My first clue...geez I don't know. I can say it started several years ago reading Radley Balko's blog. Actually rather depressing reading.

Balko's blog... don't really know it (been there a time or 2) maybe I should read it on a regular basis? Than again... I am already depressed enuf already... Nahhhh.... I will just sit here and bliss out to the strings of Bach.

And by the by Steve,(not to be snide, but) what was your first clue?

My first clue...geez I don't know. I can say it started several years ago reading Radley Balko's blog. Actually rather depressing reading.

I’ve come to the conclusion that the U.S. has a pretty messed up judicial system.

And by the by Steve,(not to be snide, but) what was your first clue?

When the state suddenly decided it could seize assets without any evidence of criminal wrong doing (much less charges being filed)?

None of the people in these three cases are a likely to present a danger to children or even adults. Making them register as sex offenders and destroying their lives is simply stupid. .

I know a guy who got kicked out of a bar at closing time w/o being allowed to use the toilet. He went into the alley, behind a dumpster, and promptly got busted for "indecent exposure". (I guess the dumpster was offended) Stupid? Yes. A danger to society? Hardly. And yet, if he had pleaded guilty to the charges, he would have had to register.

And even for actual sex offenders releasing them then passing laws that make it impossible to live anywhere in society is just mind boggling stupid. If they are still such a danger to society, then lock them the Hell up. Don’t release convicted criminals who are so highly likely to re-offend back into society and set up a monitoring system that is so harsh it actually encourages them to avoid registering as a sex offender

My State Rep recently sent a questionaire out asking if I would be in favor of putting elec. bracelets on all registered sexual offenders. All I could think was, "Who is going to pay for this?" Truth is, very little of all this has anything to do with protecting society.

It is pure political posturing, the demonizing of a segment of society that nobody will defend and cannot defend itself.

A true "win-win"...

But I will be honest when I say that I don't have much empathy at all for people who prey on others sexually-I personally think if they don't want to be on a registry then maybe they shouldn't prey on other people.

I agree, they are bad people. However, decent people are getting on these registries for what most people wouldn't see as predatory sexual behavior.

But I will be honest when I say that I don't have much empathy at all for people who prey on others sexually-I personally think if they don't want to be on a registry then maybe they shouldn't prey on other people.

I don't think sexual offenders should be prohibited from living in homes within X amount of distance from Y.

I think prohibitions on living close to or near schools or parks can make sense for some offenders but should be determined by judges based on the specific case of the offender, not an arbitrary law that makes somebody who had sex with their teenage girlfriend when he was also a teenager unable to find a home.