State's sex offender registry is big-time draw

I am sure the author of this article went by what he was told as to statistics and vigilantism, but reality is far different. This states total population is 5,686,986, is 19 million page views a reality? As best we can figure is, somebody is alarming residents telling them to unnecessarily check the registry (also see comments)! We have documented, as of today, 22 major cases of harassment and vigilantism; 6 murder/killing of sex offenders someone needs to enlighten Knutson...

2-6-17 Wisconsin:

Wisconsinites are serious about keeping tabs on the state’s 24,000-plus convicted sex offenders.

Consider this: In 2016, the sections of the state Department of Corrections’ website relating to details on sex offenders generated 19 million page views. In addition, the DOC’s sex offender registry, offender locator and "Wisconsin’s Most Wanted" averaged a combined 481,000 visits per month.

Corrections officials say the sex offender registry has been a go-to resource for citizens to check on everyone from youth sports coaches, to prospective babysitters and daycare providers, to adults who direct children’s plays and musicals.

“It’s helpful,” said Grace Knutson, director of sex offender programs for the Department of Corrections. “They are using it as it was intended.”

Of the 24,457 offenders who were on the Wisconsin registry as of mid-January, 5,914 were incarcerated, 5,814 were on community supervision and 12,729 were off community supervision, according to Tristan Cook, communications director for the DOC.

“The registry in Wisconsin works very well,” said Matt Kuether, an investigator with the Appleton Police Department.

The number of sex offender registrants – both on and off supervision – is about 275 in Appleton, he said.

“The biggest thing I talk to people about (is) the registry is an informational tool. It’s not meant to be a punishment,” Kuether said.

Professor: Registries are 'worthless'

While sex offender registries have been in place nationwide since the 1990s, some contend that they do more harm than good.

“I think they’re terrible and worthless – worse than worthless. They are damaging,” said Emily Horowitz, professor and chairperson of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“There’s no evidence that they decrease (the number of) sex offenders or have made anyone safer,” Horowitz said.

The vast majority of victims are assaulted by someone they know – not by a stranger, she said.

“There’s a culture of fear. We are all scared all the time and the registries affect that fear. They think sex predators are around every corner, and that’s not true,” Horowitz said.

Horowitz said she doesn’t oppose punishment for sex offenders, but contends that being on a publicly available list can create difficulties.

“If you are on the registry, you will never be able to change your life,” she said. “They have wives and families, and they are publicly branded (as sex offenders). Nobody has any sympathy for them."

Vigilantism concerns unfounded

Wisconsin’s sex offender registry has grown significantly over the years. In 1998, there were 10,000 offenders on the list. Now, the list has swelled beyond 24,500 – roughly the size of the city of Neenah.

Knutson, the DOC’s sex offender program director, said 25 to 75 new registrants are added each month. The number of offenders on the registry remains stable because two-thirds are on the list for life, she said.

When the public was given access to names and addresses more than a decade ago, some feared that it could lead to incidents of vigilantism. But that hasn’t happened, according to Knutson.

“We haven’t seen the (sex offender registry) used for anything other than (it was intended),” she said.

Kuether, the Appleton police investigator, said vigilantism “hasn’t been an issue.”

“I cannot think of any person who was harassed

,” he said. ..Source.. by Andy Thompson