Sex Offender Registration System

Sex offenders have been a serious problem for our legal system at all levels, not to mention those who have been their victims. There are 43,000 inmates in prison for sexual offenses while each year in this country over 510,000 children are sexually assaulted(Oakes 99). The latter statistic, in its context, does not convey the severity of the situation. Each year 510,000 children have their childhood's destroyed, possibly on more than one occasion, and are faced with dealing with the assault for the rest of their lives. Sadly, many of those assaults are perpetrated by people who have already been through the correctional system only to victimize again. Sex offenders, as a class of criminals, are nine times more likely to repeat their

Jennifer, I enjoyed reading your post, especially when you mention employers hiring sex offenders taking opposing employment action against that employee based on the sex offender status. Megan’s Law is different from state to state. Tennessee Megan’s Law says that within 48 hours upon release from prison the offender must register; can one commit a crime within that 48-hour window. (Megan’s Law for Tennessee, 2016) Tennessee Megan’s Law states if you move into Tennessee from another state and are a registered offender you must register with Tennessee, who notifies Tennessee when an offender relocates here. (Megan’s Law for Tennessee, 2016) Offenders want the chance to move back into society, but the Megan’s Law needs more classification to make offenders accountable. It seems as if the Fourth

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was enacted in 1974 and focused predominantly on cases of sexual abuse. When the law was put into in effect the number of reported cases of sexual assault/abuse rose dramatically. Currently, all 50 states have enacted similar laws. Laws such as these have caused controversies throughout the nation for decades.One of the biggest? Should we as a nation enforce such laws if they take away an abuser’s rights.While it may seem like laws like these come with good reason, there are those who oppose such rulings. A majority of these laws do not allow sex offenders to live a certain distance from playgrounds, schools, and parks. Those in opposition claim that such laws have forced sex offenders to become homeless and increased their chances of becoming a repeat

Megan’s Law and it purpose are good, but however the laws leaves some loophole for a sex offender to get around some of them. In the state of Tennessee a sex offender are allowed to have access to an electronic mail address or internet must report within 3 day. An offender has 48 hours prior to their release to notify the TBI in person unless the facility they are house at is the register Violent offender must be on the registry for life, but those that are classify as sexual offenders my apply to have their name remove from the registry ten years after their expiration of their sentence (Klass Kids Foundation, 2016). Political elected official demonize sex offender and presenting to the public that they have an interests in protecting children.

In recent years our newspapers, televisions, and radios have been inundated with news stories about sexual offenders and sexual predators. Stories such as the kidnapping and murder of Polly Klass, Carlie Brucia, Amber Hagerman, and Jessica Lunsford have shocked the nation. Sex offenders and predators commit despicable acts; however, their acts seem more despicable when they are committed upon the most venerable members of our society, our children. Even with the new Jessica Lunsford legislation in Florida some citizens feel that it is not enough to keep their communities safe. Many cities are now looking at limiting the areas in which sex offenders and predators can live in hopes of protecting children. Many

The Adam Walsh Act (AWA) was instilled to create greater uniformity in SORNA systems in all the US states and territories. SORNA is an essential component of the AWA. The act requires standardizing the registration of sex offenders, and community notification practices. There are two ways notification is practiced for registered sex offenders. Communities vary in which way to notify residents. Some communities choose active notification. Active notification is where residents are informed that a registered sex offender lives nearby. Residents are notified by phone, mail, or face to face. The other form of notification that is practiced is called passive notification.

There have been many federal acts passed in correspondence with sex offenses that illicit feat with the public. There are many different types of ways in which Levenson & colleagues’ (2007) describes the perceptions that the public has based on certain factors. For instance, in relation to the perception about the sex offender notification system, a survey produced results of around 80 percent in favor of these registries, because these individuals felt safer in their communities knowing who was in their neighborhood. Further, due to this fear that resonated in the early 1990’s communities do have tools such as residential restrictions, civil commitment, notification procedures, etc. that aid in the protection. However, there are myths associated with sex offenders, for example legislation often states that the reasoning for new laws and regulations is due to the high recidivism rates. However, sex offenders have significantly lower recidivism rates than believed. Also, there are countless people who do not believe that sex offenders can be assisted with techniques from a psychological standpoint. Most people think that these offenders cannot be treated, however, there is research being conducted that is promising. Finally, there is a common misconception that sex offenders kill their victims, especially children more often than other killers, however this is not true.

A registered sex offender is an individual who is male or female and has been convicted of a crime involving a trafficking, assault, or sexual act against a minor. According to federal, state, and/or local laws these sex offenders are required to be placed on the Sex Offender Registry. This is done after this individual has successfully served their criminal sentences or they have been released on parole. This system would have not been available to the public if

     When people think of their neighbors, do they think of violent sex crime offenders? Many people have to deal with this every day of life. There are now laws that inform people of a community when a sex crime offender moves into their town. These laws are said to keep violent sex crime offenders from striking again, but do these laws really work is the question that many people ask? The answer all depends on the opinion of the person who is being asking. Many supporters say that the law is keeping sexually violent predators from striking again, but many critics say that the law is unethical and breaks many amendments. This is another question proposed when the topic of Megan’s Law is brought up, is it breaking any of the

With the sex offender’s registries controlled by each individual jurisdiction, maintaining a registry is time consuming and costly. The separate jurisdictions maintain their own registry is through the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG). The grant only deducts 10% of their budget if that jurisdiction in not following the minimal guidelines of SORNA. We see an issue with who to hold accountable when the inaccurate information and lack of information is projected to society. Take for instance an article wrote titled, Sex offender registration changes: not worth the cost? by Gunnarsson. In her article she states, “Estimates of how much Illinois risks losing for its noncompliance with SORNA range from $900,000 to $1.6 million. But the loss of Byrne

28% of sexual abuse cases are committed by strangers (Perpetrators of Sexual Violence:Statistics). A list that could help eliminate that statistic is the national sex offender registry. These registries are a very controversial topic. Many people feel that the original purpose of this registry has been lost throughout the years. People argue that these registries are too long and that offenders are unnecessarily put on the registry.

Stories of sex offenders have been increasingly a focus of attention by the criminal justice system over the past years. By legal definition, a sex offender “is a person who is convicted of a sexual offense (Sex Offender Law & Legal Definition),” an act which is prohibited by the jurisdiction. What constitutes as a sex offense or normal/abnormal sexual behavior varies over time and place, meaning that it also varies by legal jurisdiction and culture. In the United States of America, for example, a person can be convicted of wide range of sexual behavior that includes prostitution, incest, sex with a minor, rape, and other sex offenses (Sex Offender Law & Legal Definition). As the nature of sex crimes have long held the

Each state also has its own sex offender registration, which requires any individual convicted of sex offense to be officially registered as a sex offender in the state in which they live, this registration includes the documentation of the perpetrator 's name, address, and information regarding the crime. The opinion of the judge greatly affects how the sex offender is punished, which is the main issue concerning the punishment of these offenders because the judge could have a strong opinion about sexual assault in favor of either the victim or the criminal.

“Prosecutorial Remedies and other tool to end the Exploitation of Children Today Act “were passed in 2003. This Act allowed people to search different state borders for information on sex offenders in other cities and states. Some effective community notification strategies are alerting the public through News, press releases, newsletters, and sometimes door-to- door warnings of the sex offenders in the area serves a good purpose. Now days states are mandated by the Federal government to put the sex offender registry online so that anyone web access can stay notified.

In the United States, failure to adequately discriminate between and among sex offenses and the overuse of the label “sex offense” has led to the polarization and over criminalization of sex crimes and has resulted in a lack of reintegration options for these alleged criminals. The term “sex offender” needs to be reserved for those individuals who best represent the meaning of the term. (Colbert, 2011, p. 1) According to US Department of Justice, a sex offender is anyone convicted of an offense of a sexual nature under the law of any jurisdiction, this also includes juveniles fourteen years of age and older. (Colbert, 2011, p. 1) In the United States, the term sex offender is too broad and can be very misleading. There is a widespread misconception among society that the meaning of sex offender is pedophile and rapist, but a sex offender can be someone that was caught urinating in public or they can be underage teenagers having consensual sex. This lack of distinction between sex offenses results in a misinformed society and this absence of information in regards to sex offenses and the presence of the sex offender registry fuels society 's ignorance and heightened prejudices towards "sex offenses." The stigma that comes with the label "sex offense” persists beyond sentencing due to the parameters of the law, making reintegration of alleged criminals into society overbearing and near impossible. These registries are public record, however they only state partial information