There seems to be quite a bit of controversy over the Sex Offender Registry. States started keeping track of sex offenders over 50 years ago. In 1947 California was the first state to enact a sex offender registration law. Many people, myself included, think that we need to protect our children at any cost. Sex offenders are more prone to re-offending than other types of criminals. These offenders can ruin not only a child's life, but the parents as well. Being a parent, our job is to keep our children safe. If something happens to them, we find ourselves wondering where we went wrong, and what we could have done differently. The guilt would eat us alive.
There are also the people that believe that sex offenders can be reformed. They think everyone deserves a second chance. I am not one of those people. Whether it's abuse to an adult, child, women, or man, it's all disgusting. Some of the people that are against the Sex Offender Registry believe they are being punished not once, but twice. They think that by the offender serving their time appointed by a judge is enough. They say it's a new punishment for an old crime. When it comes to hurting a child, I think that's the lowest and worst thing a person could possible do. It's disgusting and sickening that someone could even think about doing that.
There are no studies proving that Sex Offender Registries reduce crime rates. There may be no study, but I know that I feel better knowing who we should be weary of. I had an experience where there was a man asking me a lot of questions about my oldest son. He would drive by our house when we were outside playing and slow way down and make sure my son saw him wave. This man would come into my work and while he was doing his business he would ask his questions. He would ask how old he was, and tell me how cute he was. I was always short with my answers with him because he scared me a little by his appearance and his attitude. I know the sheriff here and asked him about the man. He then told me all about him. He had raped his own son, and molested him for years. He then advised me about watching him and keeping my son safe. If I saw him at my home, I was to call him and he would be there momentarily. A while after that, my son's and I went for a walk and we saw the man again. I made it a point to have my son get a good look at him and told him he was never to talk to him, and to stay away from him. I just told him he has hurt kids in the past. I didn't go into detail, but I believed he needed to know the extent of the harm this man could do to him. From then on, he has made it a point to look at me to make sure it was okay to talk to someone he doesn't know. My son is very personable and will talk to people that speak to him. He's five years old now, but I will always worry about my kids. I make sure they stay with me at all times when we leave the house. They may not like it, but I just tell them up front that someone could take them from me. I feel kind of bad that I have to use the scare tactic, but if that's what it takes to keep them safe, I will. They need to know that not everyone they meet is nice.
In the state of Missouri, a sex offender cannot live within 1,000 feet of a school or childcare facility. There are a lot of Watch Dog sites out there that can tell us exactly on a map, the physical address in which the offender resides. I don't know about you, but this makes sense to me!
http://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/MSHPWeb/PatrolDivisions/CRID/SOR/SORPage.html
http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Naming_and_shaming_of_sex_offenders
http://www.cga.ct.gov/2007/rpt/2007-R-0380.html
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