My two cents on "Do sex offenders deserve to have their voice heard?" Have you heard that in this country there is something called the U.S. Constitution, I suggest it be read by anyone questioning a person's right to be heard, whether they have a conviction of not!2-22-2011 Colorado:
Do sex offenders deserve to have their voice heard? A group called Advocates for Change works to reform laws for those convicted of a sex offence, it something victims' advocates find hard to understand.
"My son is doing very well, going to school full time and goes to church every Sunday," says Susan Walker whose son has been out of prison for the last couple years.
He had sex with an underage girl, without her consent, "He asked to have sex with her and she said no, she was drunk and fell asleep and he had sex with her," Walker explains
Walker is a member of Advocates for Change, they say her son is one of the lucky ones who had an indeterminate prison sentence but got treatment and got out.
"What that was supposed to mean was that they serve their bottom number, then go through the treatment program within Department of Corrections, then be released under lifetime supervision on the outside," says Annie Wallen, when explaining indeterminate sentences, she's also a member of Advocates for Change. She adds that, "The Department of Corrections has changed how they implement that and treat it as a lifetime sentence," meaning sex offenders are serving longer sentences.
Victims' advocates have a hard time understanding a group that advocates for sex offenders, Joyce Aubrey was sexually abused as a child, "It's frightening as a survivor of a sexual assault and someone who volunteers daily to work with sexual abuse survivors."
Aubrey's concerned more about the victims than the offenders, "The victims are re-victimized by being exiled from their families and the perpetrators are supported by spouses and other siblings, it's a victim blaming crime."
Right now lawmakers are working on a bill to re-authorize the Sex Offender Management Board, which determines treatment and monitoring of sex offenders. Advocates for Change have an issue with some of the language in the bill, "What should be in statute is this board should exist, but not a philosophy that says that no one with a sex offense can be cured," says Walker.
Victims' advocates and some lawmakers are concerned about how to do that and still protect the public, "They are a threat to our community if not properly managed and monitored," says Republican Representative Bob Gardner, El Paso County.
A reading is scheduled for the Sex Offender Management Board Reauthorization Bill Tuesday morning. Advocates for Change say they'll be there. ..Source.. Stephanie Collins
2 comments:
"The victims are re-victimized by being exiled from their families and the perpetrators are supported by spouses and other siblings, it's a victim blaming crime."
This woman is utterly clueless. Such cases may exist, but they are few and far between. The bigger problem is that people like her encourage victims to bask in their victimness and spend their lives wallowing in self-pity and bitterness instead of standing up and moving on, or even, shall we suggest the horror of actually forgiving their abuser.
Gotta love all these victim's advocates. Always telling the victim of a crime that it's okay to blame the rest of their miserable lives on what happened to them years ago. Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that victim's of any crime have the right to counseling and support. But the advocatcie groups are nothing more then "poor poor pity me" groups that refuse to acknowledge that it's the victim's responsibility to get on with their lives.
Granted, that can be hard, and support groups are needed. But those groups need to provide constructive support, rather then enabling.
And how about the person who did the crime, did the time, and is now trying to rebuild his or her life? Don't you think that, if they are really trying to rebuild, that they deserve some support instead of condemnation? I have been on the registry since it's inception in my state. I know how hard it is to get a job, or find housing with that hanging over your head. And, I don't have any support beyond moral support from my family. Do I whine and cry about it, NO! I do the best I can to live as normal a life as I can, because to do otherwise would mean that the system has beaten me. And that, I won't allow.
So, all I can say is this. To all the "victims" out there, what happened to you was terrible, and shouldn't have happened. But, for pitys sake, man up and get over it. Take control of your life and prove that you haven't been beaten. Don't victimize yourself over and over, because that's a real crime.
And to those, who like me are victim's of the registry system. Keep fighting to change it. There are many groups like Advocates for Change that exist to aid us in that task. Refuse to become a second-class citizen. Stand up for your rights. Because nobody can make you feel inferior unless you let them. Don't let them.
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