Definition of a sex offender

9-3-2008 National:

Webster's Dictionary defines sexual offender as "a generic term for all persons convicted of crimes involving sex, including rape, molestation, sexual harassment and pornography production or distribution. In most states convicted sex offenders are supposed to report to local police authorities, but many do not."

According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, 116 people are assaulted every minute in the United States. One out of 33 men will be raped or assaulted and one in six women suffer the same fate in their lifetime.

But is the definition of sexual offense black and white, a clear notion of what is right and wrong defined by the law, or are some of those on the registry victims of the laws themselves?

A man whom we will call John was charged with and found guilty of mitigated statutory rape, a class E felony (Tennessee Code Annotated 39-13-506). He was placed on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry. The victim was his then 15-year-old girlfriend and he had just turned 19; at the time of their relationship there was a 48-month difference satisfying the charges pressed by the parents of the young woman.

Fast forward nine years later. John has gone to college, become a productive citizen and married the young lady in question. They have been married nearly five years and have two children. The people who put him on the sex offender registry are the same ones that eat Christmas dinner with him every year; it is something they have all worked through as a family.

The family has also petitioned to have his name removed and is awaiting action on the matter. He is still a registered sex offender, the father of two and a devoted husband, yet he shares a page with a man in his town convicted of aggravated sexual battery involving a 10 year old, and an offender guilty of collecting and downloading child pornography.

It doesn't seem fair, does it?

John will tell you his crimes included sneaking around with his wife and disrespecting the rules set forth by her frustrated parents, but he, unlike many of the others on the registery, did not lie in wait to do violence for self-satisfaction. He is guilty of bad judgment and, according to the state, rape.

There is a flaw in the system. What was designed to protect us now has given us a somewhat skewed perspective of who should be defined as a sex offender.

When we lump the technicalities in with the dangerous and predatory, it takes away from the seriousness of many crimes. It is also responsible for making members of the registry a target for scorn and ridicule. Some may say the offenders should have known better . . . but hindsight is 20/20.

I am more concerned by the men and women not registered than the ones who are.

There are those out there who require a close watch, who will never be rehabilitated, and then there are those who want to move forward and have a life; some even attend college with us. This is not to say danger lurks around every corner at APSU; the simple reality is, it can be found anywhere.

Ted Bundy was one of the most famous serial killers of his time. He was handsome - I would have gotten in a car with him. It was because of this he was able to lure several women into dangerous situations. He confessed to thirty murders but was suspected of committing over 100.

There is no way of knowing when you look at someone whether or not they are on the sex offender list - why? I guess what I am trying to say is that for those of you who are away from home for the first time, never assume that everyone is bad or good; put yourself in situations that promote your well-being and support your welfare.

I also want to say that in no way do I belittle or discount the victims of violent or sexual crimes. I am a woman and a mother; I would not wish that on anyone.

But I do ask you to step back and examine something that is meant to edify and protect us as possibly being flawed or in fact just not enough to tell the story causing us to scream fire before we see the smoke. ..News Source.. by Sunny Peterson