News Photos of Sex Offenders Cost Some Their Jobs, Spark Debate

[demdave]

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) - Robert Enochs was starting to turn his life around last fall. He had moved out of his car and in with his girlfriend, and they had gotten engaged. He soon landed a job driving a tow truck.
Then the local paper ran photographs of him and 62 other sex offenders on the front page.

The harassing phone calls began. Within a few days, Enochs lost his job. His fiancee stayed with him, but the convicted child molester otherwise found himself a pariah in his community once more.

"When I saw my picture in the paper, I was more upset and mad, more than anything else," said the 33-year-old Enochs, who served two years behind bars for molesting a relative and has been out of prison for a decade. "What happened in the past, leave in the past, don't bring it back up."

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAZ94LWURD.html

[texastoast]

1. I think I would be a better person

If I could forgive such a horrendous crime. But I can't. If it had been my child, he wouldn't be whining. He would be a nutless wonder and singing soprano.

[holeinboatoutatsea]

2. I agree with your sentiment

This is one crime that people don't seem to be able to prevent themselves from doing over and over again. There seems to be no rehab or retraining for this. A eunich he should be, I agree.

[terisel]

7. What are the Individual circumstances?

I've heard counselors say that but I haven't seen the evidence. I believe that repeat offenses can be prevented.I know there have been sex offenders who have requested chemical castration-may be considered by others to be extreme but it may work for them.

I also understand that there are many repeat offenders--but is everyone a repeat offender?

A few years ago I was observing in court when a high school boy of 18 years was being tied for child molestation. The child was a 15 year old classmate.
I don't know the whole story but later discovered that the law in my state provides for a mandatory long jail term even if this was a girlfriend-boyfriend situation. If he was convicted he would be a such a registry when he gets out (in about 10 years).

I think the prosecutor charged him with child molestation instead of statutory rape because the state law is written to make conviction almost a certainty if he admitted to any sexual contact with her-touching or whatever.

I am bothered by this because when I was in high school a lot of the 18 year olds would have been considered guilty of this "crime" since even kissing a girlfriend in a "sexual" manner could make you guilty.

[DoNotRefill]

57. Castration isn't a solution.

because it's about power, not sex.

[TeeYiYi]

3. I think that's cruel . . .

. . . The sex offender registry is available on the internet for anyone who cares to take a look. To print a faux story on the front page of the local newspaper disguised as breaking news, replete with pics, is an obvious ploy to boost sales. It's wrong.

TYY

[ModerateDem]

51. To boost sales?

STEP RIGHT UP, FOLKS! GET CHUR SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY NEWSPAPER! HOT OFF THE PRESS! PHOTOS OF INDIANAPOLIS'S WORST!

I don't think so.

[TeeYiYi]

82. Yes. To boost sales. . .

Do you actually believe that newspapers are about news and not about revenue generated through the sale of ad space? If that were the case, there would be no daily newspaper since technically, by the time your local daily rag hits your doorstep, the 'news' in sections A and B are already at least a day old or more, and the rest of the paper contains fluff that has been in the works for weeks. Newspapers are just another money making entertainment tool that also serves as a local bulletin board for wedding, birth and death announcements. And coupons, and movie listings, and classifieds, and . . .

More and more, people are turning to the internet as their news source and it's having a negative financial impact on newspaper agencies. Subscriptions are waning and publishers are resorting to desperate measures in an attempt to keep their advertisers happy. You see ModerateDem, if people aren't reading the newspaper, then papers aren't selling and advertisers stop advertising and . . . well you get the idea. (Or not.) :eyes:

TYY

[rumguy]

4. A shame

"You paint the least offender with the stigma of the worst. You weaken relationships, you jeopardize trust, and you can ruin people's lives," one letter-writer said.

Bingo - there's a big difference between a 21-yr. old who has sex with a 16 yr. old girl and a 50 year old uncle who molests his 8 yr. neice....

I don't know what Robert Enochs did, exactly, but he was in his early twenties when he did it, and had been out of jail for ten years...

There comes a point when you have to let the wounds heal and not exploit tragedy for publicity - which is what I think this paper did...shameful...

[foreigncorrespondent]

41. Exactly!

There comes a point when you have to let the wounds heal

I am a survivor of childhood incest. There comes a time in any survivors life where they reach a point of forgiveness. My point has come, and I have forgiven the person who not only molested me as a child but also mentally and physically abused me.

It has taken a lot of work to get me here. And yes I am still some what messed up, but it is more an emotional mess than anything now. Meaning I don't experience fashbacks or anything like that anymore.

The way I look at it is, if a survivor can forgive, then the general public needs to learn to forgive as well.

[ModerateDem]

48. No

You cannot make the decisions for other victims. I'm sorry, but you can't. You have enormous courage for forgiving someone who abused you, BUT ALL SITUATIONS ARE NOT THE SAME. I don't think you should be making statements about how other people need to forgive, because no one EVER has to forgive someone for abusing them.

[rumguy]

55. The question is for the victim, they have to forgive at their own pace

However, a newspaper exploiting decades-old tragedy like this is despicable and wrong....

[foreigncorrespondent]

79. Excuse me!

In case you failed to notice, I said that survivors will reach a point in their lives, where they will learn to forgive. You know what? THAT IS PART OF THEIR HEALING PROCESS!

Sheesh! Give me a break!

[DoNotRefill]

59. He molested a child.

His pic is available on the Indiana State sex offender website.

There's a difference between molesting a child and having consentual sex with an underage person. Molesting a child is molesting a child, and having consentual sex with a minor is statutory rape. He wasn't convicted of statutory rape, but of molesting a child.

[rumguy]

64. I still maintain my position

If he has been leading a law-abiding life for over ten years - let the wounds heal...that paper was just stirring up publicity, sensation, etc...they had no interests but their bottom line...

Now, if that guy had been straying from the law-abiding path, had been working with kids, etc...then yes, there could be a story there, but as it was he was minding his own business and working...

[DoNotRefill]

68. are you suggesting....

that felony records should be removed from the domain of public information?

I'd remind you that the laws regarding this came into existence after MANY different situations in which released pedophiles sexually assaulted others. This didn't happen "as a lark."

[rumguy]

73. no - the paper had the right to do what it did - it was just tasteless nt

[DoNotRefill]

77. Why is it tasteless?

To me, it seems like a valid news story.

[Jacobin]

5. Pedophiles have a huge recidivism rate.

However, the law dealing with this public notice stuff also applies to a 19 year old who boinks his 17 year old girlfriend and the parents find out, freak out and turn him in to the police. That guy is treated just the same as a pedophile and that is where the real injustice is.

[demdave]

13. The huge recidivism rate is the monkey wrench in this discussion.

I have never been comfortable with the idea of open ended punishment for a crime. I believe, with very few exceptions, in the idea of doing your time and you are done. I realize you will always carry the history of your offenses when you apply for a job or housing, but that is almost inevitable. I think it is best for employers and landlords to know what kind of person is working in their daycare or living in their houses.

What I have a problem with is the idea that certain types of sex offenders have recidivism rates that almost guarantee them to commit the crimes again.I know the penal system even has a rating system for the likelihood of this.


I think if you fall into the category of inevitable re-offender, that it is up to the elected officials and the court system to structure the laws in such a way that the communities do not have to watch your every move. If the criminal is truly that likely to re-offend, they should not be released. If someone is so dangerous that I have to know when they live near me then they shouldn't live near me.

I am not talking about the 19 year old with a 17 year old girlfriend. I am talking about the 30 year old stalking the schoolyards with a pocket full of candy.

[joeunderdog]

39. Pedophilia is a pathology, and that makes it different than other crimes.

Treatment doesn't work and that's why jail doesn't work the same way as with other criminals who can "learn a lesson." Whether the turn-on is feet, toddlers or blondes, it is nearly impossible to extinguish the drive to satisfy the need. That's why they re-offend.

If the individual has a pattern, however small, of pedophilia and not a one-time offense, I'm with the victims on this one. It isn't fair that the punishment is so far reaching, but it isn't fair that the crime is either. The victims are devestated and the crime follows them for their whole lives, unlike a robbery or even an assault.

People who have been molested are far likelier to molest. The pattern needs to be prevented with this kind of exposure. This crime creates lifelong victims and sows the seeds of potential perps. Kids can't defend themselves, just like the relative of the man in this story--probably still in therapy today.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

42. Then he shouldn't be on the street in the first place, should he?

And given that he (wrongly) is, what to do? I fail to see how these "outings" protect anyone -- they just kick the problem around.

[joeunderdog]

44. The publications are a conditional chance for them to

get on with their lives, albeit a significantly compromised one. Much like the victims. It also sends a message, a strong message, to those contemplating the offense. That's why they always float stories about molesters getting caught. Most molesters work within a framework of disguise (priests) because they fear exposure.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

46. This is the worst of both worlds.

It (a) fails to protect society from the dangerous ones and (b) is excessive, unreasonable punishment on the non-dangerous ones (guy who peed by the road, 21yo guy who banged 16yo etc).

Note the article doesn't say what was the offense, it could have been either (a) or (b). Whichever way, it's stupid, innefective and wrong.

[DoNotRefill]

63. I disagree.

When I bought my house, I checked our sex offender registry, and found that one of my neighbors had been convicted of multiple counts of aggravated sexual battery and child molestation. That means he's not a viable babysitter for us. It let us know that if he started showing interest in our child to be, we will need to put a stop to it right then and there.

In other words, forewarned is forearmed.

[DoNotRefill]

62. Not really....

the penalties for statutory rape are lesser than the penalties for child molesting, and it has much less stigma attached to it. Also, most State's laws take into account both the age of the offender and the age of the victim. The greater the difference, the less chance of being prosecuted.

[Mountainman]

6. Not all sex offenders are pedophiles

In some states if you are nude at a popular nude recreation area or even in your own yard, you can be charged as a sex offender.

I think the offense has to be listed along with any picture.

[CheshireCat]

10. Yes, I have a friend who

was caught urinating on the side of the road at night. The rest areas on the road had been closed and there were no bathrooms for 45 miles.

He is now listed in the sex registry. It has ruined his life.

[rumguy]

12. you've got to be kidding

seriously, that happened?

[CheshireCat]

31. Absolutely.

In SC, people are put of the sex offenders registry for urinating in public (indecent exposure).

[joeunderdog]

40. They did a horrible job of classifying so-called "sex offenses."

Grouping those who have been caught urinating outdoors with molesters is bush league and it waters down the crediblity of the law. We've all peed on a tree, including the cops who bust people for it.

The law needs to evolve to make distinctions between different offenders and perhaps should include suspension from the list if there is no re-offense within a period of time.

[struggle4progress]

47. This may not be unusual.

[DoNotRefill]

76. In what state?

In Indiana, the crimes requiring registration are rape, felony criminal deviate conduct, child molestation, vicarious sexual gratification, felony sexual misconduct with a child, child solicitation, child seduction, incest, kidnapping (with a victim under 18) and criminal confinement.

BTW, the child molestation charge applies to persons 13 years old and younger. The 17 and 19 year old scenario wouldn't count unless it was real, live rape.

Indecent exposure in the form of peeing in public wouldn't cut it in Indiana.

[DoNotRefill]

80. Ummm...hate to tell you this.....

but I think your friend might be lying to you. Here's a list of what requires registration in South Carolina, taken from the South Carolina code. As you can see, simply urinating in public ain't on there. Under §16-15-130, urinating in public doesn't meet the legal definition of indecent exposure, since it must be MALICIOUS conduct in addition to being intentional and indecent. Now if he knocked somebody down, whipped out his dick, and urinated on them, THAT would be malicious, but just relieving your bladder ain't.


"(1) criminal sexual conduct in the first degree (Section 16-3-652);

(2) criminal sexual conduct in the second degree (Section 16-3-653);

(3) criminal sexual conduct in the third degree (Section 16-3-654);

(4) criminal sexual conduct with minors, first degree (Section 16-3-655(1));

(5) criminal sexual conduct with minors, second degree. If evidence is presented at the criminal proceeding and the court makes a specific finding on the record that the conviction obtained for this offense resulted from consensual sexual conduct, as contained in Section 16-3-655(3) provided the offender is eighteen years of age or less, or consensual sexual conduct between persons under sixteen years of age, the convicted person is not an offender and is not required to register pursuant to the provisions of this article;

(6) engaging a child for sexual performance (Section 16-3-810);

(7) producing, directing, or promoting sexual performance by a child (Section 16-3-820);

(8) criminal sexual conduct: assaults with intent to commit (Section 16-3-656);

(9) incest (Section 16-15-20);

(10) buggery (Section 16-15-120);

(11) committing or attempting lewd act upon child under sixteen (Section 16-15-140);

(12) peeping, voyeurism, or aggravated voyeurism (Section 16-17-470);

(13) violations of Article 3, Chapter 15 of Title 16 involving a minor;

(14) a person, regardless of age, who has been convicted, adjudicated delinquent, pled guilty or nolo contendere in this State, or who has been convicted, adjudicated delinquent, pled guilty or nolo contendere in a comparable court in the United States, or who has been convicted, adjudicated delinquent, pled guilty or nolo contendere in the United States federal courts of indecent exposure or of a similar offense in other jurisdictions is required to register pursuant to the provisions of this article if the court makes a specific finding on the record that based on the circumstances of the case the convicted person should register as a sex offender;

(15) kidnapping (Section 16-3-910) of a person eighteen years of age or older except when the court makes a finding on the record that the offense did not include a criminal sexual offense or an attempted criminal sexual offense;

(16) kidnapping (Section 16-3-910) of a person under eighteen years of age except when the offense is committed by a parent;

(17) criminal sexual conduct when the victim is a spouse (Section 16-3-658);

(18) sexual battery of a spouse (Section 16-3-615);

(19) sexual intercourse with a patient or trainee (Section 44-23-1150). "

[Jeebo]

8. Once you've paid your debt to society...

I've always believed that once you have done your time, you have paid your debt to society and the slate is wiped clean and you're entitled to a fresh start. Those people might have done the wrong thing in the past, but now we've got to give them the opportunity to choose to do the right thing. I just don't believe it's right to mark them with a scarlet letter for life and go on punishing them forever. Doing so doesn't recognize or allow for the fact that people sometimes do change. Of course we have to protect our children from sex predators, but scarlet letters and sex offender registries and punishing people FOREVER is not the way to accomplish that. We've got to figure out another way.

Besides, if the logic behind sex crime registries is valid, then why don't we do it for other crimes? We don't make burglars or arsonists or embezzlers or even murderers register after they've done their time. If the logic behind these laws is valid, then I think we should apply that logic to all those other non-victimless crimes as well.

That's my $0.02 worth.

Ron

[Muddleoftheroad]

33. Bear in mind

Even without the registry, the names and photos of offenders are public record and newspapers can and should make them public.

[CheshireCat]

9. Important to differentiate types

in sex register.

Someone who is arrested for peeing on the side of the road gets the same treatment as someone who rapes children.

It makes no sense.

Also, when a 21 year has consentual sex with a 15 or 16 year old - he or she should not be considered a child molester. Looking back to my teenage years, I realize that today many of my boyfriends would be in jail if the laws had been the same as they are now.

This trend of lumping all these offenses together only detracts from focusing on truly sick indiviuals who molest children.

[NashVegas]

30. Someone Who Got Caught Peeing in the Road

Shouldn't have too much of a problem explaining that to their employer.

Someone who was 21 and doing a 16 or possibly even 15 year old *might* be able to find some sympathy with their employer, or at least acceptance.

Expecting symathy for someone who perpetrates a mindbend on a kid who has no real understanding of personal boundaries? Faggettaboutit.

[Fleshdancer]

11. hmm, perhaps he should have thought about the long term consequences...

...of his actions prior to, oh, I don't know MOLESTING A RELATIVE! And this whole "what happened in the past, leave in the past, don't bring it back up" crap??? Try asking the victims of sexual abuse if this is possible.

My heart bleeds for the innocent victims of violence, not the assholes who do it, get caught, and then piss and moan because others classify them as the predetors that they are. And where in this story is the side of the victim by the way?

And as far as losing their jobs are concerned, I thought people who went to prison had to disclose that sort of information on their job application forms. Am I wrong about this? Isn't rape and molestation considered a federal offense?

[BiggJawn]

17. Why don't we just KILL them, Gloria?

Yeah, just KILL them.

Tie 'em to a pole and STONE them!
just like the old "no-nonsense" days...

[Muddleoftheroad]

34. Nah, let's be open minded

And let them out so they can prey on more children.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

38. The guy wasn't sent back to jail. None of them were.

If anything, it may make some of them so P.O.'d they'll go back to their old hobbies just out of resentment.

Some protection.

[Muddleoftheroad]

43. They don't need incentive

They are predators. Predators prey on the weak.

We are fools for letting child molestors out of prison -- ever.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

45. Does that include the guy who peed by the road?

Or a 21yo who banged a 16yo? No, scrap that, I already know your (unbelievable) opinion on that one. Let's limit ourselves to the peeing guy. Indecent exposure, they say. See post #10.

[ModerateDem]

52. Straw men are fun!

No one is advocating placement on the sex offender list for urinating in public. Everyone has done that, and that's obviously not what we're talking about. It's easy to refute a bullshit argument, isn't it?

We are talking about the child molestors and rapists, and it's really pathetic that you are sticking up for them.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

53. You ain't too shabby in the straw-man building department yourself

"Sticking up for them?" Gimme a break.

Edit: if this looks like too much slang, it's because I'm an evil criminal. BOO!

[philosophie_en_rose]

54. An innocent person sent to prison doesn't mean that all law should end.

If someone is convicted of a sex crime and didn't actually commit one, then they should fight to be taken off of the list. Obviously, the guy peeing on the road isn't in the same league as the guy that rapes an infant.

No one is arguing that guys that pee off of the road should be registered sex offenders. You are simply using that argument to evade the issue of more egregious crimes.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

60. Wow. "all law should end". Really.

Tey're getting HIGHER, I tells ya!

And I didn't evade the issue -- but the linked article did. It doesn't say what that particular guy's offense was. Since there were many displayed on the front page, and given the undeniable overzealousness in application of the "sex offender" label, it's a safe bet to assume at least one egregious injustice is being made.

About the ones who are really egregious, I said it a LOT of times in this thread alone: IF THEY'RE REALLY DANGEROUS, KEEP THEM LOCKED UP!

[DoNotRefill]

74. he was convicted of molesting a child.

you can look it up on the Indiana Sex Offender and Violent Offender registry.

Here it is:

http://www.indianasheriffs.org/default.asp

[Muddleoftheroad]

69. Depends, does he molest children?

Because that's what my post referred to.

[Fleshdancer]

81. fine with me BiggJawn. rape my daughter and that's the end result

I'm big on ethics and I want to do the right thing, but I've never, NEVER, felt the need to feel sorry for sexual predators.

The "man" in this particular story was accused and convicted of molesting a family member...not for taking a piss on public property or for statutory rape, but for MOLESTATION.

I refuse to feel guilty for wanting people like this off the streets or for wanting them out of my neighborhoods. I have a daughter and my ultimate goal is to keep her safe from people like the this.

[terisel]

18. I am not a regular Sunday churchgoer anymore but I remember

that prayer about forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others. Am I being naive or just trying to follow a Christ path....I don't know.

I don't think you should make the assumption that those of us who have concerns have not been victimized.

The problem with punishment and vengeance, as I see it, is that it doesn't solve the problem.

I thought Ted Bundy's sex-related crimes were hideous. His trial and execution in Florida for murdering college students was widely publicized and demonstrators stood out in front of the prison cheering his death. Within a short period of time, however, there was another serial killer at work there murdering more college students.

I think most people in the US, including me, would say they hate serial killers and want them executed. I want to be able to say that I hate serial killings and want to figure out how to prevent any more from happening.

[Red State Rebel]

23. You are absolutely spot on! n/t

[ConcernedCanuk]

14. Take away a person's ability to make a decent living

.
.
.

what does everyone expect them to do ?

If they are still a danger, KEEP THEM IN JAIL !!

If they've "paid their debt"

Let them try to make a decent life for themselves

Imagine how many of us could lose our jobs, our friends, families, and so on if Everything we did wrong was maade known ?

Nope, nope

while I have a disdain for sex offenders, well, murderers and so on too, putting their face and misdeeds out in the public AFTER THEY'VE BEEN PUNISHED, is just insane.

So, ya lost ur job, no money, no benefits, etc, how would YOU live??

I'll repeat my main theme -

If they are still a danger, KEEP THEM IN JAIL !!

it's that simple in my head

they are just creating more potential criminals this way

well, the whole Prison system does that too . . .

(sigh)

[Red State Rebel]

15. True story of a molester...

At the age of 10, a young girl witnessed her father raping his stepdaughter who was age 12. She told her mother, but being a rural country woman with 5 daughters - didn't drive, they didn't even own a car, the mother did nothing but move out of the bedroom she shared with the man. For years there were no reports of further molestation and the man lived his life as an outstanding citizen in his community. Some years later, a grandaughter came forward and reported to her mother that the grandfather had molested her. He had a gun with him but she had managed to get away before he could rape her - she was 9 years old. The mother was devastated and grief stricken, she thought that at his advanced age it was safe to leave her daughter for a visit with her parents. Surely he was past what he did to her sister.

What happened to the grandaughter weighed heavily on her. She was afraid to be alone with any men more than 5 or 6 years older than she. If she got into an elevator and a man got in, she got out. She struggled with depression, trying to commit suicide first at the age of 12, then 15, then 32. She was so afraid of dealing with her sexuality she began to gain weight so men would leave her alone - eventually gaining over 100 lbs. She struggles now with trying to lose weight and deal with the fear of what will happen if and when she does.

Welcome to my life....if you think these perverts grow out of this or change - you are sadly mistaken. The statistics for child molesters who go on to molest other victims after jail and treatment are horrifying. I honestly believe that it's better safe than sorry.

[neverborn]

16. That's horrible.

and I agree completely. Keep them locked up.

[TeeYiYi]

24. Did the grandfather ever get prosecuted for his crime? . . .

. . . This molester of a grandfather's picture on the front page of the local newspaper would have been a good idea at the time that the granddaughter came forward. I hope he was made to account for his sick and twisted excuse of a life. Tar and feathers and a sharp knife would have been too good for this pillar of the community.

Lumping all sex offenders into one evil category and printing a fluff piece about it, replete with pics, was a disingenuous con job on the part of the newspaper that ran the story. They successfully stirred up a hornets nest with unfair results. If there was truly a news story in there somewhere, they could have offered the web address of the online sex registry and allowed people to investigate for themselves who their neighbors are. I still think that what this paper did was dishonest and no better than the sensationalist tactics used by any one of the national tabloid rags. This was not news. Ten years ago, it was news. That there is a sex registry . . . is not breaking news. That story should have been locked by the mods as 'not breaking news' or relegated to General Discussion in section B.

I'm sorry you experienced such a terrible thing as a young child, SaidFred. I hope that your beautiful granddaughter has brought you significant happiness in your life. The kind of joy that might allow you to finally put your horrible experience and its life changing consequences behind you. I'm not saying that you should forget what happened, I just hope that it has somehow become easier for you to bear over time.

TYY

[Red State Rebel]

25. Nothing was ever done to my grandfather...my aunt still doesn't

believe that it happened...

[laylah]

27. My heart goes out to you

:hug: from one kick-ass survivor to another!

Jenn

[PeopleForChange]

19. Enochs should show that he has learned his lesson.

Not a lot of people know this, but sex offenders DO get treatment for their problems, and 99% of them who have been successfully treated has become a major contributer of their community. Yes, I know several sex offenders that are trying to turn their life around and putting their past behind. This is why I don't like the idea of photos of sex offenders on a website or names. Yes, the law requires them to register until at a specific time period, but it doesn't mean that they are drooling monsters. They are also decent people who realized that their offense not only hurts themselves, or the victims but the community as whole.

Power to the people!

People for Change

[rumguy]

20. I don't buy that "99%" become "major contributor(s)" of their community

What's your story?

[PeopleForChange]

21. Maybe I'm exaggerating..

but the point is that the sex offenders can be rehabilitated and return to society as a productive member. What doesn't make sense is that they have to continue to register as a sex offender for something that they did 40 years ago and released 10 years ago and trying to make a life out of this.

Let me paint you a scenario for you:

You download stuff all the time from the 'Net. Many e-mail programs download automatically photos, explicit or not. The police busts you with a search warrant and takes your computer away from you as a part of the search warrant. Police finds about 50 or 60 child pornography images that came from spam emails. You are charged with possession of child pornography because you own the computer. Does it make you a sex offender? The answer is yes.

A friend of mine was busted this way. He's a sex offender under federal probation for 3 years. He's halfway done, and he's still struggling to go through rehabilitation for sex offenders and he doesn't like it very much and has confided in me that he's thankful after his probation is complete, he can rejoin society as a productive member and make sure that his emails are never public again. Disposable e-mails are a wonderful thing. But one thing he knows for sure, that he'll never deal with spam e-mails again.

Power to the people!

People for Change

[Red State Rebel]

22. The REAL statistics....

Convicted offenders...Treated - re-offend 18%, not treated 43%
From the website of the Center for Management of Sex Offenders.

Another interesting statistic. A study was done of convicted offenders who were known to have 2 or less victims found under a polygraph study that they actually had an average of 110 victims and 318 offenses.

This is from the same website.

[Muddleoftheroad]

26. I think those stats are low

But even if they are right, it means NEVER leave a child with any convicted molester under ANY circumstances.

[laylah]

28. With all due respect

I beg to differ. Not ALL sex offenders get treatment, in fact the majority do not. I did my thesis on just this issue so I know of what I speak. One Doc at an Oregon facility said that they had tried everything with their offenders but Magnum Therapy...putting a gun to the offenders head! Colorado prisons have NO programs nor do Illinois ones. The paper was written almost ten years ago and I could very well be wrong by today's standards; however, I do not think that I am. As for "sex offenders" and castration, chemical or otherwise, it really doesn't matter because THAT kind of "sex" is not about sex but anger and control. Pedophiles are more that 90% guaranteed to re-offend, that's just the way it is. Other sexual predators I cannot speak intelligently about so therefore I cannot say.

And, OH, by the way, welcome to DU :toast:

Jenn

Edited 'cuz my name is "Jenn", not "Jenn Jenn" :silly:

[terisel]

36. Which statistics are correct?

Yours, SaidFred, or neither?

90% of which specific types of offenders?Would you consider the the person I mentioned above-an 18 year old having consensual sex with a 15 year old to be a pedophile or are you referring to a subset of sex offenders ? In a lot of cultures a 15 year old girl would be married, possibly from puberty.

I don't believe that everyone who is on a sex offender registry is a danger to children. I believe that there are many people not on sex offender registry who are dangerous to children.

If the aim is to make sure that each child is protected-which would be my goal, I think we need to differentiate more than is currently being done.

I don't think that goal can be reached by declaring people who commit such crimes to be monsters. Tough as it is I think we have to say: this person has done something very harmful to a child and we need to make sure this person does not do this again to this child or another.

Locking someone up for 10 years and then releasing the person and placing that name on a sex registry may not work very well to protect children. So the next question is what can work better. If one starts out by saying nothing can ever be done to stop an active pedaphile, then nothing ever will be done and children will always be in danger.

Are pedaphiles people who are hard-wired to want sex with children or are they people who have learned their behaviors? Are there at least 2 kinds of pedophiles?

[DoNotRefill]

65. Your post says "Power to the People!"

Isn't information a form of power?

Child molesters have an incredible recidivism rate. Treatment doesn't help this.

Wouldn't YOU like to know if the neighbor who is playing with your child is a convicted pedophile? I'd sure as shit want to know...

[THUNDER HANDS]

29. why isn't there a rapist registry....or a burglary registry

I'd like to know what ANYONE in my neighborhood has done that's illegal.

Aren't I entitled to know if my neighbors have robbed anyone? Or have raped anyone? Or have beaten anyone to a pulp?

If you register sex offenders you should register everyone with a felony record.

It's only fair....

[Muddleoftheroad]

32. I'm OK with that

But sex offenders are a particularly vile type of offender and that is why we have the registry.

[THUNDER HANDS]

35. i hear you, but I still think rapists are just as vile as sex offenders

Same thing with people who assault others maliciously.

On a side note, does anyone know if Megans Law has ever been challenged as constitutional or not?

[DoNotRefill]

67. Magic Rat....what on EARTH makes you think rape ISN'T a sex offense???

eom

[Muddleoftheroad]

70. I have no problem with that either

Though rape is more complicated to prove since adults can consent and children cannot.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

37. What's the POINT of EVER releasing them then?

What are they supposed to do? Commit suicide?

Someone already said, and I repeat: IF THEY'RE DANGEROUS, KEEP THEM IN JAIL!

You could argue that every "sex offender" (a term that has been unduly extended, re peeing by the road) is by axion dangerous forever, a case in which the only sane argument would be "mandatory LWOP or death for every sex offense". That would be kinda extreme.

[DoNotRefill]

66. ummm...rape is a sex offense....

and if you want to know who in your neighborhood has been convicted of a felony, go to your local courthouse. Felony convictions are a matter of public record, and most have database terminals out where the public can access the information. Or, you could simply write a FOIA request to the court, and they'll tell you.

[philosophie_en_rose]

49. Mediawhores are jackasses, but sex offenders shouldn't expect privacy.

The newspaper that plastered the pictures on the front page did nothing for public security. The front page was not about safety planning or even about knowing about sex offenders in the neighborhood. It's about profiting from hysteria.

I don't feel sorry for the sex offenders. In Washington, sex offenders are classified with a rating system and are prosecuted based upon what they actually did. This information is published and posted in public buildings. However, community meetings are held to see how to integrate people into the community and increase safety as well.

Sex offenders should not expect privacy. I firmly believe that sex offenders could integrate into the community, work productive and important jobs, and keep from molesting children. But most don't. They deserve a chance, but an informed and safe chance. We can douse the torches and put away the pitchforks, but we shouldn't act or expect anyone else to act as if there is no reason to be aware. Having to register on a list is a small price to pay compared to the victims of the crimes.

[ModerateDem]

50. Wahh

These guys are sex offenders. They have either molested children or raped adults, so why should I feel sorry if they lose their jobs? People who molest children or rape men/women should have life sentences, and then this would be a non-issue.

[rumguy]

56. Does that include a 20 yr. old who has a sexual relationship with

a 16 yr. old - see people like you just lump all sex offenders in with the worst of them - typical right wing tactic

[ModerateDem]

58. Wow

No? I obviously don't include statutory rapists in the sex offender category. Consensual matters don't belong on the sex offender registration list, unless they involve an extremely young victim. It's always more fun to twist my words though, ain't it?

[rumguy]

61. I retract my attack, however

sorry - I just figured you were one of those hysterical witch-burning types that just hears the words "sex offender" and starts itching for blood...

I was really moved by a post here on DU by a mother, whose son, who was young 20 or so at the time, had a sexual relationship with a 16 yr. old girl. They were friends at first and met at church.

That guy has been branded as a sex offender, put on the lists, on probation, the only job he can get is at Walmart - the probation officers come to his work to check up on him - he's forced into all these counseling sessions with counselors who are pumping the system for money....and get this - they attach some kind of device to his penis and show him pictures of naked little kids - this device measures any change or movement in his penis - it's done in a room with several people in it - that is fucking stupid, it is fucking wrong, and is in my opinion worse than the crime that young kid committed....

[Muddleoftheroad]

71. Depends on the age

Age of 16 is legal to consent in many states.

[ModerateDem]

75. I personally think 14 is a more suitable limit

But that's just my opinion. Obviously, rapes are far, far more serious than consensual sexual episodes.

[DoNotRefill]

78. Mod, in Indiana....

the child being molested has to be 13 or under.

[northzax]

72. I'm interested to know something

what exactly, was his crime that was so horrible that he spent only two years in jail for it? Figure this happened in the early 90's. a fairly enlgihtened time for the prosecuting of sex offenders (more severe than slaps on the wrist, at least) if hwat he did was so awful, why did he spend just two years in jail for it? he wouldn't have been paroled, almost no sex offenders get parole, so his sentance was only two years. Think about that. His crime was so horrible that the state of Indiana only saw fit to lock him up for two years, I bet you get two years in Indiana for lookingata pice of crack cocaine.

If he was dangerous, and brutal, why only two years? let's talk about that for a minute. two years, and a decade later, he pays again. two years, not a decade sentance, not 20 years, the State thought he was safe to let out after TWO YEARS. You get more than that for stealing a used Buick. That is the tragedy and the shame, that he got TWO years for molesting a child.

when it comes down to it, if the state sees him as a threat for life, why differentiate between sex offenders in sentencing (and please don't throw the straw men at me, I'm trying to ask a reasonable question, thank you.)

[struggle4progress]

83. Some links on public urination

Our research has identified several states where statutes like West Virginia's authorize a trial court (or a jury) to make a finding of sexual motivation in connection with a criminal conviction, with the result that a person who has been convicted of a criminal offense that is not specified in a statute must register as a sex offender.
http://www.state.wv.us/wvsca/docs/fall03/31244.htm

Police in nearby Westchester, N.Y., forwarded a thick file on their sex offenders. It included details on men arrested for everything from rape to public urination.
http://courant.ctnow.com/projects/cold/story10.stm

Madison County Public Defender John Rekowski said registered sex offenders have limited options for residences. Laws prohibit offenders from being near schools and parks.
"You're assuming these are people with loads of money who can pick out apartments anywhere. That isn't the case," Rekowski said.
Rekowski objects to the way the registry program is operated -- and to the News-Democrat annually publishing a list of the local offenders.
"First off, because we have so diluted who is a sex offender: Public urination gets you on the list," he said. "They've added so many people to the list, it's like publishing the phone book."
http://www.belleville.com/mld/newsdemocrat/6822558.htm

... the City of Hoboken’s practice of advertising
the identities of individuals convicted of public urination ...
http://www.wcl.american.edu/journal/lawrev/49/vol49-5owens.pdf