All across this nation politicians seek to garner votes from the people. In times past, the goal for working in government was for the betterment of our nation. Could it be the playing field rules have changed and now politicians do their deeds for the sole purpose of gaining a paycheck?
Many studies have shown using the Public Sex Offender Registry to banish people from society to be counter productive in protecting society from sexual abuse.
Given this knowledge, politicians still seek to push states into implementing federal law,
Congress plans hearing on ignored sex-offender law
WASHINGTON - Congress intends to examine why most states have failed to adopt a federal law meant to help track the nation's 700,000 convicted sex offenders, including 100,000 who have fallen off the radar screen.
The newly named chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Wednesday that he wants to hold a hearing on why 46 states have busted deadline after deadline set in the 2006 Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.
The law was intended to tighten oversight of the nation's convicted sex offenders by, among other things, requiring states to adopt uniform reporting standards.
Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, an original co-sponsor of the measure who will chair the powerful committee when Republicans take over in January, said the delays in implementing the law are troubling. Ohio, Florida, Delaware and South Dakota have complied with the law. The other 46 states have missed 2009 and 2010 deadlines. A third deadline is now set for July 2011.
SOURCE
Using inflated figures to scare the public into financially supporting their agenda, politicians like the ones listed above are refuted by professionals:
Dr. Jill Levenson, Dr. Andrew Harris, Dr. Alissa Ackerman, and Dr. Kristen Zgoba are currently embarking on a series of research projects exploring the make-up and utility of U.S. registries as well as the intended goals and outcomes of the Adam Walsh Act. In a recent article submitted for publication to a reputable social science journal, we analyzed data on 445,127 registered sex offenders obtained directly from the public registries of 49 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico and Guam. In contrast with the homogenized perception about registered sex offenders that permeates much public discourse, the analysis illuminated the wide diversity of registrants across a range of demographic, offense-related, registry status, and risk-oriented variables.
Specifically, we attempted to clarify the repeatedly cited statistic that 100,000 sex offenders are "missing." Curiously, we were able to identify only 17,688 RSOs who were designated by states to be transient, homeless, absconded, non-compliant, or whose address or whereabouts are otherwise unknown. Nationwide, a total of 5,349 offenders were officially listed as absconded; 1,264 were listed as missing/unable to be located and 4,152 were listed as having failed to comply with registration requirements. We had no way of specifically confirming the number of fugitive sex offenders, since states had a wide variety of methods for classifying absconders, registration violators, and others whose locations are uncertain. Despite the NCMEC report that "at least 100,000 sex offenders are noncompliant and no one knows where they are" (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 2007), we have been unable to ascertain NCMEC's formula for their calculation of missing sex offenders. Using the data downloaded directly from public registries, and utilizing the inclusive figure of 17,688 offenders described above (approximately 4% of our total sample), we found no evidence to support the notion that one-sixth (or about 17%) of the nation's sex offenders are missing or unaccounted for.Politicians using Hype to sell their products
Professionals from around the nation have shown in many reports these laws are not only ineffective at protecting society, but also waste the tax payer's hard earned money.
Patty Wetterling has a background in sexual abuse and is nationally know as a speaker on sexual abuse laws and justice.
My son Jacob was kidnapped on Oct. 22, 1989. Neither his brother nor his friend saw the man's face. He was masked, he had a gun and he ordered them to run to the woods. By the time they looked back, Jacob was gone and so was the man. Since that day, I have been on a journey to find him and to stop this from ever happening to another child, another family. Patty Wetterling
We need better answers. We need to fund prevention programs that stop sexual violence before it happens. We need to look at what can help those released from prison to succeed so that they don't victimize again -- and that probably means housing and jobs and treatment and community support. Given that current laws are extremely popular, taking truly effective measures may exact a high political price. But that's surely not too much to pay to prevent the kidnap, rape or murder of another child. SOURCE
Patty Wetterling lives in St. Joseph, Minn. She and her husband are co-founders of the Jacob Wetterling Foundation, which works to prevent sexual violence against children. She wrote this for Human Rights Watch, 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-3299; Web site:www.hrw.org. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Congressman Bobby Scott has stated that basically once a person is placed upon the public sex offender registry, their life is over.(VIDEO LINK)
If the government knows full well the Public Sex Offender Registry dooms all who are on it to having their life ended.. why do they continue to allow for the existence of such a demoralizing, humiliating, banishing public machine?
I will tell you my opinion. There is huge amounts of money to be made from all aspects of adding people to the registry.
1.Politicians Gain Votes and a Paycheck for submitting new laws to Punish Sex Offenders.
2.States can request more federal money to support their efforts to implement sex offender laws.
3.Companies like Secure Alert are seeing their profits skyrocket as new laws require states to implement their products and services, GPS TRACKING HARDWARE, SOFTWARE AND SERVICES.( How much does Secure Alert stand to make if the Adam Walsh Act goes National?)
4.All the regulations and laws which are applied to those who are labeled Sex Offenders and placed upon the registry insure those on the registry will become JOBLESS, HOMELESS,FRIENDLESS and inevitably sent to prison for new charges.. FAILURE TO REGISTER... Any violation of the sex offender registry will net the person this charge.. failure to register which carries prison sentences.. up 10 years.(shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.SOURCE)
The registration of a person as a sex offender carries considerable social stigma that can make it difficult to find a home, form personal relationships or obtain employment.
The charge of "failure to register" is sometimes made in circumstances in which registration may not be required or may already have been done. Moreover, it is not uncommon for this charge to be filed against you without your knowledge. SOURCE
Not all who are on the public sex offender registry have raped women or molested children, but that is what the many in the media and many politicians would have you think. There is huge money in publishing Sex Offender Articles and pushing for Tougher Sex Offender Laws.
Twelve Thousand people die each year on our streets in America due to Alcohol. Do you see politicians going about the nation GETTING TOUGH ON DRUNK DRIVERS.... Writing legislation to CLOSE LOOPHOLES on Drunk Drivers? Having U.S. Marshals going about the nation Herding Up and Doing Compliance Checks on Drunk Drivers? Do you see a Public Shaming Registry for all who have driven drunk and killed anyone? Why not?
I will tell you why not.
1.Alcohol turns billions of dollars in profits both to individuals who own the companies and those who own stock and all related industries.
2.The government is making a killing in taxes for alcohol being legal.
3.Sex sells on any platform.. Television, Radio, Print, the Internet and IN POLITICS. Whole campaigns have been won simply by running on a platform to protect society from sex offenders.
I recently came across a petition to Abolish the Sex Offender Registry:
The National Public Sex Offender Registry, Sex Offender Registration Notification Act, (SORNA) and the Adam Walsh Act is counter productive to the safety of men, women and children in society.
Placing the name, age, address, crime, place of employment and many pieces of information on a Publicly accessible website creates a state of constant instability for the ex offenders and their families.
EMPLOYMENT FOR EX-OFFENDERS
Employment is basically not an option as all job applications ask if the prospective employee has ever been convicted of a sex crime. Not only that, but employers do not want to wear the stigma of having an employee listed on the public shaming sex offender registry as working at their business. Employers fear loss of customers due to the stigma.
HOUSING FOR EX-OFFENDERS
Anyone who is on the public sex offender registry faces huge challenges when seeking to rent housing. Not only is there residency restrictions which make it almost impossible to find suitable housing in many cities but also many rental applications ask if a person is on the registry...once that is disclosed.. the applicant is denied.
EFFECTS OF THE PUBLIC SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY ON THE INNOCENT CHILDREN OF EX-OFFENDERS
The innocent children of ex offenders suffer great amounts of pain and humiliation due to their parent being on the registry. The registration laws were created to protect children from being raped and molested. But in fact, the very registration laws created to protect children are the tools used by government and state law enforcement to rape and molest innocent children with their laws.
Children of ex offenders have been found to not only be bullied, ostracized, ridiculed, humiliated, excluded and treated as lepers by fellow students and neighbors in their communities but also have suffered by having to live sub standard lives economically due to the parent not being able to find employment or start their own businesses due to the stigma of being on the registry.
The innocent children of ex offenders should not have to undergo all the stigma of their parent being on the registry. But they do.
BIGGER GOVERNMENT AT TAX PAYER'S EXPENSE FOR LAWS WHICH ARE PROVEN TO BE NOT ONLY INEFFECTIVE AT PROTECTING SOCIETY BUT ALSO INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR RECIDIVISM OF THE EX-OFFENDER
SORNA and the Adam Walsh Act seek to expand the Public Sex Offender Registry and all the attached laws and regulations. SORNA and the Adam Walsh Act seek to increase the number of support staff nationwide and have YOU the tax payers fund it.
What the proponents of these laws do NOT tell you is that on every level they are a failure. The public registry is a failure. Residency restrictions are a failure at protecting society. GPS Monitoring has NEVER protected a single person from a crime being committed. These laws are like a huge balloon which is everincreasingly becoming larger while the citizens become less safe due to the ineptness of these laws in protecting society.
Everyone who knows anything about GPS monitoring knows it protects NO ONE. The only thing GPS monitoring can do is tell you where a person has been. It cannot tell you what they have been doing. Many cases where people were on the registry, wearing GPS tracking devices and still raped and murdered people. The registry, residency restrictions and GPS tracking did NOTHING to protect those victims. Nor will they protect YOU.
ALL WHO ARE ON THE REGISTRY ARE OPEN TARGETS FOR VIGILANTES, MANY HAVE ALREADY BEEN KILLED AND ASSAULTED FOR SIMPLY BEING ON THE REGISTRY
Anyone who can use Google or Bing can find news stories of law abiding citizens who were on the registry but were murdered or beaten or assaulted for simply being on the registry. Nobody who is on the registry is safe from anyone who seeks to do them harm. Being on the registry is an open invitation for murder and assault. This extends to the innocent family members of the ex offender. Innocent women and children who reside in the homes of ex offenders can be burned alive, shot, assaulted just because their parent happens to have his or her name, address and place of employment listed on the national shaming public sex offender registry.READ MORE>(SOURCE
If we are to increase public safety in the area of preventing sexual abuse we need to go in a totally different direction when it comes to laws concerning those people who have been convicted of sexual offenses.
Those who abuse others need to be dealt with by our Criminal Justice System. If the job of catching, trying and sentencing a person for their crime is done properly, there is no need for a public sex offender registry.
Dangerous people should not even be sent back out into society in the first place.
Releasing a person from prison then branding them as an outcast, a leper and heaping so many regulations and laws upon them that they are Setup to Fail.. is not humane nor is it Justice.SOURCE