Firstly, this topic was not posted for debate. It was offered as a tool to concerned parents of young children if they wished to implement such services. That other sexual offenders are also included in the search is just cream for the pie as far as Im concerned. Mind you, these are CONVICTED offenders brought to justice by trial. There is no maybe here, they have been convicted through due process under the law. It should also say something when 88% of the country (44 states out of 50) allow for such services to be made available to their concerned citizens. So obviously the yeas outnumber the nays overwhelmingly. We just need to get the remaining 12% to get inline with the rest of the country.

As the site says:
Know your neighborhood-Use Family Watchdog to locate sex offenders near your home and your kid's school.
Empower your kids with information-Buy The Safe Side Stranger Safety video and watch it with your kids.
Change the laws-Support the Child Safety Act of 2005

Im for stronger child sexual abuse laws and would stand by such laws as Jessicas Law. For those that dont know: Jessicas Law is: Named in memory of Jessica Lunsford, who was abducted and sexually assaulted before being brutally murdered, "Jessica's Law" refers to the Jessica Lunsford Act passed in Florida which mandates a minimum sentence of 25 years and a maximum of life in prison for first-time child sex offenders.

Jessica was 9 years old. The confessed offender, 46-year-old John Evander Couey, is a repeat registered (no less) sex offender.

Jessica was murdered in March of 2005 but as early as January of 2006 a judge in Vermont, Judge Edward Cashman gave a 60-day jail sentence to 34-year-old Mark Hulett in the repeated rape of a 6 year old girl over a period of four years. That sentence was eventually turned over to a sentence of 3 to 10 years, , by pressure brought to bare by public outcry. 3 to 10 years is still a paltry sentence in my opinion considering that these childrens innocence has been taken away by these predatory animals and they will suffer emotionally for the rest of their lives. For the most part they will grow up to be emotionally crippled adults.

As far as Im concerned these sick, perverted predatory animals should be locked away in places tighter than a gnats ass. I would go with 25 minimum and life maximum on first-time offenders as prescribed in Jessicas Law.

As for the 17 year old assaulting the 12 year old, obviously this would have been statutory rape depending in what state of the Union the crime occurred. Whereas in some states the age of consent is 18, other states vary anywhere from 14 in Hawaii (14 in Iowa with parental consent) 16 in West Virginia, 17 in New York and 18 in Virginia, this 17 year old boy obviously was old enough to go to jail for breaking the law having assaulted a minor (she was 12) as an adult. Age of consent chart

I in no way condone vigilantism but these things do happen from time to time. I vaguely remember a case were a father shot his sons rapist after his conviction while being escorted out of court to prison. And as I recall the father was deemed to have been temporarily insane when he committed the act. One can see and even understand a parents distraught and frustration when trying to extract a sense of justice for his child. That being said, I do not believe that anyone taking the life of another in an act of vigilantism should not be held accountable for murder. But these events are far and few between. In the general scale of things I have to say that the good of the registry service outweighs the bad and apparently so does the majority of Americans.

The other thing to point out is recidivism in sex offenses:

Among child molesters released from prison in 1994, 60% had been in prison for molesting a child 13 years old or younger.
Bureau of Justice Statistics

Studies show different base rates for different types of sex offenses. For example, child molesters have a higher rate of rearrest than rapists (52% versus 39 percent when tracked over 25 years).

One review of recidivism rates (p.7) found: "Incest offenders ranged between 4 and 10 percent. Rapists ranged between 7 and 35 percent. Child molesters with female victims ranged between 10 and 29 percent. Child molesters with male victims ranged between 13 and 40 percent. Exhibitionists ranged between 41 and 71 percent."
Sexoffender.com

TMGraphics: Red= Offense against children, yellow=rape, blue=sexual battery and green=other offense.

Ang: And there is a case right now where a guy got prison time for shagging a sheep. And he's upset because when he gets out he will be on the sex offender list.

Well he should have thought about that before he got caught with the wool over his eye!

LOLYsvry just imagine what a map including the rest of the world would look like.

Message edited on: 03/03/2006 00:49