TX- The impact of sex offender registration on the offender's family

11-21-2008 Texas:

Much is written about the effect of public registration on the individual sex offender, but I haven't read much about the impact on the offender's family.

One registered sex offender and his wife recently sent me compelling accounts of how public registration has affected their family, which makes me ask, where do we draw the line between exercising wisdom in protecting children and giving in to unreasonable fear? What's more important, punishment or rehabilitation? Is lifetime registration fair or when is enough enough?

I don't know the answer, but their experience, some of which follows, should make all of us consider the question.

His offense, which occurred 14 years ago, involved a 17-year-old victim. He has completed his deferred adjudication, and therapy and has not re-offended or had any other trouble with the law. He married his high school sweetheart, who knew about his past. But both of them say they had no idea how registration would affect their lives.

His wife writes that she quit her job as an educator because their marriage "put me in an unfavorable light...Marrying (him) made his offense mine, because while he may be the one with his picture on the internet, I am the one the public sees regularly...Accepting the job I was offered at the local high school would have put us all on the front page and probably ostracized me from my colleagues as I had gone from "child advocate" to perceived "child abuser" simply through marriage."

While her husband was still on probation and subject to restrictions, her children, "have had a dad that has not been able to attend any of the girls' ballgames, plays, open houses, meet the teacher nights, or graduation."

One young daughter came home sobbing after a classmate said, "My daddy says your daddy is bad." Another time four out of five parents refused to let their children attend a birthday party at the circus with one of the offender's children because they had seen his picture on the internet. Finally, the family tends to keep to themselves because when they're seen outside in the yard, neighbors walk the other way or cross the street to avoid them. ..News Source.. by Diane Jennings