RECALL THE ENTIRE RIVERSIDE COUNTY BORED OF STUPIDVISORS

Don't they something else better to do?

WE DON'T NEED STATUTORY RAPES TO BE ON THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRIES! The problem is that Unchristian conservatives would want to make everything but marital sex a crime that has to be registered, thereby wasting resources that can used to watch violent predators.

The more isane laws we have, the more deaths of children we will have.

From sexoffenderissues.blogspot.com:

Original Article


04/11/2010

As a teenager, _____ made a very bad decision, for which he spent time in jail and on probation.

He's 29 now, and if he had committed a crime such as burglary or assault, he would be considered to have paid his debt to society and would be clear of the justice system.

But _____'s crime was sexual in nature, so his debt to society is a lifelong one. Like hundreds of thousands of others, he must register his address with authorities everywhere he goes.

And because that address is posted on an Internet database, his neighbors on a Murrieta cul-de-sac recently became aware of him. They have been protesting outside his house, demanding he move, and last week took their case to the City Council.

In a plea bargain, _____ (15 at the time) admitted to sexual battery on a girl under 14; exactly what his crime was is unclear, because court records don't offer details and he isn't speaking about it. He has not been accused of any other offenses in the 14 years since.

_____'s case highlights the flaws in the "Megan's Law" databases around the country, from their unwieldy size to their lack of useful detail. What were intended to warn residents of the presence of dangerous sex offenders in their midst have been broadened to include so many people convicted of such a wide array of offenses that even law enforcement officials say they have become largely useless as crime-fighting tools.

What they are good at is painting offenders with a scarlet letter they wear for life, making it that much more difficult for them to ever fit back into society.

For some on the list, that lifelong tag is warranted. But for every John Gardner ---- charged earlier this year with the heinous rape and murder of a 17-year-old Rancho Bernardo girl ---- there are dozens on the list who pose no threat to others.

Now the Riverside County [Bored of Stupidvisors] wants to add to the clutter.

Supervisors voted last week to send out notifications to people when a sex offender moves into their neighborhood.

What the supervisors should be doing is pushing the Legislature to modify the law, narrowing the database to the true threats ---- serious, violent offenders, and adults who commit crimes against children. Or at least create levels of threats, so people know whether the neighbor on the list is a predatory pedophile or someone whose teenage transgression 20 years ago continues to haunt them.

Where _____ fits on that scale is unclear. But it has been 14 years since he committed whatever act landed him in jail, and there is no indication he has committed another offense since then.

He deserves the right to try to reclaim his life without fear of harassment or worse everywhere he goes.

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"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin (Emphasis added.)