Jason was 14 years old when he met his first girlfriend, a 13-year-old neighbor of the foster family with whom he lived. After a few months of dating, his girlfriend’s mother walked in on the teenagers engaging in consensual oral sex and called the police. Jason was arrested and charged with child molestation. He was adjudicated delinquent in juvenile court and placed on the California Sex Offender Registry. Before he was old enough to drive, Jason was branded a sex offender on a public, searchable website. Full Opinion Piece
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Excellent article, though I slightly disagree with the overall conclusion that juveniles shouldn’t be registered. Every single point made is equally applicable to adult offenders as well, therefore I would argue that the registry should be abolished en totem.
Excellent article!! A “must read” for all! 👍
The fact that California does not allow the use of the registry as a reason to deny employment/housing, but a lot of background checks still pull it up, is horrendous and a massive oversight.
There are remedies for this, but they take time. There needs to be a push for 1203.4 to relieve/ reduce registration, if not an off ramp for life. Abolition would be the dream however.
i was a junior in high school at the time i took my plea deal i was young and really didn’t comprehend how serious my situation was.
One morning before court my public defender comes up all happy and says i have good news the DA is offering you 3years probation no jail time oh and you have to register as sex offender mind you at the time nobody had internet access like they do now days so i really didn’t care if my name and face would be posted on the internet boy was i wrong.
He also let me know that if i took it to trial there’s a 50% chance i could lose and windup
dong 7years in prison with 5 year parole so i just took the deal
Good luck
No one even mentions the fact that the girl got nothing. What about the 1 year younger girl? And here is the main reason the registry still exist, “in 2017 California spent $140 million to register and monitor 3,500 youth registrants” $40,000 apiece.
Still, what about the girl? If that is not blatant discrimination and equal protection issue what the hell is?