Repeal all laws named after dead children.

In Nevada, meeting the deadline could safeguard hundreds of thousands of dollars.

That's the cost of one major criminal trial and appeal. As the article says, the government is trying to use six figures in money to leverage eight figures in spending.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. These laws are ex-post facto punishment against people. If you don't think the sentence is harsh enough, make the crime demand a longer prison term for future violations.

Tyranny always begins against unpopular groups first.

Not to mention the idiotic nature these laws have taken, like 15 year olds getting put on the list because they took naked pics of themselves.

Crosshair: I've said it before and I'll say it again. These laws are ex-post facto punishment against people. If you don't think the sentence is harsh enough, make the crime demand a longer prison term for future violations.

This. Pretty much jurisdictions (states, townships, counties, etc) are using the sex-offender rules in an arms race against their neighbors. Each county or state wants to be tougher than the next, in hopes the sex offenders go to the other location. The border of Illinois and Iowa in the quad cities has been a particular example.

In the meantime, it sells well with a certain segment of the populace that just feeds on the sort of stories that end up with laws named after dead children. They get to beat their chests and be "tough on crime!"

People who eventually have nowhere they can live drop out of the program and go homeless anyway.

It's interesting too that currently the hunt is for sex-offenders, but no one seems to care about people who might have former serial-murderers living near them.

And STILL if your kid is molested, odds are it's a family member, school staff, or someone else who knows them.

Crosshair: I've said it before and I'll say it again. These laws are ex-post facto punishment against people. If you don't think the sentence is harsh enough, make the crime demand a longer prison term for future violations.

Or better yet, if you think they are dangerous enough that you have to watch them all the time and control where they live, don't let them out. If you can't afford to keep them, euthanize them.

Making their life on the outside impossible isn't going to keep them on the straight and narrow.

Crosshair: I've said it before and I'll say it again.

You get nothin' for nothin', Expect it when
You're backseat driving and your hands ain't on the wheel!

If only there was some penalty that permanently prevented recidivism . . .

The county I live in has an online database of sex offenders integrated with Google maps so you can see where offenders live, their pictures, and the titles of their offenses. However, they don't give many details about the offense, and it's very easy to imagine the worst. In reality, the young man down the street probably got busted in high school having sex with a freshman. All you see is a "sex with a minor" charge of some Nth degree. The whole thing feels creepy and Orwellian.

It would be more fair just to make everyone wear pieces of flair identifying all of their crimes.

Subby Headline:...expansive and draconian federally mandated sex-offender registration programs....

Say that 5 times fast

Crosshair: I've said it before and I'll say it again. These laws are ex-post facto punishment against people. If you don't think the sentence is harsh enough, make the crime demand a longer prison term for future violations
========================================

AMEN. (Though, this is true of ANY crime)

Also, we need to stop naming teenagers who exchange nude pics or have consenual sex sex offenders. IT PISSES ME OFF.

I don't agree with John Stossel on much... but this I do. When I saw him do this report on sex offenders and the insanity of it all I wanted to go to him and bow before him.

Why can't sexual offender laws just simply punish those who act on actual pedophilia? Why must all these locales go after people peeing in public, 19-year-olds boinking their 17-year-old boy/girlfriends, etc.?

Is it that hard to legislate responsibly?

jake3988: I don't agree with John Stossel on much... but this I do. When I saw him do this report on sex offenders and the insanity of it all I wanted to go to him and bow before him.

You should just on the premise of his awesome moustache!

Ow My Balls: You should just on the premise of his awesome moustache!


"Shhhh. Daddy's here now, and everything's going to be OK. Trust in my power. I will keep you safe from harm."

Unless I just read the article wrong, the headline actually completely backwards. The new regulations would actually help make it less draconian. As in there would be classifications for offenders depending on the severity of the crime, likelihood to repeat, etc. Seemingly, this would benefit all those on the list for petty, bs offenses.

RTFA.

Sex offender lists are not, in and of themselves, bad.

We had a guy where I worked who tried to fark a 13-year old when he was 27. That's pretty serious, in my opinion.

He got caught. Confessed. Got convicted. Didn't do jail time. Got on the 290 list. Then spent the next 10 years lobbying politicians to get his name off the list (always failing).

He was dating a woman at work who had a 12-year old daughter. A month after their first date, he proposed. Three months later her mother saw him on the 290 list while at the State Fair.

Had he not been listed, this woman would have married a guy with a history of trying to diddle kids her daughter's age and she'd have never known.

I support 290 lists. I do not support "statutory rape" charges when both the "offender" and the "victim" are under 18... but when the offender is older than 18? Fark him (or her).

It's called "learning to exercise restraint," which is a valuable skill when you're older.

/Hippies smell.

CruJones: Unless I just read the article wrong, the headline actually completely backwards. The new regulations would actually help make it less draconian. As in there would be classifications for offenders depending on the severity of the crime, likelihood to repeat, etc. Seemingly, this would benefit all those on the list for petty, bs offenses.

No, the article says that for Nevada at least, the number of "highly dangerous" sex offenders would go from hundreds to thousands, because the federal classification is more strict.

thereadlines: It would be more fair just to make everyone wear pieces of flair identifying all of their crimes.

The government has a lot more power over people that it convicts of things. A nation of paroled criminals would be the ultimate dictatorship.

I think Crosshair and itazurakko are both correct. These type of laws do little to lessen the effects of sexual predators on society while still mandating that states spend a lot of money. But anyone who points this out is 'soft on crime'.

A whole lot of people of both sexes were experimenting with sex before they were 16. Is it smart? Usually not. Are they sexual predators? Mostly, no. But they get added to the list anyway.

And as has been pointed out, most victims know their assailants. Yes you can find exceptions, but that's what they are: exceptions. You cannot micro-manage laws to include every possible situation. There are always cases which are not perfectly described by laws. That's supposed to be why we have judges. To bring experience and common sense to the process. Because otherwise what you end up with is a never ending conveyor line of proposed laws, to handle each new situation after it has arrived. Which is expensive, cumbersome, inefficient and ultimately degrading on our freedoms.

But if you oppose such laws you will be accused of loving child/sexual molesters.

It sounds to me like we need fewer laws and a better judicial system, one that includes the public actually caring about judicial performance, instead of 'I just don't vote for any of them' or worse, 'I vote against all of them'.

John Walsh... a man made famous by the death of his son, a death that could have been easily prevented, by not letting a 5 year old run around a shopping center unsupervised. I can understand the burden of guilt the man must feel, if he and his wife had been better parents, his son Adam would still be alive today. All of the tv shows and BS legislation that gets passed will not change the fact that his kid is dead.

/and yes, I know the killer is really at fault...
//Where was John Walsh that day?

itazurakko : And STILL if your kid is molested, odds are it's a family member, school staff, or someone else who knows them.

This is exactly why if anyone shows too much interest in my little ones, I start watching them really closely. Although it might just save me from having to have the whole birds and bees talk.;)

itazurakko: Crosshair: I've said it before and I'll say it again. These laws are ex-post facto punishment against people. If you don't think the sentence is harsh enough, make the crime demand a longer prison term for future violations.

This. Pretty much jurisdictions (states, townships, counties, etc) are using the sex-offender rules in an arms race against their neighbors. Each county or state wants to be tougher than the next, in hopes the sex offenders go to the other location. The border of Illinois and Iowa in the quad cities has been a particular example.

In the meantime, it sells well with a certain segment of the populace that just feeds on the sort of stories that end up with laws named after dead children. They get to beat their chests and be "tough on crime!"

People who eventually have nowhere they can live drop out of the program and go homeless anyway.

It's interesting too that currently the hunt is for sex-offenders, but no one seems to care about people who might have former serial-murderers living near them.


ummm.... genious. "former" SERIAL-murderers either get life or death. They don't get out unless they escape.

Farkers are all sick, SICK I tell you!

/Nice stach

UNFUNDED MANDATE

Maddogjew: John Walsh... a man made famous by the death of his son, a death that could have been easily prevented, by not letting a 5 year old run around a shopping center unsupervised. I can understand the burden of guilt the man must feel, if he and his wife had been better parents, his son Adam would still be alive today. All of the tv shows and BS legislation that gets passed will not change the fact that his kid is dead.

/and yes, I know the killer is really at fault...
//Where was John Walsh that day?

You can never defeat a crusader when the It's For The Children Card is thrown.

/and how much money did Mr. Walsh make off of his dead child?
//just sayin'

Walsh is a total douche.

Ow My Balls: Why can't sexual offender laws just simply punish those who act on actual pedophilia? Why must all these locales go after people peeing in public, 19-year-olds boinking their 17-year-old boy/girlfriends, etc.?

Is it that hard to legislate responsibly?

THIS.

ttc2301: Maddogjew: John Walsh... a man made famous by the death of his son, a death that could have been easily prevented, by not letting a 5 year old run around a shopping center unsupervised. I can understand the burden of guilt the man must feel, if he and his wife had been better parents, his son Adam would still be alive today. All of the tv shows and BS legislation that gets passed will not change the fact that his kid is dead.

/and yes, I know the killer is really at fault...
//Where was John Walsh that day?

You can never defeat a crusader when the It's For The Children Card is thrown.

/and how much money did Mr. Walsh make off of his dead child?
//just sayin'

I don't think John Walsh did these things for the money, especially at first. After a few years of trying to get first his state then other states and finally the Federal Gov't to pass laws, it may have become 'convenient' to use some of the money for himself and his family because trying to keep a full time job while lobbying state and federal governments is probably impossible. But then again, I have no idea how much money he makes from the foundation.

But you are entirely correct about the 'Child Card'.

Crosshair: I've said it before and I'll say it again. These laws are ex-post facto punishment against people. If you don't think the sentence is harsh enough, make the crime demand a longer prison term for future violations.

Tyranny always begins against unpopular groups first.

Not to mention the idiotic nature these laws have taken, like 15 year olds getting put on the list because they took naked pics of themselves.

In order: This, THIS, and THIS

In general, I think it should be illegal to name any law after a victim, whether it's the Walsh Act or the Brady Bill. No need to restrict it to just dead children. Anything named after a victim is probably just a ploy to take away our freedoms because one single person got killed/injured by some crazy guy.

thinks_on_feet:


I support 290 lists. I do not support "statutory rape" charges when both the "offender" and the "victim" are under 18... but when the offender is older than 18? Fark him (or her).


Yeah, Fark all those 18 year old boys with 16 year old girlfiends.

Crosshair: I've said it before and I'll say it again. These laws are ex-post facto punishment against people. If you don't think the sentence is harsh enough, make the crime demand a longer prison term for future violations.

Tyranny always begins against unpopular groups first.

Not to mention the idiotic nature these laws have taken, like 15 year olds getting put on the list because they took naked pics of themselves.

While I completely agree with you on the matter of rights and unjust punishment, I don't want to go back to a "usual suspects" list method. That path is clouded in the inner working of police departments and the courts. Too many well connected pederastic assholes have used that system to cover up their crimes against children in the past.
These laws were the direct result of repeat offenders who got a slap on the wrist here and a slap on the wrist there, never doing any real time. The system of IDing pedophiles needs changes not abandonment.

I love how the Adam Walsh Act deals with the sex offender registry, despite the fact that Adam Walsh's murderer was not a pedophile and the boy's kidnapping and murder were not in any way for sexual purposes. Nice going, John Walsh, you gigantic douchebag.

id49606: thinks_on_feet: I support 290 lists. I do not support "statutory rape" charges when both the "offender" and the "victim" are under 18... but when the offender is older than 18? Fark him (or her).


Yeah, Fark all those 18 year old boys with 16 year old girlfiends.

If you weren't a complete farking douchenozzle, you'd have included the rest of that thought, but I guess it would have defeated your trollike logic.

It's about "learning restraint," which is a valuable adult skill.

/Now please go DIAF.

I don't the use of the irony tag.

But at any rate I think the most important thing about this is that we missed Styx playing at the House of Blues.

Ow My Balls: Why can't sexual offender laws just simply punish those who act on actual pedophilia? Why must all these locales go after people peeing in public, 19-year-olds boinking their 17-year-old boy/girlfriends, etc.?

Is it that hard to legislate responsibly?

You can be dubbed a sexual offender for urinating in public or streaking now.

Seit_N_Zounde: Crosshair: I've said it before and I'll say it again. These laws are ex-post facto punishment against people. If you don't think the sentence is harsh enough, make the crime demand a longer prison term for future violations.

Tyranny always begins against unpopular groups first.

Not to mention the idiotic nature these laws have taken, like 15 year olds getting put on the list because they took naked pics of themselves.

While I completely agree with you on the matter of rights and unjust punishment, I don't want to go back to a "usual suspects" list method. That path is clouded in the inner working of police departments and the courts. Too many well connected pederastic assholes have used that system to cover up their crimes against children in the past.
These laws were the direct result of repeat offenders who got a slap on the wrist here and a slap on the wrist there, never doing any real time. The system of IDing pedophiles needs changes not abandonment.

The problem is that most of the people in sex offender registry's are not pedophiles and are not repeat offenders. It's not hard for a woman to falsely accuse a man of rape or some sort of sexual abuse and get away with it.

These lists are often lacking in details and do not differentiate between real wackjobs and the thousands of people who either made a mistake or were wrongly convicted. This creates hysteria that can ruin decent people's lives. The last time I checked that was akin to a witch hunt. Toughen the punishments against pedophiles and repeat offenders. The second offense should be an automatic 20 years or more.

I am not saying that people don't exist who should be tracked for public safety but these lists are entirely ineffective and only serve to provide a false sense of security for soccer moms/dads and their precious little snowflakes.

What about notification of people who have known to set fires to neighbors houses? I would like to know that, if a former arsonist moves in next door to me.

Yes, sex crimes are apparently WORSE than murder, etc. I don't understand.

crab66: but these lists are entirely ineffective and only serve to provide a false sense of security for soccer moms/dads and their precious little snowflakes.

Sex offender registry has always been a great source for false sense of security. This is why the Japanese government has always ignored America's request to make a sex offender registry in Japan.

After all, the media and lawyers need to make money than:

1) seriously preventing pedophilia-related crimes
2) obsessively promoting government of making pedophilia-related laws

[sarcasm] Just keep the pedophilia controversy flowing for the sake of profit! [/sarcasm]

Nemo's Brother: Ow My Balls: Why can't sexual offender laws just simply punish those who act on actual pedophilia? Why must all these locales go after people peeing in public, 19-year-olds boinking their 17-year-old boy/girlfriends, etc.?

Is it that hard to legislate responsibly?

You can be dubbed a sexual offender for urinating in public or streaking now.

Then don't piss in public or streak. Problem solved.

Jeff Paine: I love how the Adam Walsh Act deals with the sex offender registry, despite the fact that Adam Walsh's murderer was not a pedophile and the boy's kidnapping and murder were not in any way for sexual purposes. Nice going, John Walsh, you gigantic douchebag.

Yes. Isn't the sex offender registry in general referred to as Megan's law?

Nemo's Brother: Ow My Balls: Why can't sexual offender laws just simply punish those who act on actual pedophilia? Why must all these locales go after people peeing in public, 19-year-olds boinking their 17-year-old boy/girlfriends, etc.?

Is it that hard to legislate responsibly?

You can be dubbed a sexual offender for urinating in public or streaking now.

And this is the problem. I really would like to know about the pedophiles living in my area, but that info gets polluted with mostly kids banging kids or slighted women getting back at a man (pissers and streakers notwithstanding). This makes the list useless.

kashyyk muffdiver loves taco sauce: ummm.... genious. "former" SERIAL-murderers either get life or death. They don't get out unless they escape.

Only the ones we catch. Police resources would be better spent finding and catching those people than maintaining a registry.

The new regulations would actually help make it less draconian. As in there would be classifications for offenders depending on the severity of the crime, likelihood to repeat, etc.

Here, if she's 16 and he's a day short of 16 state authorities will be allowed to classify her as a low risk offender. Under the federal law, she is a child rapist the same as any other.

Asura-HiME: Sex offender registry has always been a great source for false sense of security. This is why the Japanese government has always ignored America's request to make a sex offender registry in Japan.

That's not the only reason though. It was all over the Japanese news about how some people in the UK have gone vigilante on people that they found out were on the lists, and considering certain other vigilante trends it's a real concern that anyone on such a list might not last long.

Anyway I think from the start it's a problem to lump all "sex crimes" together and then prevent them living near schools and parks. Even IF you assumed that preventing actual pedophiles from living near the school would solve anything, worrying about people who assaulted other adults, or even the skeevy types who mack on underage but adult-appearing teenagers isn't so relevant there around the elementary school.

Then on top of that the "no go areas" are continually being expanded in terms of distance ("Five blocks? NO! We're tough! TEN blocks!") and item ("Schools, yeah, everyone does schools, but we're tough! Kids might ride on a city bus, so we'll outlaw city bus stops too! Yeah!").

It's to the point that there are no legal areas, which I suggest is actually the real goal, shunning from the city entirely. Let them go over the river to Iowa. But then Iowa says, "ZOMG! Illinois Pedophile Nazis are invading!" and one-ups the laws, driving them back over the bridge. Then "ZOMG! We must get tougher again!" on the IL side... and eventually the pedophiles just drop out and live under the bridge, or sleep in the Free Candy Van.

itazurakko: It's to the point that there are no legal areas, which I suggest is actually the real goal,

Because everyone knows sex offenders are easiest to track when they're homeless.

Nevada the latest state to discover that expansive and draconian federally mandated sex-offender registration programs higher education may be too expensive to enforce keep, may ditch the program.

This has nothing to do with sex offenders and everything to do with a $2.3 billion deficit. Governor Gibbons has proposed no new taxes and a 49% funding cut to higher education.

Nutcase: Tell that to my idiot former employee who's in jail for diddling his own 12 year old daughter .... and two other tweens.

Don't drop the soap, Troy.


Yeah and some douche who's girlfriend cried rape when she found out he was cheating on her goes on the list right next to him and 99% of people can't or don't want to differentiate between the two.


I think anyone that's ever been convicted of a crime should go on a tracking list that the public can view.... murderers and shoplifters can both be listed under "Criminals".

itazurakko: That's not the only reason though. It was all over the Japanese news about how some people in the UK have gone vigilante on people that they found out were on the lists, and considering certain other vigilante trends it's a real concern that anyone on such a list might not last long.

If it was in South Korea, average South Koreans would be shocked about this. And they would assumed that American government officials are very perverted (or pedophilic) enough to consider a harmless cellphone picture of a naked baby as a child porn. Different impression indeed.

Yet as far as I know, the American government tried to enforce a full-fledge sex offender registry in South Korea... no success obviously.

FTA: The higher the risk, the closer a sex offender is supposed to be monitored by parole and probation officials. The closer the monitoring, the greater the cost to taxpayers.

Bring volunteerism into play:
Adopt-an-Offender?

thinks_on_feet: RTFA.

Sex offender lists are not, in and of themselves, bad.

We had a guy where I worked who tried to fark a 13-year old when he was 27. That's pretty serious, in my opinion.

He got caught. Confessed. Got convicted. Didn't do jail time. Got on the 290 list. Then spent the next 10 years lobbying politicians to get his name off the list (always failing).

He was dating a woman at work who had a 12-year old daughter. A month after their first date, he proposed. Three months later her mother saw him on the 290 list while at the State Fair.

Had he not been listed, this woman would have married a guy with a history of trying to diddle kids her daughter's age and she'd have never known.

I support 290 lists. I do not support "statutory rape" charges when both the "offender" and the "victim" are under 18... but when the offender is older than 18? Fark him (or her).

It's called "learning to exercise restraint," which is a valuable skill when you're older.

/Hippies smell.

Hey, your story came up short. They have the 290 list at the State Fair? What, wouldn't that just be pics of the carnies? Also, you left out the part about him committing any other crimes in that 10 years.