Sex offender registry generates interest, not violence

I guess its true that nothing happens if one keeps ignoring the reports of vigilantism and murders of folks associated with sex offenses in Wisconsin. And that does not cover the subtle vigilantism acts either. To say what has happened in other states because of the registry, couldn't happen in Wisconsin is closing ones eyes to reality. Finally other sex offender laws are also killing folks on the registry as well, but one would have to read the reports top know that.

4-11-2010 Wisconsin:

Tony Streveler admits having sleepless nights in the days leading up to the public unveiling of the state Department of Corrections' sex offender registry.

Streveler, who was deeply involved in the rollout of the registry in June 1997, was concerned that releasing personal information about those convicted of sex crimes would lead to violent acts like some committed in other states.

"One of the biggest fears I had was it being implemented in a means where we had vigilantism and a horrible reaction in the community -- instead of awareness about sexual violence," he said.

Streveler's fears have not materialized. While there have been sporadic demonstrations, picketing, acts of vandalism and name-calling directed at sex offenders in the past 13 years, there have been no deadly acts of violence.

What has materialized is intense public interest in the whereabouts of the more than 21,000 registered sex offenders in communities throughout Wisconsin, as evidenced by the incredible volume of Web activity over the years.

In 2009, for example, there were more than 77 million hits, nearly 57 million page views and 1.6 million visits.

The level of public interest in activity will continue to rise, given the addition of about 100 sex offenders to the registry every month.

"I think it's getting used quite a bit," Streveler said of the registry's Web site, http://offender.doc.state.wi.us/public. "When we first ramped it up, we anticipated a number of hits because it was new. I've been surprised by the number of visits and the frequency that it's being used.

"People are using it for their own purposes, and it's a good public service."

That assessment is shared by Sgt. Christine Walsh of the Neenah Police Department.

"I don't see anything wrong with it," she said. "The more people educate themselves to their surroundings, the better we all are."

Walsh is in charge of registering sex offenders who live in Neenah upon being released from probation. She estimated that there are 50 sex offenders living in Neenah, a mix of those who are under supervision and those whose probation has expired.

While emotions often run high when residents learn that a sex offender is living in their neighborhood, Walsh cautions people against trying to make the lives of offenders miserable.

"You need for them to have a normal life, to have a support system," she said. "If you take that away, the incidence of recidivism would be higher."

Walsh said Neenah hasn't experienced major problems with offenders being harassed by residents.

"You can't give these guys a hard time," she said. "They're in our community."

Town of Menasha police officer Jason Weber said there are about 60 unsupervised offenders and 16 supervised offenders in the community.

Weber said residents are taken aback when they find out there are more than a handful of sex offenders living in the town.

"When we tell them (how many), they're floored," he said.

While Weber believes the sex offender registry is a good idea, he cautioned people from thinking that the only potential criminals are listed on that Web site.

"I think the sex offender registry is great, but people should be equally concerned about the eight-time convicted burglar next door -- not just sex offenders."

Melissa Roberts, executive assistant with the Department of Corrections, said two-thirds of the offenders are on the registry for life, with the remainder on the list for 15 years after being discharged from probation.

The offenses that require lifetime registration are first-degree sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, first-degree sexual assault of a child, second-degree sexual assault of a child, repeated acts of sexual assault of a child and sexually violent civil commitments.

"We want to make sure we have these folks tracked as long as possible," she said.

John Kuech, supervisor of the Oshkosh office of the State Public Defender, said the registry is too broad in scope. He said the vast majority of the people listed are not threats to the community in general because they know their victims. Stranger-to-stranger crimes are rare, he said.

Kuech, who has represented a number of clients who were convicted of sexual offenses, said the registry is "over-inclusive."

"There's no way to determine what the nature of that person is," he said. "Is he a genuine pedophile? It encompasses everybody on that sex offender registry."

Streveler, who has helped write and implement a number of sex offender laws over the years, said the public's access to information about offenders has "substantially changed" since the registry was unveiled in June 1997.

Addresses of offenders were not available initially because of uncertainties over how the public would react. When people expressed a sincere desire for more exact whereabouts, though, officials agreed to upgrade the site.

"It was a natural progression," Streveler said.

Roberts cautioned that while the registry has been "an incredibly useful public safety tool," it doesn't guarantee safety.

"Sadly, we know there are sex offenders out there who have never been caught." ..Source.. Andy Thompson