Live data from Hacker News

The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence

newyorker.com

81–90 of 127 posts

Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence

#81
post #79
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nothing is black and white. We might be talking about 5 gifted people for every 1000 people with criminal history. But US might be optimizing for 20 gifted people outside of that group, even if it means losing 5.

Except we are looking for the extreme outliers. Bill Gates was arrested, Steve Jobs and Wozniak made blue boxes and they went on to be the 'model' Americans. Feynman is famous for breaking a host of security rules. So, you may be rejecting 50% of the top 1% of 1% of 1% in favor of those less talented.

we will never know what the real numbers are. Same argument goes other way: Elon Musk was never arrested, Einstein when he came to USA didn't have any convictions (AFAIK). What this says is there is no shortage of people with smarts.

Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence

#82
post #81
post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except we are looking for the extreme outliers. Bill Gates was arrested, Steve Jobs and Wozniak made blue boxes and they went on to be the 'model' Americans. Feynman is famous for breaking a host of security rules. So, you may be rejecting 50% of the top 1% of 1% of 1% in favor of those less talented.

we will never know what the real numbers are. Same argument goes other way: Elon Musk was never arrested, Einstein when he came to USA didn't have any convictions (AFAIK). What this says is there is no shortage of people with smarts.

ED: Not sure on the credibility of a quick google search, but Einstein may have been arrested which was the original benchmark used.

Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence

#84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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

Oops, yeah should say <100k. Still. Quite small.

Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence

#85

IMHO acts committed prior to 18 should not warrant inclusion on the sex offender registry, unless they are so egregious and violent that a high bar has been crossed.

Siblings are one of the main perpetrators of sexual abuse.

This isn't normal sexual exploration, but actual abuse.

http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/sibabuse.htm

Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence

#86
post #7

The US are getting weirder and weirder and weirder. I just can't wrap my head around Trump, gun laws, life-time sex-offender registries, the messed up health care system. Yet, I have only met absolutely nice, intelligent, loving americans, and I've met many. I feel sorry for them. They deserve better.

I find that it's easy to hate the US for what it has been doing to others (yes, yes, tu quoque and at least the US isn't literally Nazi Germany) but what's really astonishing is what it's doing to its own people. Sure, in theory citizens of the "home of the brave" have it pretty good but between the atrocious healthcare and welfare systems, the insane criminal justice system, the mass surveillance, the militarised po…

What you're seeing is the "though on crime" trap all politicians fall into. Vote for law X and show you're tough on crime. Oh you didn't vote for law X? Then you're not tough on crime, and that's why votes should go to your opponent in the next election. US politicians MUST be tough on crime or risk losing election.

Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence

#87
post #82
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

we will never know what the real numbers are. Same argument goes other way: Elon Musk was never arrested, Einstein when he came to USA didn't have any convictions (AFAIK). What this says is there is no shortage of people with smarts.

ED: Not sure on the credibility of a quick google search, but Einstein may have been arrested which was the original benchmark used.

didn't know - wikipedia didn't have this, can you point me to a source?

Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence

#88
There is a huge problem with “accusation equals conviction”, and a huge problem with “let’s just keep adding punishments to already-convicted people”. There also seems to be no automatic apology mechanism after wrongful accusations or convictions, requiring one to spend even more time and money to be given even the most basic repayments for a life-destroying situation.

If I had to pick one thing to fix first, it should be COMPLETELY ILLEGAL TO DISCLOSE MERE ACCUSATIONS (no media coverage, etc.). Disclosure, particularly for sexual crimes, has been shown to have just as much of a career-destroying and family-destroying effect as an actual conviction, and the “hehe, sorry, wrong guy, you are free to go” after the ordeal never undoes the damage. It is a shameful, garbage way for society to operate.

Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence

#89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He pretty much admitted it himself, what else do you want? Or do you feel that because he lies all the time we should not believe him at all, even when he incriminates himself? I'm fairly confident in declaring Trump guilty of that, this is not a court of law, it's an internet forum and the standards for both are different. In fact, the standards of proof for criminal law are different from those for civil law (see O…

Myself and half the guys and girls I grew up with are also guilty of sexual assault based on many people's current definition.

[deleted]

Re: The sex-offender registry can be a life sentence

#90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He pretty much admitted it himself, what else do you want? Or do you feel that because he lies all the time we should not believe him at all, even when he incriminates himself? I'm fairly confident in declaring Trump guilty of that, this is not a court of law, it's an internet forum and the standards for both are different. In fact, the standards of proof for criminal law are different from those for civil law (see O…

I'm sorry, you're somewhere around fake news-level in your argumentation.

If someone claims something and is subsequently accused of having done that exact same thing that is not the same as 'making shit up'.
Post reply on HN