Click on each of these bills to read the details:
HB 1279: To amend the offense of sexually grooming a child.
SB 183: To prohibit certain registered sex offenders from holding a position of public trust.
SB 351: To amend the law concerning the registration requirements of a sex offender.
HB 1009: Prohibiting certain sex offenders from entering upon a school campus.
Click here to see the full 2/26/19 agenda of all bills
At some point, you have to just laugh at the ridiculousness of certain proposals.
There has to be staffers who do nothing but research other state’s registrant laws like a catalogue to choose what may work for consideration. Has to be…
From HB 1009:
(c) It is not a violation of this section if the sex offender:
(1) Is less than twenty-two (22) years of age and is a student enrolled in a grade kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) program;
LOL. Seriously? How many 22 year old Arkansans are still in K-12 if they needed to add this exception?
SB 10: Ah, yes. Gardner’s Halloween wisdom. Just to see what he’d do, I’m tempted to go to Arkansas in June, dress in a costume, and hand out candy to kids in a park.
SB 8: Doesn’t Arkansas forbid registrants from social media? Why all this overcomplicated nonsense regarding posting recordings on social media of 14-and-unders? Why allow circumstances to only be a defense, versus not applicable to the “crime”? Oh yeah, Gardner.
HB 1279: Couldn’t make heads or tails of the prohibited defenses or figure out why the ages were shuffled around. But then again, this is a state with 22 year old K-12s.
Oh yeah. Forbidding registrants from positions of “public trust.” Aren’t all felons f=precluded from those? Why the need to exclude registrants?
Wow, what’s going on in AR, sheesh. They have draconian laws too, wow. There was another bill posted, that registered offenders couldnt post photos of someone under the age of 14 on social media.
Are there no consequences for a legislative official for writing bills like the ones above?
Why only 2 weeks before and after Halloween? What if there are children at a work party? I’m surprised they didnt suggest a Rso cant hand out candy at anytime during the year. Ugh. Makes my head spin.
Reading some of the other bills up for discussion, I’m not surprised.
Hb 1520, inmates last meal. They want it to be whatever they have on hand.
Ruthless.
As someone who has seen people from all walks of life come onto the sex registry the sex registry does a lot more harm than good the way its set up now in my opinion. It provides a false sense of security that isnt real we dont do this for drug addicts, people with DWIs most likely to keep drinking and driving, we dont do this cruel punishment with any other offenses. The public most of the time turns around and breaks more laws with the information such as to harrass, defame, or other acts of violence towards these people. Many people on this registry become
Victims to these crimes. How many times do you see something shared on a social media account and people start commenting things in favor to hurt the person or slander the person. This then gets spread to reach that persons family who feel heated on the comments from people that dont know the details of the situation or the person. We have an extramly cookie cutter system still today. The system is great for violent predators there should be something in place in our communities for violent people of all crimes in general. But the truth of the matter is the registry is destroying more lifes than its helping. Most sex offenders never offend again in their life and are just a part of a small percent that got caught in a mistake they made in their life. We are the only country in the world that carries the registry to this extreme. The registry is a Scarlett letter and its used as an embarrassment tool by the communities. Your basically still in custody even when your out of jail. Its not only the offender that faces cruelty by the public but their kids fall victim to extreme bullying in schools to where they dont even want to attend school anymore. Their not allowed to take a normal approach back into society and it just isnt fair to them. I think people would be surprised that a large percent of people on the registry are people who were in consensual high school/ college relationships that found mutual attraction being within up to 7 years apart in many cases. I dont think those are the people we need to make register for 15 years or be hard on especially if theyve have shown that it was a moment of lapse judgment at a young age and thats not really who they are. These laws we create are a false sense of security theres no reason why sex offenders who have paid their time and who have bettered themselves be banned from schools, their own childrens events, or where they can or cant live. If you want progress programs and therapies are the future. It makes me sick to see how cruel the world can be. You should tell all your law makers that it’s disgusting the way the system is set up and how cookie cutter this system is. Im for making everyone assetts to society Im for making every citizen a tax paying asset to society. Im not for holding people were given one life here and for a Christian Im all for forgiving and for giving out second chances to those that go to the efforts to better themselves or show that they can enter society and be an asset. Making laws tighter are just going to make things worse you really want your money and tax paying dollars that we dont have a lot of here to hunt down lower tier people that were either in young relationships or had a consensual lapse of judgment theyve made years ago versus some real issues we can focus on id love for that time and money to be focused on level 4 people that actually are violent and a threat. Im all for safety just not for stupidity and bad laws. All life matters and a person wants to be at their childrens school events and take part who are you to say they cant take part in that as an American citizen whos payed for his or her time. Especially if their not being alone with another child theres adults around, right? I mean lets be smarter not harder. Need positive change. More focus on true violent criminals and less barbarian laws on lower tier people. Like I said all for positive change and safety just not for handing out the Scarlett letter treatment to anyone thats ever made one mistake.