Source: news.yahoo.com 11/16/23
In 2012, when Adam Nesteikis was 25 years old, his friend told him to pull down his pants in front of a young girl. Adam did exactly that.
Adam is intellectually disabled, which means he didn’t realize he had done something wrong. He also didn’t understand what it meant when, after a trial, he was placed on the sex offense registry. He just knew that for some reason, he lost the job he loved wiping tables. He could no longer participate in the Special Olympics. And he couldn’t scuba dive—his very favorite activity—because the club practiced in a high school pool and he was no longer allowed to be near young people.
Thankfully, this injustice has finally been remedied: This year, he received a full pardon from the Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D–Ill.). His record will also be expunged.
“My husband and I were elated,” says Carol Nesteikis, Adam’s mom.
“Adam’s placement on the sex offense registry did not decrease the chances that a young person would be molested. It merely decreased the quality of life for a person who already had plenty of struggles to overcome.”
Well said. End the registry!
Best news!! I have been on a few calls that the mother spoke on. It was so heartbreaking. This is such good news. I pray this young man can get back to so much of what he did before. I was wondering recently what, if anything, had happened as yet. So happy for this post.
I have a brother who lives with me because of his intellectual disability. The special olympics is everything to him. He loves to walk the dog each night. He cleans tables at Arby’s 2 hours a day, 4 days a week. And my fear that something could go wrong and they would not care, can be such a worry if I allow it.