Hey I need 250 word replies to EACH discussion post along with references. Please be
advised when doing responses it is like having a conversation.
The original Discussion Post is: Provide a brief history of the sex offender
notification/registration in the United States and explain the specific sex offender
registration laws in your state (or a state that you are curious about). Review the
presentation titled, “Corrections (Part 2)” found in the Reading & Study folder of
Module/Week 7. Expound upon ways to effectively manage high-risk sex offenders in our
communities; consider challenges they may experience when attempting to reintegrate
back into society. From a Christian viewpoint, justify whether or not life-long sex offender
registration is a just concept.
1) “In 1947, California became the first state within the United States to maintain a sex
offender registry. Individuals convicted of sex offenses were required to provide law
enforcement authorities with their place of residence and check in annually around their
birthdays. California officials passed this law in an effort to enhance public safety and
prevent recidivism” (Worley and Worley, p. 335, 2013). Offenders before 1947 were able
to still live their lives and not have the stigma and reputation on them of a sex offender.
This law passed in California impacted the United States forever. Most states have
adopted this sex offender registry, so the community is made aware of the sex offenders
in their areas. This has affected the offender in regard to their life, reputation, and future
job opportunities.
In South Carolina, the state where I currently live, the government officials and local law
enforcement use the sex offender registry. They want to protect the safety of the
community and notify the community of any registered sex offender and their
location/address. This provides the community information and awareness of what sex
offenders are where and this helps the community to make decisions to avoid those
areas for themselves and/or their children. For South Carolina, and other States in the
United States, this is a great tool for helping the public be aware, reduce recidivism, and
reduce sex offenses throughout the country.
The impact of reintegrating sex offenders in the community is very difficult. “but the
unique label of "sex offender" can obstruct community re-entry even more profoundly.
Sex offenders in many states report employment difficulties, housing disruption,
relationship loss, threats and harassment, and property damage” (Levenson, Grady, and
Leibowitz, p. 11, 2016) This registry makes it hard for less violent, first time offenders
because they are on the registry for many years, and sometimes life. This negatively
impacts the rest of their lives for having to deal with the negative stigma and
consequences from people in the community. This also effects their job opportunities
because most jobs may not allow a registered sex offender to work for them based on
the job requirements. On the other hand, the offender was the one who decided to
commit the crime, so this is a consequence of their actions.
In a Christian world view, life-long sex offender registration is a concept. The Bible tells
us in John 1, to repent of our sins. When Jesus died on the cross, it was for our sins. He
knew we would sin here on earth. He tells us to repent of our sins and we will be
cleansed and forgiven. Sex offenders deserve the same treatment. Most of them will not
have the same mentality their whole life, that they did when the crime was committed
because people change and learn from their mistakes.
2)Sexual offenses are widely considered the most invasive types of crimes and typically
evoke more serious social reactions than other violent crimes such as robbery or assault.
When the victims of these offenses are minors – particularly young children – the social
reactions are even more severe.
Two of the best known victim memorial laws are the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against
Children and Sexually Violent Predators Act (1994) and Megan’s Law (1996), both of
which pertain to sex offenders. In 1994, Congress passed the Jacob Wetterling Crimes
Against Children and Sexually Violent Predators Act, which required states to create a
centralized list of sexual offenders living in the state as a tool for law enforcement. Two
years later, an amendment to the Act, known as Megan’s Law, expanded the role of
these databases and required states to notify community members when a sexual
offender moved into the area (Sarah Koon-Magnin. 2015).
In 2006, the Adam Walsh Act replaced these two pieces of legislation with its Sexual
Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) which set forth a more
comprehensive set of standards to increase cross-state consistency in sex offender
management. Important features of this law include the establishment of a minimum
length of registration requirement (15-years, 25-years, or life, depending on the
conviction offense), the addition of a 10-year prison sentence for failure to register as a
sex offender, and the extension of registry requirements to juveniles who were 14 or
older at the time of the crime (Sarah Koon-Magnin. 2015).
Surprisingly within the last decade, there has been a trend amongst Western countries to
adopt sexual offender registries as a way of preventing and/or reducing sex crimes. The
scope and confidentiality of sexual offender registries vary internationally. While some
jurisdictions track offenders with GPS technology and release their personal and
professional information to the public in other jurisdictions, registries are police databases
that can identify sexual offenders if they commit future crimes, but offenders’ personal
information is withheld from the public
In Atlantic City where I live, as part of the reintegration process there was a large protest
after a woman who was bathing saw a shadow appear by her bedroom while she was
showering one night. It was not too long that the residents of the Munroe park district
(Which has two schools less than a mile from each other) realized that the motels were
used to house Sex Offenders. The Mayor was called in and it was a very heated issue
and discussion because not only were residents concerned, but the school principals,
Mayor, city Council were all upset because it was an expectation that such reintegration
within the community should be made public (Simmons, Melanie L. 2019).
I believe that a sex offender especially a pedophile should consider the societal outrage
before they are reintegrated within the society.The Lord of the Old Testament said
particularly in Exodus 22: 22-24, “You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. If you do
abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry; my wrath will burn, and I
will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children
orphans (The Holy Bible. The New Revised Standard version, 1991).God spoke against
violating the vulnerable and they cannot be protected if we don’t at least have an idea of
the main ones to protect them from.Within the United states, Sex Offender Registration is
definitely a concept because many persons will not check and access the files and it is
very unlikely that the offender will reintegrate into his initial crime area.
References:
Sarah Koon-Magnin (2015). Perceptions of and support for sex offender policies: Testing
Levenson, Brannon, Fortney, and Baker’s findings. Journal of Criminal Justice: Volume
43, Issue 1, ISSN 0047-2352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2014.12.007.
Simmons, Melanie L. (2019). Evaluating the legal assumptions of Victoria’s Sex Offender
Registration Act 2004 from a psychological perspective, Psychiatry, Psychology and Law,
26:5, 783-796, DOI: 10.1080/13218719.2019.1642254
The Holy Bible.The New Revised Standard Version. (1991).New York, NY: The American
Bible Society.
1
1. CASE 1
Following the initial attempts by California to maintain the sex offender's registry
in 1947, there has been a rapid increase in the adoption of similar registries in
other states.
The argument to keep the registry was based on the need to increase the security
of the people living near sex offenders.
The registry makes it easier for law enforcement officers to manage and monitor
the activities of sex offenders in society.
In many organizations, there are strict guidelines on the hiring processes; this
makes it hard for the firm to employ people who have been convicted of serious
crimes in the past.
The nature of the positions and the need to safeguard the organization's reputation
has made it hard for many sex offenders to secure formal employment
2. Case 2
In society, sexual offences are taken very seriously. In most cases, severe
punishments are imposed on any individual found committing different forms of
sexual crimes.
The effects of sexual offences are usually more severe in instances, where the
victims are minors, especially young kids.
Based on the backlash of the cases of a sexual crime, there was the development
of different laws that sought to ensure the actions of the sexual offenders are
punished severely.
2
In 1994 and 1996, Congress passed different laws that sought to ensure there were
public lists of sexual offenders in a community.
The member of the community would be informed about sex offenders to ensure
they were more cautious when dealing with the offenders.
Later in 2015, there was the creation of the Sexual Offender Registration and
Notification Act.
The act sought to safeguard the community by increasing the efficiency in the
management of known sex offenders in the community.
