused by a sex offender, then you take it upon *yourself* to educate your child, and to protect your child--within the limits of your rights. Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins.

Elida

February 6th, 2002, 03:50 AM

Anyone with kiddies should take note.

Flar's Freyja

February 6th, 2002, 06:25 AM

I cannot seem to copy SeaWitch's post stating that most sex offenders do not reoffend after treatment:

Unfortunately, they do. Many just learn how not to get caught again. The prognosis for recovery is poor. The issue is not whether they have received treatment while incarcerated - it's whether they continue their aftercare when they are released. In my state, offenders are frequently released to their home environments where no treatment is even available due to geographic location and transportation issues.

There are multitudes who haven't ever gotten caught and are not going to be on any list, anywhere. The best precaution is to supervise your children, have good communication with them and to be educated in regard to the issue. Many, many offenders are the wonderful guy next door who has a beautiful family and is active in the community.

Also - it should be kept in mind that some states, such as mine, require that a person register as an offender for crimes such as "lewd conduct" - which might simply mean that he took a piss in public! I once had a client who was registered because he had sex with a 15 year old when he was 19 and her parents pressed charges. Although Megan's law is a good one, it has its faults.

Laiste

February 6th, 2002, 08:22 AM

These stats are compiled from the US Department of Justice.

http://www.pedowatch.org/pedowatch/stats.htm

Laiste

February 6th, 2002, 08:26 AM

Myths about sex offender registries...

http://www.pedowatch.org/pedowatch/registries.htm

It's for reasons like these that I don't concider registries my only source for protecting my child.

Twilight Garden

February 6th, 2002, 12:25 PM

Originally posted by amberlaine
What's the point of even having sex offenders serve prison terms if we're just going to penalize and stigmatise them for the rest of their lives *anyway*? If prison is supposed to be punishment, then how can we justify continual punishment after they supposedly are "off punishment"?

Why don't we just make them wear scarlet letters on their chest so we can identify them immediately without having to look it up on some register?Actually, in most states, if you know the person's name you can look up their entire record on-line. Not just sex offenders, but EVERYTHING. Drugs, ticket, car accidents, being sued by anyone, child custody... ANYTHING that goes through a court system. You simply go to states Dept of Corrections website or A county's Clerk of Court website. Some smaller counties may not have a Court website yet, but anyone who's been through a correctional facility for any reason can usually be found on a State site. This only works though if you know a person's name. Still, even just being accused is on record, even if they are found not guilty.

MammaStar

June 12th, 2002, 02:40 PM

Our school district just sent a note home with the kids.

Apparently a guy has moved back to town. I was just getting ready to do my "monthly" check too. :eek:

amberwolf

September 15th, 2002, 02:29 PM

:( I just wish there was such a register here that we could check
My kids would have been so much safer and all the other kids too...........The law stinks there are these monsters about and youhavnt a clue who they are or where they are its all wrong
It wouldnt be a witch hunt you would just know who to keep your kids away from ..............Sorry this subject just makes my blood boil
BB Amber
:mad:

Marchosias

December 5th, 2002, 09:07 PM

GoddessofWisdom

December 12th, 2002, 04:40 PM

Originally posted by seawitch
so what do you do when you find out that your neighbor is a sex offender?
i keep my child out of strange homes if at all possible, but as she gets older that will be harder and harder to do.
and sex offenders don't just prey on children.
would you go to their home and confront them?
and after a person gets out of jail and completes their probation aren't they deserving of another chance in society?
most offenders don't reoffend if they get treatment before being released.
it just sounds like a bunch of old hens to me.

OK here's the deal. While not all sex offenders are reoffeners ALOT are. They don't release the info to the public so that you can bang down their doors or harass them but if a child goes missing it the offenders houses that are checked IMMEDIATELY!!!!

Do you know how many children were found bc of this law????

It isn't a bunch of "old hens" It parents being equipt with information that helps protect their children!

izzy

May 3rd, 2003, 03:34 AM

I'm pretty lucky, we recently moved out this new place in Feb and in March received a note in the mail leting us know that one was in our area. So I assume they let us know through mail if & when we have one in our area but thanks for the sites, it's good to know. Even though I don't have any children you just never know.

Lady Tana

June 22nd, 2003, 10:33 AM

Just my 2cents here... my x is listed on the search base for my area.. now i knew he was a 'registered' offender when we first met, he explained it all to me and even let me read the court papers in regards to the case. As i have 2 kids i did investigate further and found out what he was telling was the truth,

he is listed as an offender because of her parents being mad... she was 16 he was 19.

something held over his head forever

he does admit responsibility for knowing that she was 'underage' and still having 'relations' with her, but IMHO this situation was ludicrous (sp)

so my 2cents is just this... remember just because you see a name dosent mean they are a terrible horrible person remember there are LEVELS for a reason

the best protection you can have is education! teach your kids that not everyone in the world is your friend, use caution and common sense!

and yes... i do still check the registry to see.... for MY peace of mind

Ren

July 2nd, 2003, 10:28 PM

I do think that the registry is a good idea, but its what you do with the information that determines its effectiveness.

I moved into my current house when I was four. Years later, I found out there was a registered sex offender on my street, from my father who mentioned it in passing. My immediate reaction was shock, and slight indignation that he hadn't said anything sooner. I mean, c'mon, who knew what could have happened?!

My father just kinda looked at me, and said "If you did know who it was, what would you do differently?" Probably passes judgement on him before meeting him. My parents always watched us when we were kids, and kept tabs on where we were. I never would have gone into this persons house - not because he was a sex offender, or scary looking - but because thats the way I was raised.

Bottom line is that I think its a good idea, but shouldn't base a person on it. I am sure I have met this person through block parties, fundraising and the like, and I use the same judgement with him as I would any other new person. I guess I don't think it's fair that a person serves jail time and then automatically gets judged before anyone meets them.

Just my $.02

MystIc_WolF

July 16th, 2003, 02:28 PM

www.geocities.com/pacp18505

Has a searchable database of Sex offenders in your area.

I don't know about you all, but that site seems pretty extremist christian to me. It amazes me that those people can't keep their religion out of anything, to the point that they call video games marketed to people in their late teens and older the work of the devil. The idea that children can buy GTA 3 and the like is ludicrous. I'm 16, I've tried buying M rated games before, and they carded me without even asking how old I was or anything.-
MW

Ravens_Tears

July 16th, 2003, 05:42 PM

I don't know about you all, but that site seems pretty extremist christian to me. It amazes me that those people can't keep their religion out of anything, to the point that they call video games marketed to people in their late teens and older the work of the devil. The idea that children can buy GTA 3 and the like is ludicrous. I'm 16, I've tried buying M rated games before, and they carded me without even asking how old I was or anything.-
MW

Ok, no offense intended, but there are limited places on the net that you can actually report child porn and have something done about it or find proper information about child abuse/molestation /paedophilia. The more pro-active sites out there, the better. I don't believe this is the proper thread to make your opinion of Christianity known.

MystIc_WolF

July 16th, 2003, 07:44 PM

Sorry, maybe I went a bit overboard in that post. All I was saying was that it is possible to be overprotective. I mean the idea that a reputable merchant would sell a minor an M rated game is rediculous. For the main reason that most merchants like to keep from getting sued or in legal trouble if at all possible.-
MW

Ravens_Tears

July 16th, 2003, 07:49 PM

TarotDoctor

October 10th, 2003, 11:11 PM

THANK YOU!!!
Holy crap I just found out there is an offender who lives 2 BLOCKS from me.....
i would not have known about this...so thanks again

spandie

November 16th, 2003, 08:04 AM

Ok, first off i don't have any children. So i can't speak with any real authority as to how to deal with knowing your living near someone who is on the list. Its such a difficult subject. In this country we don't have the access to where these people live like they do in the US. Even though a lot of people including the parents of Sarah Payne (an 8 year old girl killed by a sex offender a few years go) tried to get 'sarahs law' (the same as Megans law) into force here.

I just think that information on where they live should be made public but only to people who need to know...i don't think just anyone can find addresses of the internet...After the death of Sarah Payne there was this huge wave of public anger (understandably) but i didn't agree with the national media printing the addresses of these people in their papers and not surprisingly they didn't get all the addresses correctly and innoncent people took their own lives as 100's of 'vigilantes' were trying to knock their doors down in the mistaken belief they were paedophiles and where stupid people thought 'paediatricians' was another word for 'paedophiles' and they were also attacked at their home and at work.

I am a total believer sex offenders should be monitored and watched as stats do prove the majority do re-offend, but it should be down within the rules of the law and not 'mob rule'...