Few public policies galvanize bipartisan political support like measures that target convicted sexual offenders. Lengthy prison sentences, registration and civil commitment for the most dangerous offenders are among the tools used to mete punishment, protect the public and serve justice.
But as The Pilot’s Louis Hansen reported Sunday, Virginia’s practice of committing violent sex offenders to a lifetime on a public registry, and requiring them to jump through bureaucratic hoops long after they’ve served their prison sentences, can sometimes prove problematic.
Hansen’s report on Willie Combo, an aging offender who recently landed back in jail after failing to renew his registration, underscores the need for policymakers to examine whether justice and the public are served through a rigid policy of imposing a lifetime of paperwork on every violent sexual offender, even after they are no longer a threat. Full Article
No; one size fit’s all isn’t wise, never was, never will be and this method of sentencing and the resulting harm it causes to families and society needs to stop.
One size fits all and being branded for the rest of one’s life on the sex registry sounds a bit more of a political endeavor than a criminal Justice norm. There is nothing new under the sun about sex crimes. These registry’s came about by this Megan’s law and this Adam Walsh act. It seems man is trying to control man. Freedom is Freedom and whether one is on registry or not it is wrong all together. Governments want to please the people but were is the love in the registry, where is the cut off point, or where does discrimination come in. Sin is Sin whether its stilling a pair of sock’s or setting fire to one’s building it shouldn’t be in the same category. It seems like a one size fits all Sex category and governments want to take full advantage of it regardless of who’s misery and suffering. It is barbaric to say the least. There is still going to be murders’ and all other types of crime. Lifetime branding is more like predicting with a crystal ball that one will offend again. So they put them on the registry and let the neighbors know. Isn’t that the American way? Noooooooooooooooooo Not on your life.