Sex Offender Registry

Posted by Connie Newbauer Aug 5, 2006

Does the current push for a national sex-offenders registry protect our children at the cost of other's constitutional rights?

The issue is heartbreaking and emotional: Your child has been abused by a stranger, your family member or a friend of the family. Should they be punished for an entire lifetime for one indescretion?

Most parents, having gone through this terrible maze of the guilt of somehow not protecting their child, of the legal system entanglements and out-right outrage would shout a resounding YES! Yet there are those in our country that feel mandatory sex offense registry violates the constitutional rights of those accused.

The very thought of a child being violated in any way disgusts me, so it is difficult to remain unbiased, I must admit, but I will try...

Let's be honest - these registries are now posted on the internet for anyone to look up. Some community members, not so open minded as you and I use this information to carry out a form of vigilante justice. From an emotional point, I can understand - but this isn't right and acts as a form of double jeopardy not upheld by our constitution.

In addition, the courts are having problems placing these people in communities, once they are freed by the justice system. "So what," you say, "they should have thought about that prior to committing the crime..." Well, perhaps, but they still need a place to live.

Dangers surround us whereever we live. We can overcome the danger of offenders living in our neighborhood by taking the precautions we should have taken - even if we didn't know they were there!

Do I think they should live near a school or have jobs at a children's camp? NO!

We all make choices. They made a choice and as adults, have to realize that the choices we make have very real consequences. The consequence of violating a child - at the very least - should be to live either behind bars - or in social and living situations that severely limits your interaction with those we are trying to protect.

SOUND OFF! What measures do you think we should take to protect our society from child predators?