Scarlet letter for sex offenders?

This article is a push to enact a law that has proven to be harmful, to the state, to the public and the registrants. So far, and we doubt we will ever see, proof that registries enhance public safety. The focus here is to "get it done" no matter what the collateral consequences are. Registries result in vigilantism at a level that society has never before seen. It is highly unlikely that any registrant can say, they have never suffered any kind of vigilantism. Vigilantism is rampart today, with subtle to severe forms.

9-26-2012 North Carolina:

Sheriff, attorney general say N.C. should comply with federal law; more information would be added to public registries

More information about registered sex offenders — including where they work and the cars they drive — will be added to North Carolina’s online offender registry if lawmakers comply with new federal rules.

North Carolina is among 35 states that have not adopted standards in the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, passed in 2006. State Attorney General Roy Cooper is urging lawmakers to pass the reforms.

“Tracking sex offenders nationally can make communities safer and better protect people, especially our children,” Cooper said in a statement to The Wilson Times. “North Carolina risks being left behind if it fails to strengthen the sex offender registry, and legislators should do what’s necessary to protect the public.”

Wilson County Sheriff Calvin Woodard said SORNA would give residents more information about sex offenders in their communities and set harsh public penalties for serious sex crimes.

“It’s public awareness,” Woodard said. “It tells people, ‘If you do this, it’s going to be like The Scarlet Letter.’ They’re going to have an “S” and “O” for sex offender on their chest. It keeps them in check.”

SORNA enjoys broad support from law enforcement, but the measure has faced high legislative hurdles in Raleigh. A bill to study the federal law’s implementation introduced more than a year ago remains stalled in the Senate’s Judiciary II committee, which Republican Sen. E.S. “Buck” Newton of Wilson co-chairs.

Newton said lawmakers will study the federal law carefully and determine whether North Carolina’s registry system should be changed. He said no one from the N.C. Department of Justice or other law enforcement agencies had contacted him about SORNA.

“We’re not too enthusiastic about being told what to do by the Justice Department,” Newton said. “We’ll make sure we do what’s right for the citizens of North Carolina.” ...continued... by Corey Friedman