The Irreparable Harm of Placing Children on Sex Offender Registries in the US
This article from the good people at Human Rights Watch discusses the effects of “sex offender” registries on youth offenders. They interviewed several people for this report, both convicts and regular citizens including: psychologists, police, lawyers, and politicians. What they discovered about the truth regarding these heinous laws may or may not surprise you. Here’s just some of the findings that may already know:
Registering sex offenders and publicizing information about them is predicated on the idea that sex crimes are committed by strangers. However, evidence suggests that about 86 percent of sex offenses are committed by persons known to the victim. According to the Justice Department, 93 percent of sexually abused children are molested by family members, close friends, or acquaintances. Registration will not protect a victim from a family member.
There is discussion about the point to even having the laws in the first place. Why do we continue to do this to so many people? Obviously to prevent these perverts from ever committing another crime:
The focus on recidivism is misguided because sex offenders are among the least likely to re-offend. Individuals labeled as “sex offenders” have extremely low recidivism rates when compared to persons convicted of robbery, non-sexual assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, fraud, drug offenses, and public order offenses. The only type of offense with lower recidivism rates is homicide.
Yes, homicide. The only other crime that is repeated less is MURDER. One could be expected to wonder: why aren’t they subject to the same oppressive punishment as “sex offenders”? More often than not, they are sentenced so heavily that they are rarely released from prison. The same scenario happens with the worst types of “sex offenders.” Since they aren’t usually released back into the public, these laws don’t often even affect them; they primarily affect only the low-level, non-habitual offenders.
Now, just because most bad apples never see the light of day again doesn’t mean that all covered offenders aren’t dangerous, but the overwhelming majority are not. And unless there has been an unexplained explosion in rapes over the past two decades that hasn’t been made public, it’s not hard to discern that these registry laws are creating more criminals while simultaneously preventing less crime:
The enactment across the United States of increasingly comprehensive sex offender registration laws has brought predictable results: the number of individuals (adult and youth offenders) placed on sex offender registries has exploded. In February 2001, approximately 386,000 individuals nationwide were listed on sex offender registries. By 2011, there were 747,408 registered sex offenders in the country.
It doesn’t take more than simple reasoning skills to see that these laws are thorough failures with absolutely no endgame. Since they are ineffective at preventing crime and proving to be far more harmful than beneficial, especially to the children who are forced to register, why then do they still exist? Who is supporting this insanity? What is driving our sick motivation to continue torturing our fellow man?
For more information, please read the full article here and watch this video posted on our YouTube channel.
What kind of a country does this kind of crap? I thought the idea behind these boogeyman laws was to “protect” kids not completely destroy their lives. Just my opinion, but I would think that the trauma that comes with registering and stigmatizing a child during his formative years like this would be far more emotionally and psychologically damaging than any sex offense. This country is horrible.
True, people do not care to live next to Murderers but next to Registrants, yes! It makes no sense.
All those laws like the Megan Law have been created by the parents of the victims and the Lawmakers and is just a personal revenge of the parents. It is unfortunate what happened to their kid nevertheless their daughter will never be back whatever the anger that they have.
I also think that they should have been charged for child negligence, child endangerment.
The kid died because they were bad parents and now the society has to pay for it!
The monster who killed that little girl needs to pay for it but not everybody has to pay for it!
John Walsh aka a man that created a sex offense law admitted having a relationship with a 16-year-old girl while being in his early 20s and aware of age of consent being 17 in New York, meaning that, had he been convicted, John Walsh himself could be required to register as a sex offender. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Walsh_(television_host)#Controversy
Not only did he “rape” this “child”, but then, like the complete hypocrite that he is, exploited the death of his son to both propel his career and support the oppression of millions of people… Many of whom convicted for doing the same thing he did! I say millions to include the almost 1M forced registrants as well as their loved ones who are also victimized by the Adam Walsh Act. This should be its own post – I think it would be a good read.
Being angry at things that didn’t and will never happen is wasted energy. Forget what Walsh did. That’s his burden to live with. We need to focus on improving our lives and getting past whatever put us in this position. He is a hypocrite and a liar, but that doesn’t change the fact that I am on this registry. At one time in American western territories, killing another person wasn’t considered murder in many cases, but then a law was passed and the very next person that did it was a murderer.
Laws continually change. Sometimes better, sometimes worse. I just focus on my situation and how I can improve it.