Sex offender registration fees are a bad idea.
Setting aside the constitutionality of charging individuals for the “privilege” of registering as a sex offender – something that’s not only involuntary but that all would certainly prefer not to do – and claiming it’s not a “penalty”, it’s a logistical nightmare.
Because of the public website and the stigma that comes with it, most registered sex offenders are either grossly underemployed or unemployed. Many of the collateral consequences of being a registrant are extremely expensive. Registrants are required, in most cases to cover the costs of items such as “treatment”, GPS monitoring and polygraphs. Because their housing options are so limited, they usually pay a premium just to put a roof over their head. In summary; they are broke!
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From the Article:
So the state of Tennessee imposed a “fee” they intended to charge the registrants. Now, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, is discovering why that was a bad idea. According to a report presented by Comptroller Justin P. Wilson to legislators on the state Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee, it cost the bureau an estimated $419,400 in collections, accounting and administering the fee!
How many registrants do you think can afford to pay the $150 fee? For a state that has just over 20,000 registrants, you have to wonder whether this fee scheme turned out to be as good an idea as planned.
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1. $150 x 20,000 = $3 million
2. It cost the bureau an estimated $419,400 in collections, accounting and administering the fee!
See, the registry does generate revenue for someone else! (And that’s just for collecting the new $150 revenue fee!) But this is only for collections, that doesn’t include specialized Sex Offender units. For example, where I live in Ca, you can only register on certain days because that’s when the police dept has a specific officer doing registering for sex offenders.
@Mike R, this is proof that registry does create revenue for someone else. Also, with my local PD, we’re forced to register on certain days of the week as well as call ahead of time. Don’t forget the compliance checks, the people who process the paper work, the website, etc… If there were no registry, then how many people would lose revenue?
TN has a Drug Abuse Offense Registry with no fee.
Sex Offense Registrants are the “cash crop” for TN.
If you get out of prison on Dec.30, you have until Dec.31 to register, it costs $150. That’s for the priviledge of being on the registry for 1 day that year! Then in March, the annual registration month, you will have to pay another $150 for the current year’s registration fee. That’s $300 within 3 months. (keep in mind, you’ve just gotten out of prison, you may not even have a job.)
TN is making money off registrants, hard to believe the shortfall they’re complaining about.
Solution, get rid of the registry, then they wouldn’t have to worry about collecting fees and book-keeping problems.
Problem solved.
Personally, I have been very successful at costing governments a lot of money. I make it a job to cost them an amount that is at least 12 times any amount that they cost me. I keep track down to the dollar. If they would charge me $150 to Register, I would directly cost them at least $1,800 and preferably more.
I recommend that all of the millions of people who are affected in any negative way by any Nanny Big Government (NBG) Registry do the exact same thing. Make it a job. Put a lot of effort and hours into it. You will find that it is not that difficult to really cost them a lot and harm them.
The only good NBG is a broke and dysfunctional NBG.
Lastly, don’t accept being broke or underemployed. F the terrorists that support the Registries. Make them broke and unemployed. Don’t look for a job, make a job for yourself and run them into the ground. Make the terrorists beg you for a job, housing, and such. Then turn them away and help people who deserve it.