In a decision that combined two cases pending before the court, justices said a strict reading of the 1994 Alaska Sex Offender Registration Act does not grant the Alaska Department of Public Safety leeway when determining whether an out-of-state sex crime matches an illegal act under state law.
Until the decision, it was up to DPS to determine whether someone convicted of a sex crime outside Alaska would be required to enter their names into Alaska’s sex offender database if they moved here. Now, it’s not clear what standards will be followed. Full Article
Wow. An actual newspaper includes a line like this?
“At the time the Legislature created the registry, it was believed that sex offenders were much more likely to reoffend, and thus public awareness of sex offenders was a matter of public safety. Newer studies, including at least one published in Scientific American, have cast doubt on that idea.”
This is the reason why there should not be a registry in existence, period.
I find it interesting that in addition to questionable nature of Alaska’s current laws to cause someone who moves from another state to register, the writer also wrote about the fact that all these laws were associated with bad science, and unfounded fears. A trend of looking at the scientific data that shows low recidivism is a good sign. People coming to the conclusion that registration laws are an overreach, and that it was all based on bad information and unfounded fears is exactly what we want. It seems like every time I turn around there is more stuff that is headed in the right direction. Momentum!
Sure, low recidivism will help convince people that Registries aren’t needed. But really, the recidivism rate doesn’t even matter because regardless of what the rate is, the Registries only increase it. So if the rate is 80%, the Registries increase it to 90%. If it is 3%, the Registries increase it to 5%. The simple fact is that the Registries don’t protect people.
I have over 2 decades of direct, real world experience with the Registries. I have also seen the effects and lives of literally hundreds of people who are Registered. The Registries do squat that is good. Sure, your “neighbors” know that you are listed on the Nanny Big Government hit list. But BFD. Guess who I NEVER associate with? Anyone who knows. I have a full, complete, intimate life with hundreds of people who have no idea that I am Registered and never will.
Additionally, there is no one “monitoring” me in any way that even an idiot Registry Terrorist (RT) could dream is useful. And believe me, if I wanted to commit a crime, the Registries have taught me exactly what I need to avoid in order to not be caught. The Registries wouldn’t hinder me at all. People who think they would are idiots.
The Registries are just wishful thinking. RTs that think that keeping people out of libraries or schools makes any difference at all are idiots. It is laughable.
Not the 1st time AKers rejected Washington’s byrne manipulation.
I’m almost sure Alaska SC rejected the proposed implementation upon first glance. As a practical matter. The distance native AK resident’s had to travel to comply and update was unstomachable. Really not possible in many cases. They settled with less, cause their conscience wouldn’t let them put it to paper.
THAT IS WHY THE AGENDA FOUND DOE. First intent filed 8\96 under Debartellio. ( “torchered history” noted early) his case went Doe….or is it DOH!!!!
Precisely so no record of having to “show up in person” could be tested! All other states put It to paper, set places, like p&p. U see technically the WHOLE94OMNIBUS constitutionally defective if 1 part is 4SURE. PRES ,WJC SIGN ALL AT ONCE! The .doc 600+ pages HR4433.
I asked my Sen why he vote NAY on final vote. He shakes his head ” unfathonable” he said. He gone next cycle. Shame.
It is he who leads role to set docket! Rehnquist. Faced much weight heavy bill attached. IMHO
The case was hand picked. Proving it a whole mother story, but plausible.
The crack the deep state needed. Scapegoats for electronic Surveillance Saints.
Man made to serve machine and make data. Personal data not secure, all database easy target, but people infatuated with electronic device, never look up.
There is no use for a sex offender registry. Once someone completes their jail/prison and probation/parole, that should be it! There is no use for a sex offender registry. For anyone. Not for low risk. Not for “high” risk. All the registry does is inhibit rehabilitation, inhibit one’s ability to get a job, inhibit housing, inhibit potential relationships. The registry does nothing but put people in a position that may make it more likely for them to reoffend (since they might feel that they would have nothing to lose).
Of course, the legislature may have already known this — which is why they insist in imposing the sex offender registry in the first place. Again, the registry creates a self-fulfilling prophecy, causing people to reoffend and not successfully reintegrate, which leads to more people in jail/prison and probation/parole — leading to more $$$ in contracts, “need” for police and prison guards, more money for “treatment” $cams, and more credence to junk “science.”
Registries do make common sense and they do seem like they would be useful.
However, people who are actually protecting themselves and/or their families, in actual reality, don’t have any need for Registries. Take me, for example – I could look on the Registries and see that my next door neighbor is listed on there for raping someone 15 years ago. So what am I going to do about it? Not speak to him in case he might decide to rape me? I wouldn’t let him watch my kids, probably.
Take my other neighbor – I look on the Registries and I see that he is not listed. Do I assume that he did not rape someone 15 years ago? No. Quite the contrary, I assume that he did rape someone 15 years ago, that he wasn’t caught, and that he is still doing it. I wouldn’t let him watch my kids, probably.
But the case for either neighbor is that I assume that either one of them might rape someone in the future. Does it matter how “nice” and “decent” either of them “are”? Of course not.
So it is quite a simple fact that people literally don’t need Registries. But it is also quite obvious that the Registries cause HUGE problems, most of which most people cannot even begin to guess or care. If the Registries were merely worthless, they might be okay. But they are far, far from that. And the idea of them as a hit list, limiting where people can live, retroactively adding new punishments to people forever, etc., etc., is something that no actual American can support.
The Registries are idiotic social policy. No question about it. Not even debatable.