Beginning April 1, registered sex offenders in Michigan will be required to pay an annual fee. Last year, Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation requiring the state’s more than 40,000 registered sex offenders to come with a $50 per year registration fee.
The fee, which is applicable to registered sex offenders who are out of prison is not meant as an additional punishment to those who’ve already paid their societal debt, as much as it is intended to help defray the $600,000 a year cost to the Michigan State Police who run the sex offender database and website.
The new law, sponsored by Sen. Rick Jones, replaces the current system which provided a one-time $50 fee, in favor of the annual assessment. As in the past provisions will be made for those who cannot pay the annual fee.
This certainly makes sense to us. If, in the name of safety and security it is necessary to keep offenders on the database indefinitely, then it surely seems fair they should shoulder that financial burden than taxpayers.
It is an equalizer whose time has come. Opinion
Please remember This is not meant as an additional punishment to those who’ve already PAID THEIR SOCIETAL DEBT………. Are you kidding me?
Reality check please!
Ok, so lets see…the government is are trying to force people illegally forced out of society by laws that the government has put into place to pay for their own listing on a list that they don’t want to be on and that just might result in them being killed.
Furthermore, being on that list prevents them from getting a job which would give them the funds to pay the fee in the first place…rather a catch 22 situation.
Clearly this is cruel and very unusual punishment…oh and it’s for life!
“These clauses of the Constitution are not of the broad, general nature of the Due Process Clause, but refer to rather precise legal terms which had a meaning under English law at the time the Constitution was adopted. A bill of attainder was a legislative act that singled out one or more persons and imposed punishment on them, without benefit of trial. Such actions were regarded as odious by the framers of the Constitution because it was the traditional role of a court, judging an individual case, to impose punishment.” William H. Rehnquist, The Supreme Court, page 166.
…how far this country has strayed.
It’s bad enough most on the registry will never be able to retire; like me. And now they want them to pay!!!
I was out with some friends tonight and they were talking about retirement. I cant tell you how FU_KED UP I FELT! If that ever happens here I won’t pay.
It costs money to run a police state. It sounds like in Michigan, they are starting to run out.
If they tried this in California, I would assume that Janice or Frank would be camped outside on the steps leading to the Federal courtroom the first day after the law takes effect.
There is a cost to feel *safe* people. If you want to force people to be on a public register and to update it each time they move, or once a yr YOU get to absorb that cost.
Suck it up Buttercup.
Doncha feel ever so much safer now?????
Not a chance in hell I’d pay it.