PTSD & American Sham Justice

American “Justice”

This document sheds light on the grim realities that forced registrants must go through on a daily basis. Aside from having almost all of their rights denied or destroyed by the States (Adam Walsh Act), registrants must cope with PTSD, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, and potential violence.

Where does the forced registrant live? Not here: too close to a park. Not there: landlord doesn’t want to rent to one of “those people” and is immune from liability.

Where can he work? Good luck with the background check. Money for clothes and food? Not eligible for public benefits.

Every day is a matter of primal survival for so many who are treated worse than some wild animals. Yet, when a registrant lashes out and commits a crime, even while boasting the second-lowest recidivism rate of all convicted persons, politicians feign “outrage” and demand harsher punishments still.

This artificial crime-creation-punishment feedback loop is an unsafe and highly unstable practice that has no clear end. With the expansion of criminal codes and redefining of current criminal statutes, more and more people will be subject to the insane punishment of the Adam Walsh Act. Eventually, there will be so many citizens forced to register that the States will not be able to accommodate Washington’s demands and the system will collapse.

Imagine, if you haven’t already, that you are forced to live like this for at least another decade and a half AFTER you had already served your punishment for a crime. A crime for which you were given a few months of probation and/or a fine because the incident was petty in comparison to more serious offenses. Sound reasonable to you? Welcome to American “justice.”

PTSD & The AWA

According to the US government’s own National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): To be diagnosed with PTSD, an adult must have all of the following for at least 1 month:

Re-experiencing symptoms include:

  • Flashbacks—reliving the trauma over and over, including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating
  • Bad dreams
  • Frightening thoughts

Avoidance symptoms include:

  • Staying away from places, events, or objects that are reminders of the traumatic experience
  • Avoiding thoughts or feelings related to the traumatic event

Arousal and reactivity symptoms include:

  • Being easily startled
  • Feeling tense or “on edge”
  • Having difficulty sleeping
  • Having angry outbursts

Cognition and mood symptoms include:

  • Trouble remembering key features of the traumatic event
  • Negative thoughts about oneself or the world
  • Distorted feelings like guilt or blame
  • Loss of interest in enjoyable activities

Both Sides Arguement

There will always be the “what about the victims?” response when discussing the torment that forced registrants are enduring. For those whose crimes involved a real victim and the victim experiences trauma, then that’s a fair question. In those cases, it’s an eye-for-an-eye sort of thing. This site isn’t about victim shaming or trying to demean what someone might go through and we  certainly appreciate the pain that some people are suffering. We are not talking about violent, predatory criminals; those offenders are typically sentenced so harshly that they are rarely ever released and thus not even impacted by the AWA’s harsh living conditions.

The overwhelming majority of forced registrants are non-habitual, non-violent, first-time offenders. Many of whom with no actual victim and others with mere “thought crime” convictions.

To be fair: not everyone forced to register will develop PTSD just as not everyone who is the victim of a crime will either.  Some people are stronger than others and some have lived through much worse experiences. Developing PTSD is a horrible outcome for anyone to deal with regardless of the circumstance. While the traumatic stress might be similar for both parties, the forward paths and possible futures for both victim and offender diverge sharply and the stark contrast couldn’t be clearer.

Two Sides of the Same Traumatized Coin

The glaring difference between them is that the victim is given access to almost unlimited, government sponsored, mental health resources for treatment, thereby also given the potential to cope and move on with their life. The forced registrant, on the other hand, is not so fortunate.

He or she does not have easy access to any treatment, outside of what might be required during incarceration, and likely couldn’t afford it even if it was made available. Without the ability to find gainful employment, it is unlikely that most forced registrants will be able to get the help that they need. This leaves them vulnerable, without the ability to cope, and many will turn to substance abuse; potentially leading to recidivism.

The fun doesn’t stop there though. Forced registrants are also: reminded daily about the harsh reality that they must endure for at least 15 years without any possible relief; constantly living in fear of arrest and mandatory imprisonment; and dealing with the anxiety brought on by the fear that potentially every single person you know or love may abandon you at any moment. This forces so many to turn to substance abuse or suicide.

Who do you think has it worse?