Interesting catching a thread about America before all the americans wake up and start defending the status quo
The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence
31–40 of 127 posts
Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is bigger and deeper than just that. I've even seen comments on here regarding immigration that simply said if someone has ever been arrested then they shouldn't be allowed into the USA. (No qualifying statements on recency or severity, or even acquittal.) With regards to crime (including the mere accusation of sexual things) the sentiment of the USA runs counter to the aspiration and promise of social mobility of…
For immigration, it could make sense, at least in a utilitarian sense. You are trying to eliminate false-negatives, and checking criminal background (in other countries) is one way to do that. Now, many countries (esp. developing ones) people get imprisoned for expressing their thoughts (which is a shame), but whether USA would/should care about this or not is a different question. USA has a quota on how many immigra…
In the case cited in the article, of a child who as a pre-teenager ended up on a sexual register, does it make sense?
Would it make sense if a homeless child had been caught shoplifting for food in their teenage years and 30 years later had turned their life around and become a professional... does it still make sense?
And of refugees, does it make sense to offer foreign governments a mechanism to prevent emigration simply by arresting those who are likely to leave?
The lack of rehabilitation as a fundamental concept that underpins the treatment of people, is a life sentence to those people.
Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It's really scary how easily it is to pass Orwellian by invoking "Think of the Children" or "To prevent terrorists". The goal is not to fight so-called sex-crimes or terrorism. The goal is to 1. coerce people into behaving in an ideal way where sexuality is constrained and nothing happens 2. discriminate against minorities using big words and supposed "victims" as tools and props.
Just to clarify: do you think that this is being put through intentionally by people who're organized together with hidden evil plan?
Yes and no -- or rather, no, but yes. People didn't congregate and got organized to achieve this, so, no. But, deep down they know what they're doing (or at the very least they're not bothered by the consequences), and so, yes.
Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence
#34lets be clear. rich people do not have to deal with this. denny hastert rapes a bunch of people and is still thought of as a good guy by the powerful and wealthy. how many more like him are protected? catholic church institutionalizes criminal sexual abuse but nobody in management goes to prison. corey feldman knows who raped him but cannot say it because that person has too much money and power in hollywood. hedge f…
The current president is at a minimum guilty of multiple cases of sexual assault. Rich people do not only not have to deal with it, they are next to untouchable.
Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence
#35> Her friend, who had just given birth to a baby girl, had logged on to the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry Web site to search for local predators. "Sex-offender" registry is of course a total and complete abomination. But if you're going to write against it, maybe you owe it to yourself and your readers to not use the words of the enemy -- namely "predators". There are no "predators". There may or may not be p…
It's true that many, if not most, registered sex offenders are not predators, but predators do exist. There are predators out there and I have met many. But I agree, from a psychosemantic perspective using "predator" in that sentence reeked of FUD
Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence
#36Well if the predilection towards pedophilia could be managed or "cured" and if prisons did more than just house inmates I.e if they worked on rehab instead of punishment then perhaps the lifetime listings wouldn't be necessary. I won't begin to insinuate that I have the right balance between parents wanting to be cautious with who their kids interact with and the belief that people can change for the better. And then…
> Well if the predilection towards pedophilia could > be managed or "cured" And what if not? If these people did not deliberately chose whom they are attracted to any more than gays did, they are in a really really sad place.
But adult homosexual relationships in general are fully consensual. It is increasingly harder to make that case as age gap increases, and while we should be empathetic towards the adult we also must be empathetic towards the child, who still may have a nascent view of what should be expected of them from others.
The solution to this problem does not involve changing a single policy, i.e. rehabilitate / be more lenient on practicing pedophiles, but a change in societal perspective as well as a more rational approach to age of consent laws in the US. After that, we are left with only problematic pedophiles, often repeat offenders, with whom it is a lot easier to make the decision to lock up as long as necessary for their safety and the safety of others. By removing uncertainty and doubt we can focus on real, abusive criminals and rehabilitation could truly be realized because of the large decrease in cases.
Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence
#37From everything I've ever read, there is no concept of rehabilitation in the USA. If you have ever been convicted, or even accused, of a felony or sexual crime in the USA then life as you knew it was over. The concept of being able to pay a debt to society and for that to settle the books, and to then allow those people to return to society and contribute value again... is alien to America. The problem starts with th…
That is the exact feeling I get when I read about any sort of public register. They seem to be predicated on the fact that the people on the register will never, ever change during the course of their lives.
Granted, some won't rehabilitate, and will be habitual reoffenders, but as the article shows, many are once off offenders or just made bad choices as a kid or young adult, and don't really deserve to be marked for life. I just wish there was more evidence of the judicial system at least trying to differentiate the two groups rather than place everyone in the same 'too hard' basket.
Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
> if prisons did more than just house inmates The problem is that the US system in particular is obsessed with punishment alone. Yes, sure, sometimes the punishment is justified as a learning experience but it's entirely based on the idea that punishment alone is sufficient to teach and act as a deterrent to others. Considering mental health (especially for the poor) is fairly neglected as a public health issue in th…
> highest incarceration rate in the "free world" 2nd highest in the world full stop is a starker figure (behind Seychelles which has a population <10k)
You're probably right since "free world" can mean many different things to different people, although I thought Seychelles had like 100,000 people
Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence
#39lets be clear. rich people do not have to deal with this. denny hastert rapes a bunch of people and is still thought of as a good guy by the powerful and wealthy. how many more like him are protected? catholic church institutionalizes criminal sexual abuse but nobody in management goes to prison. corey feldman knows who raped him but cannot say it because that person has too much money and power in hollywood. hedge f…
The current president is at a minimum guilty of multiple cases of sexual assault. Rich people do not only not have to deal with it, they are next to untouchable.
Wait what? Isn't he innocent until proven otherwise?
Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is bigger and deeper than just that. I've even seen comments on here regarding immigration that simply said if someone has ever been arrested then they shouldn't be allowed into the USA. (No qualifying statements on recency or severity, or even acquittal.) With regards to crime (including the mere accusation of sexual things) the sentiment of the USA runs counter to the aspiration and promise of social mobility of…
For immigration, it could make sense, at least in a utilitarian sense. You are trying to eliminate false-negatives, and checking criminal background (in other countries) is one way to do that. Now, many countries (esp. developing ones) people get imprisoned for expressing their thoughts (which is a shame), but whether USA would/should care about this or not is a different question. USA has a quota on how many immigra…
This assumes the 'best' people are least likely to get arrested. I reject that idea as pushing boundaries is very common among the most intellectually gifted.