On March 4, Hector Rodriguez was sent to Rikers Island because he failed to log his address with state’s sex offender registry — even though he had been homeless for years.
Rodriguez died June 21 on his jail bed, while struggling to breathe during a severe asthma attack, according to Correction Department records and a family lawyer. He was 60 years old and had contracted COVID-19 in April, the lawyer said.
For criminal justice reform advocates and even one city group that represents victims, Rodriguez’s death behind bars underscored what they called outmoded and unjust restrictions people convicted of sex crimes must comply with after being released from prison.
People know all the truths about “the sex offender registry. “ Really important and influential people. But this SORA is big business now. Lots of political patronage jobs over there & it’s a sewer. Ask me how I know.
This man was MURDERED by the state. This is state-sanctioned MURDER. Plain and simple!!!
That was an amazing article!
The authors humanized a registrant. That registrant had drug issues and other mental issues as well to neglect family. The failure to register and be put into prison for a statutory, civil scheme seems quite punitive. And to die because of it, two days after being seen by the medical staff to only return to his cell is disheartening.
Despite the DOJ’s SMART spokesman stating the usual sex offender trope, the registrant hadn’t done anything sexual crime.
If you only read the headline and not the article, then you’re missing out on an eloquent piece. It’s wow!
A couple of responses to the following excerpts:
(Registries) “allow victims and their families to know where sex offenders who assaulted or abused them are located,” said Sarah Blazucki, a spokesperson for the DOJ’s office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART).
Like they can’t Google if they’re that concerned. And again, I’ll ask what exactly they’re supposed to do with that knowledge. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why more people aren’t asking that.
“From a public safety perspective, registries allow law enforcement agencies to track sex offenders and rely on registry information to solve new and old crimes,” Blazucki said.
Fitst, what crimes, outside of registry violations? Can she show one single crime ever committed by a registrant that would not have been solved without the registry? I suspect not.
Second, what exactly is on the registry that isn’t in NCIC or the state counterpart that feeds it?
In New York State, the law requires the Board of Examiners of Sex Offenders, an independent board, to make a risk-level recommendation to a judge, who makes the final decision.
The examiners are appointed by the governor and have legal, criminal justice and mental health expertise, said Janine Kava, a spokesperson for the board, who noted that people can appeal the judge’s decision.
The board uses a so-called Risk Assessment Instrument to determine the recommended risk classification level of each person on the registry. The process is based on validated, well-established tools, Kava said.
Exactly who “validated” this process and/or established the tools? I assume it’s Static-99, but even if not, the only weight given to anything in any particular case is the crime(s) indicted (not convicted, as many charges are often reduced). Nothing else really matters, and the all-knowing board will deviate on an as-felt-like-it basis if the assessment doesn’t reach the desired outcome (like parole board point systems).
Registrant was humanized by the press of this non profit paper in New York. Wow I’m still speechless!!! Any time people can see how worthless the registry is and make the government more incompetent I support.
They humanized him with his imperfections but the system still took his life. Will the system classify him as a COVID death to add to their inflated ledger or an asthmatic death (a natural cause) as that’s what he passed from in the article? Comrade Mayor won’t care either way. RIP Hector and peace be with your family n friends.
Will Allen – In a strange way, I think you are spot on that this is “war”. I know you have a well understood hatred for the registry, and I believe to a certain extent, we all agree with you. Those who support registries either have not been affected (yet), or think that this punishment is deserved (doubtful). A friend of mine posted a link to a story about a news anchor who has been harassed and threatened by people because reporters put his address and names of family on the Internet, including pictures of his house. He felt it was necessary to move for his family’s sake and safety, but he feels like his new address will also be made public by these reporters. Well, I think we can all relate. I think, you are right, and very soon most of the population will either be on the registry or have someone they know on this hit list. It has to be abolished. I can’t empathize this enough.
For only being 5% of the world’s population with 25% of the incarceration speaks volumes in the land of hated. Just because the government makes money on how many beds are filled, doesn’t make it right. Incarceration is big business that has done nothing to improve society. Parole, probation, polygraphs, treatment programs, and the static 99 are a waste of money; while the justice system needs reform. Look what happened in Florida last weekend when 3 friends were killed while fishing. One of the perps has been arrested over 230 times and was out on the streets; with Sheriff Elmer Fudd doing his press release when it’s his department that failed the community. Take money out of politics and end private prisons. Not endorsing any politician because they are all the same: corrupt and overpaid bunch of liars!!
The more 2nd class citizens they produce the weaker the registry becomes and as the number of people place on the registry Rises the more people are going to start organizing.
Restricting people from what they can and cant do isn’t going to stop people from living there lives
The American Slaves live under horrible oppression for hundreds of years with no civil or constitutional rights but yet they still married danced ate there own food had their own churches their own schools their own water fountains and eventually their own side of town my point is these second-class citizens formed there own Society.
In many ways the registry today is just like slavery and every person force to register is a slave property of the Department of Justice law Enforcement and the US government.
Imagine if someone had the power or the guts to go on tour publicly speaking campaigning and organizing and was able to get every sexofender in each state to show up at the state capitol in protest and eventually got every sexofender in the country to show up in Washington DC in protest.
This would definitely if not destroy cripple the registry.
The one and only thing i can agree with the US president on is FAKE NEWS the media likes to cover/print a certain type of stories to scare people in believing the hype or propaganda they never investigate stories of sexofenders who have turn there lifes around and became productive members of society or the guy who gotta bum deal in court and now lives with the label of shame that causes homelessness.
The public’s opinion is everything the only chance at surviving this madness is to change people’s perspective on the registry because politicians aren’t the only enemy we’re at war with it’s also media and there FAKE NEWS..
Good luck