4/29/22 UPDATE: Child Abuse registry bill awaits action from Governor Whitmer
[fox47news.com – 5/11/21]Parents don’t always know just who is caring for or spending time with their children.
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“I believe strongly that parents have a right to know if someone who is living with their children or if someone’s taking care of their children that they’ve had a history of child abuse,” said State Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. (D-East Lansing) who created new legislation called Wyatt’s Law alongside his brother Rep. Kevin Hertel (D-18).
The law which passed the Michigan Senate in late April would create a database much like the sex offenders registry, maintained by the Michigan State Police. The database would log the information of people convicted of child abuse and make it more accessible to the community.
Yay! Yet another alternative registry! No doubt they want to do this because of the tremendous success sex offender registries have had in reducing sex offenses, right? Hmm. More likely Sen. Hertel know this is a guaranted way to get fear-based votes!
Michigan registrants, get out your phones and your pen and paper and write your House reps. If Herel can be convinced his alternative registry idea is not so good, maybe he might someday help to get rid of the Michigan sex offender registry. Is it worth a few minutes to make a call and a letter?
This is good, the more of these that start up, the more people who will be negatively impacted, the more people will see how abusive they are, and the more support we will have in banning them altogether. Every crime and every criminal should be dealt with on its own basis. That was the original intent of our system of courts, judges, juries, lawyers, and probation. If someone proves themselves to be repentent and in control they should be rewarded with restored rights (including the right to bear arms, to vote, and all other civil rights). If someone continues to violate they should face those consequences. But to put all together in category is just counter productive.
I have no problem with this. Just make sure to make it retroactive. Everyone who has ever had a child abuse conviction needs to be forced to register 4 times a year for life. Then the legislature needs to keep adding amendments to it and applying them to everyone on it. Punish everyone on it just like sora.
So what exactly will this “Registry” of child abusers actually do? I can ask that about the SO Registry I guess.
But just like the SO Registry, someone not being on the Child Abuse Registry does not mean they have never abused a child in ANY way or form – just means they have not be convicted of such a crime – sound familiar?
If passed I can’t wait to see the list of types of convictions that will subject someone to be on the list. Can’t wait to see what some of the restrictions are of the registrants on the list.
Wonder what the punishment will be for a registrant if they don’t follow the law to a “T” like the SO registry. Will they come and get you, arrest you, lock you up, charge you again with another conviction, and all because you were one day late in reporting a new address or phone #?
Talk about a waste of resources and money which could be better spend on ‘PREVENTION’ instead of “after it happens”.
But again, just like someone else mentioned already maybe the more registries that are created the more people that will be affected one way or the other which will bring a light to how “abusive” the registries themselves can be to registrants and their families.
If the mom had concerns about her son why she continue allowing him to be around her. Once again failure to act will be used to pass useless laws.
We truly are watching the fabric of America coming unraveled. There is no coming back from what is happening. Big tech has destroyed us. We, as registrants, were only the latest example of government control and intrusion. These idiot politicians will continue adding more and more laws and regulations. Conflicting laws be damned. I read somewhere that there is not a single person in the US that has not violated at least one law making everyone a criminal.
Given what the Rep says, the information is not presented in a way people can easily find it. Therefore, why not have a mass effort which refines the entire public record for all crimes so it is not very hard or even hard to find so people are informed as desired? The civil intent would be met then, but this effort seems punitive towards a specific group of people by specifically bringing their information to the forefront for all to read.
“What this bill does is it makes that information more readily accessible. We’re not asking for any information that isn’t already in the public record, but under current law can be very hard for parents to find,” Hertel Jr. said. “We’re trying to put all that in one place so that people have access to it and know that their kids are safe.
“The information that is available is more limited than the sex offender registry, we’re not trying to put another restriction on people. We’re just trying to give parents knowledge,” Hertel Jr. said.
Oh wait, the suggestion is for the entire public record, which means those in elected positions and their family could have their legal history easily exposed which does not give them street cred when election season is here and votes are needed. Have to create low hanging fruit to pick and show it off for votes. Sorry, simple solution for a simple issue, but instead use a model already in work for replication of a different effort. Elected stooges. (Cost prohibitive for a mass effort, btw, but a small effort can be funded easily enough.)
Side note – Are they going to make it tiered with years to register, ban name changes, inability to seal records, track stats, etc when it comes to dealing with this new registry? They say they don’t want to put new restrictions in place, but are they sure about that? Maybe not now, but perhaps later?
As with any other law named after a crime victim, this one will make absolutely no difference in its stated purpose. Nor would it have made a difference in the circumstance that inspired it. To claim the woman “…did not have access to concrete evidence…” until after her son’s abuse is likely because regardless of her purported suspicions, she didn’t seriously look into anyone’s background until after her son’s hospital trip. I don’t see how the proposed registry would have changed that.
I find it interesting that the legislator proposing this registry claims that it is only taking public information that’s already available and making it more accessible and not intending to impose more restrictions – right out of Smith v. Doe. Before too long, residence and employment restrictions are certain to follow, you know, because it’s common sense that child abusers spend every waking moment looking for precious children to beat up. A year or two after that, kids who pick on other kids will be included. And how long before the child abuse registry gets merged with the sex offender registry? Another near-certainty, I’m sure.
Ah, but the information will be more limited than the sex offender registry so it won’t be punitive at all. It’s not like people have a tendency to fill in the registry’s blanks with whatever nightmare scenario they can dream up or lump everyone in with the most horrific crimes sensationalized by the fearless bleed-lead media.
California already has a Child Abuse Central Index
The Attorney General administers the Child Abuse Central Index (CACI), which was created by the Legislature in 1965 as a tool for state and local agencies to help protect the health and safety of California’s children. Defined in Penal Code sections 11164 through 11174.31, these statutes are referred to as the “Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act” or “CANRA”.
I agree people who abuse children are no different than people who molest children they should make a registry just for people with cases involving minors it should only list tier3 offenders.
I dont agree with everything about the registry but as a parent I understand how and why it was created and unfortunately everyone must suffer for crimes committed by child abusers,molesters,traffickers kidnappers,CP manufacturers and distributors.
When people hear the words sex offenders they emditly think of people committing one of those horrific crimes they don’t think of 2 irresponsible teenagers 3 years apart dateing in high school.
That’s why I’m so stoked about the new California tier law SB384 that goes into effect July 1st because the way California registry is set up right now its completely useless
Good luck 🤔
Considering the state of Michigan’s track record in creating and maintaining useful, constitutionally sound registries, this will no doubt be a rousing success
I bet this registry will be stopped quickly , as soon as they find out how many community and state leaders end up on it.
Better yet, make a individual registry for each sex offense, then other countries can see how trivial most of our convictions are when we pass through their customs and we wouldn’t be grouped in with the real slime that actually commits heinous crimes.
Would spanking a kid put one on the registry? What’s the line between discipline and abuse? Good intentions in bills become over bloated by politicians making a name for themselves.