*sigh*

As much as I despise sex offenders & by sex offenders I mean real sex offenders, not those who got drunk & peed outside or a 19 year old boy who had consensual sex with a 17 year old girl, but those who have committed forcible rape, child molestation, etc., they still have to live somewhere. By forcing them to move constantly or making where they're allowed to live so restrictive, we risk losing track of them. How are parole & probation officers going to be able to know their whereabouts if the offenders are being forced to move all the time? There's got to be a better way to handle the situation.

Bathia_Mapes: *sigh*

As much as I despise sex offenders & by sex offenders I mean real sex offenders, not those who got drunk & peed outside or a 19 year old boy who had consensual sex with a 17 year old girl, but those who have committed forcible rape, child molestation, etc., they still have to live somewhere. By forcing them to move constantly or making where they're allowed to live so restrictive, we risk losing track of them. How are parole & probation officers going to be able to know their whereabouts if the offenders are being forced to move all the time? There's got to be a better way to handle the situation.

If they're a threat to society, let them rot in jail.
If they're not, and they've done their time, let them be free.

smooshie: Bathia_Mapes: *sigh*

As much as I despise sex offenders & by sex offenders I mean real sex offenders, not those who got drunk & peed outside or a 19 year old boy who had consensual sex with a 17 year old girl, but those who have committed forcible rape, child molestation, etc., they still have to live somewhere. By forcing them to move constantly or making where they're allowed to live so restrictive, we risk losing track of them. How are parole & probation officers going to be able to know their whereabouts if the offenders are being forced to move all the time? There's got to be a better way to handle the situation.

If they're a threat to society, let them rot in jail.
If they're not, and they've done their time, let them be free.

Personally I'd love to see all the rapists & sex offenders (especially those who offend against children) spend the rest of their lives in prison. However, some people feel this is a violation of the sex offender's "civil liberties". Many sex offenders, especially those who offend against children, have a very high recidivism rate & it would serve society best if these people were kept where they can't re-offend. However, I don't think this will ever happen, at least not in the U.S.

I think I had read somewhere that some offender was under an order not to live within 1500 feet of a bus stop (school, library, etc). he found a place that was acceptable within the confines of the court order, so the town planted a bus stop right in front of his house for the sole purpose of forcing him to move out because he was now in violation of the order.

Does anyone here remember that?

Sex offenders rank just slightly behind terrorists as the favored boogeymen of politicians who want to gain votes by scaring the population into a tizzy and then out-toughing the next guy in how badass they're willing to be in their response to the "problem." It's absurd, and hysterical, and stupid. If someone's done their time, they should be released from prison, and that's that. If they're not safe to be released, then the problem is in the system's administering of punishment/rehabilitation in the first place. And why are "sex offenders" the only ones who get to wear such public condemnation? Repeat drink drivers are just as dangerous, and far more numerous. Why not force them to register? I want to know if there's someone living in my neighborhood who likes to steal stereos out of cars--why can't I have that list? What about a list of people who get into fights when they're drunk? Or a list of people who own guns--they have the potential to be dangerous, too. It's all so ridiculous and pandering and stupid.

Repeat drink drivers are just as dangerous, and far more numerous. Why not force them to register?

"Scarlet letter" license plates are fashionable in places. Ineffective, as far as I know, but fashionable.

What seems to be effective is giving local police a list of drivers with suspended licenses in their normal patrol area.

SOUTH PARK DID IT!

(but with homeless people....got any change?)

I say we give them their own town. And God help any child that wanders into it's borders.

Two words: Leper. Colony.

Bathia_Mapes: *sigh*

As much as I despise sex offenders & by sex offenders I mean real sex offenders, not those who got drunk & peed outside or a 19 year old boy who had consensual sex with a 17 year old girl, but those who have committed forcible rape, child molestation, etc., they still have to live somewhere.

They do? If they are guilty they ought to be executed.
But maybe you're against the death penalty, in which case they ought to "live" in prison.

hardinparamedic: I say we give them their own town. And God help any child that wanders into it's borders.

And we shall call thy town "West Hollywood".

Pocket Ninja: Sex offenders rank just slightly behind terrorists as the favored boogeymen of politicians who want to gain votes by scaring the population into a tizzy and then out-toughing the next guy in how badass they're willing to be in their response to the "problem." It's absurd, and hysterical, and stupid. If someone's done their time, they should be released from prison, and that's that. If they're not safe to be released, then the problem is in the system's administering of punishment/rehabilitation in the first place. And why are "sex offenders" the only ones who get to wear such public condemnation? Repeat drink drivers are just as dangerous, and far more numerous. Why not force them to register? I want to know if there's someone living in my neighborhood who likes to steal stereos out of cars--why can't I have that list? What about a list of people who get into fights when they're drunk? Or a list of people who own guns--they have the potential to be dangerous, too. It's all so ridiculous and pandering and stupid.

I live in Weymouth. Pronounced Way-muth.

Carry on.

Pathman: Pocket Ninja: Sex offenders rank just slightly behind terrorists as the favored boogeymen of politicians who want to gain votes by scaring the population into a tizzy and then out-toughing the next guy in how badass they're willing to be in their response to the "problem." It's absurd, and hysterical, and stupid. If someone's done their time, they should be released from prison, and that's that. If they're not safe to be released, then the problem is in the system's administering of punishment/rehabilitation in the first place. And why are "sex offenders" the only ones who get to wear such public condemnation? Repeat drink drivers are just as dangerous, and far more numerous. Why not force them to register? I want to know if there's someone living in my neighborhood who likes to steal stereos out of cars--why can't I have that list? What about a list of people who get into fights when they're drunk? Or a list of people who own guns--they have the potential to be dangerous, too. It's all so ridiculous and pandering and stupid.

And be aware, my young friends! This is the enemy! Avoid these people at all costs!

ho ho ho...

Wait, they have whole towns next door? No wonder the neighbors have been keeping me up at night.

And what's the problem? They should all be round up and shot.
/I volunteer to pull the trigger.

Bathia_Mapes: smooshie: Bathia_Mapes: *sigh*

As much as I despise sex offenders & by sex offenders I mean real sex offenders, not those who got drunk & peed outside or a 19 year old boy who had consensual sex with a 17 year old girl, but those who have committed forcible rape, child molestation, etc., they still have to live somewhere. By forcing them to move constantly or making where they're allowed to live so restrictive, we risk losing track of them. How are parole & probation officers going to be able to know their whereabouts if the offenders are being forced to move all the time? There's got to be a better way to handle the situation.

If they're a threat to society, let them rot in jail.
If they're not, and they've done their time, let them be free.

Personally I'd love to see all the rapists & sex offenders (especially those who offend against children) spend the rest of their lives in prison. However, some people feel this is a violation of the sex offender's "civil liberties". Many sex offenders, especially those who offend against children, have a very high recidivism rate & it would serve society best if these people were kept where they can't re-offend. However, I don't think this will ever happen, at least not in the U.S.

neuter and lobotomize them. after that they can roam around senseless and sexless.

skinink: It's scary when every once in awhile, when I happen to watch the Malden Community Access Cable station's police list of sex offenders in Malden, that it's a long list, and they are everywhere. It's so many people, that I'm not sure I really wanna know how close some of them are to me.
Actually, with a school two blocks from me, there shouldn't be any offenders within blocks of me.

I used to live one block away from the Belmont School.

/not a sex offender

Great. Thank for giving diddlers the opportunity to cry discrimination, Massachusetts.

I came *this* close to getting charged as a sex offender once for getting caught taking a leak in an alley. I was 18. Yikes! Dodged that bullet.

That said, I support kangaroo courts for skinners. We wouldn't have these problems if we just executed them at the outset.

"why don't you have a mortgage over there..."

spelunking_defenestrator: I came *this* close to getting charged as a sex offender once for getting caught taking a leak in an alley. I was 18. Yikes! Dodged that bullet.

That said, I support kangaroo courts for skinners. We wouldn't have these problems if we just executed them at the outset.

and what if you had been executed by an overzealous LEO back then?

I love how everyone has become convinced that sex is so much worse than violence. Beat a woman or your kids all you want and you will probably never see the inside of a jail. Throw sex into it however and you are a criminal for life, even after you serve your sentence.

A 19 year old boy who was with a 17 year old girl should not have to register as a sex offender. Actual child molesters should never have been released in the first place. Let them die in prison.

Bathia_Mapes: Many sex offenders, especially those who offend against children, have a very high recidivism rate & it would serve society best if these people were kept where they can't re-offend. However, I don't think this will ever happen, at least not in the U.S.

What you are saying is true, but somewhat dishonest. I went about looking for the study that had the highest rate of reoffence for sex offenders. The best I was able to find was only 52% and that was over a period of 25 years. Even then there is only a 13% difference between rapists and child molesters. Some people may think that number is "large", but this number is only obtained over a period of 25 years. It also brings up the point that 48% DON'T reoffend over a period of 25 years.

Recidivism of Sex Offenders, May 2001 (new window)



We are creating far more problems than we solve with these lists. We don't want them to reoffend, yet we make it effectively impossible for them to reintegrate into society. Then we are shocked when they reoffend. What did we expect to happen?

I don't like defending these people, but one has to. Governments always go after the unpopular groups first. Yea, some look at me like I'm crazy, but it has happened in the past.

As others have said, the solution is simple. If you don't want these people out in society you then increase the punishments for child molesting. A simple and easy solution without any of the freedom robbing slippery slopes that these registries and other restrictions cause.

The problem is that society doesn't want to pay for that, since jailing people costs money. So they release them and make their lives hell and then become surprised when these people, understandably so, lash out at society and do other bad stuff. It is a self fulfilling prophesy. It's probably going to stay that way for awhile because people don't want to admit when they have made a problem worse and are part of the very problem they hate.

"You get into a situation where one community is positioning itself in a way that requires another community to take action," said Mayor Joseph C. Sullivan of Braintree. "And that can have ramifications that no one can measure at this time."

It's called, "Coming together as a society and dealing with a problem." This quote by the mayor of Braintree makes it seem like it's a bad thing to deal with the same problem a neighboring town/city deals with.

My town is immediately next door to both those towns and you don't hear us bandying on upon it.

Buddy of mine in college had to register as a sex offender. His crime was (drunkenly) trying to pick up the police decoy street walker. 10 years later, he's still on the lists. He says he has to explain it to every employer he interviews at and most of them end the interview.

captain_napalm: spelunking_defenestrator: I came *this* close to getting charged as a sex offender once for getting caught taking a leak in an alley. I was 18. Yikes! Dodged that bullet.

That said, I support kangaroo courts for skinners. We wouldn't have these problems if we just executed them at the outset.

and what if you had been executed by an overzealous LEO back then?

I don't think that's his style.

So they all have to move to Indiana?

jaylectricity: My town is immediately next door to both those towns and you don't hear us bandying on upon it.

as a child who liked being molested, you're getting a kick out of these replies?

Can we just tear up the constitution now and get it over with?

Epistax: I don't think that's his style.

HAHA

Wow, an extremely informative article. I didn't think they existed anymore.

spelunking_defenestrator: I came *this* close to getting charged as a sex offender once for getting caught taking a leak in an alley. I was 18. Yikes! Dodged that bullet.

How close? Somebody saw you? A cop told you to put your hog away? You were given a ticket? You were taken into the station and questioned? You had your lawyer plea bargain? Your case was dismissed in court? You were acquitted in court?

How close?

captain_napalm: and what if you had been executed by an overzealous LEO back then?

I said "skinners", not "18 year old drunk punks pissing out St. Ides in a smelly alley". Worlds apart, my friend.

You can't make someone move because you enact a law like that. Ex post facto and all that.

Actually, how can you impose the housing restrictions on people who were convicted before that was in place?

I've got a daughter, but I'm worried about the issues of precedent that are happening.


/wants to see a mark on driver licenses for bad check writers
//and a mark on license plates for insurance fraud
///also wants all crimes searchable

captain_napalm: jaylectricity: My town is immediately next door to both those towns and you don't hear us bandying on upon it.

as a child who liked being molested, you're getting a kick out of these replies?

It only happened once. I'll try anything once.

jaylectricity: How close? Somebody saw you? A cop told you to put your hog away? You were given a ticket? You were taken into the station and questioned? You had your lawyer plea bargain? Your case was dismissed in court? You were acquitted in court?

How close?

he already TOLD you.

"this" close.

spelunking_defenestrator: I said "skinners", not "18 year old drunk punks pissing out St. Ides in a smelly alley". Worlds apart, my friend.

well, yeah, if the burden of proof is in the right place.

/and your weener is in the wrong one

captain_napalm:
How close?

he already TOLD you.

"this" close.

haha, duh

skinink: Actually, with a school two blocks from me, there shouldn't be any offenders within blocks of me.

I love this kind of ignorance. skinink, what you mean is that you don't know if there are or not. One could be living right next door & you wouldn't know it unless he gets caught.

The whole sex offender registry is, as Pocket Ninja pointed out, a useless law. It serves only to make a social pariah of someone who's done his time, making it that much more difficult to attempt to lead a normal life.

Even if a released sex offender does decide to re-offend, what's to stop him from driving a few hours away? The registry protects no one and does more harm than good.

brigid_fitch: The whole sex offender registry is, as Pocket Ninja pointed out, a useless law. It serves only to make a social pariah of someone who's done his time

but I think doing away with it would be cutting of our nose to spite our face. just because there are some we DON'T know about, we pretend not to know what we DO know?

Anyone arrested for armed robbery of a convenience store, once released, should be forced not to live anywhere within 150 feet of a 7/11 for the rest of their lives.

jaylectricity

The prosecutor was pressing for it. The judge saw it for the ridiculous situation it was. I don't think he wanted to ruin some kid's life for something (semi-covert public urination) that happens hundreds of times a day in any city you care to name. I was just out there whizzing on a dumpster over by the Museum of Science and a cop rolled up on me. Wrong place, wrong time.

captain_napalm: brigid_fitch: The whole sex offender registry is, as Pocket Ninja pointed out, a useless law. It serves only to make a social pariah of someone who's done his time

but I think doing away with it would be cutting of our nose to spite our face. just because there are some we DON'T know about, we pretend not to know what we DO know?


Well, there are the known knowns, the unknown knowns, and the known unknowns. What we really need to focu on is the unknown unknowns.

If Weymouth's no good, how about sending them to Hingham? Or Duxbury?

Pooter: Anyone arrested for armed robbery of a convenience store, once released, should be forced not to live anywhere within 150 feet of a 7/11 for the rest of their lives.

who the fark needs 7/11 when you have wawa?

/EVERY 150 feet