2-23-2009 National:
What do you think of when you hear the term "sex offender?" I imagine most of you immediately envision a monster of a person, someone who is a vile and immoral creature who has been convicted as a pedophile, rapist or sexual predator. These people are a serious danger to society and should be justly convicted, incarcerated and rehabilitated as necessary.
I'll tell you something that is grossly unjust that most people are not aware of: Did you know that there are 18- and 19 year-olds who are "getting caught" engaging in consensual sex with 15- or 16-year-olds, and who are being charged and convicted as these same aforementioned "monsters?" This is due to the ambiguous nature of how our sex offender laws are written in Vermont, as well as many other states in our country. These "monsters" are not only being sentenced to prison, but are also being forced to register as sex offenders for 10 years from the date of being released from prison which means the general public immediately assumes that they must be a danger to society.
How is it that these "perpetrators" are being categorized in the same class of criminals who are considered filthy animals? And how are these ex-cons able to ever move on with their lives if both the state and the public continue to persecute them for their "mistake?"
Something is vastly wrong with our criminal and judicial systems and some serious modifications need to be made. It is an outrage that these particular "perpetrators" are becoming "victims" themselves to the propaganda that is perpetuated by these labels that are so loosely utilized and misunderstood by the media and public at large.
The term sex offender is grossly misused and I find this misrepresentation more offensive than anything. Why? Because good-hearted people are being scorned, fingers pointed at them, and accused of things that are clearly not true due to the generalized nature of the term sex offender.
Why is it that a 19-year-old has to have his or her future reputation severely sabotaged for 10 years for the mistake of expressing an act of love with a person with only a three- or four-year age difference and being classified as a "monster" because of it? Does anyone not see that this broad categorizing is a perverse means of governmental manipulation and control?
Let it be known: not all sex offenders are child molesters, rapists or sexual predators. Some may just be someone who may have made the mistake of being human and expressing the physical act of love with a teenager who is just as capable of making the same mistake. Perhaps we should stop casting stones and look at people for who they are and not for the labels that are given to them by bureaucratic dogma.
Amy Hagan lives in Richmond. ..News Source.. by Amy Hagan
February 23, 2009
Term 'sex offender' misused
September 3, 2008
Definition of a sex offender
9-3-2008 National:
Webster's Dictionary defines sexual offender as "a generic term for all persons convicted of crimes involving sex, including rape, molestation, sexual harassment and pornography production or distribution. In most states convicted sex offenders are supposed to report to local police authorities, but many do not."
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, 116 people are assaulted every minute in the United States. One out of 33 men will be raped or assaulted and one in six women suffer the same fate in their lifetime.
But is the definition of sexual offense black and white, a clear notion of what is right and wrong defined by the law, or are some of those on the registry victims of the laws themselves?
A man whom we will call John was charged with and found guilty of mitigated statutory rape, a class E felony (Tennessee Code Annotated 39-13-506). He was placed on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry. The victim was his then 15-year-old girlfriend and he had just turned 19; at the time of their relationship there was a 48-month difference satisfying the charges pressed by the parents of the young woman.
Fast forward nine years later. John has gone to college, become a productive citizen and married the young lady in question. They have been married nearly five years and have two children. The people who put him on the sex offender registry are the same ones that eat Christmas dinner with him every year; it is something they have all worked through as a family.
The family has also petitioned to have his name removed and is awaiting action on the matter. He is still a registered sex offender, the father of two and a devoted husband, yet he shares a page with a man in his town convicted of aggravated sexual battery involving a 10 year old, and an offender guilty of collecting and downloading child pornography.
It doesn't seem fair, does it?
John will tell you his crimes included sneaking around with his wife and disrespecting the rules set forth by her frustrated parents, but he, unlike many of the others on the registery, did not lie in wait to do violence for self-satisfaction. He is guilty of bad judgment and, according to the state, rape.
There is a flaw in the system. What was designed to protect us now has given us a somewhat skewed perspective of who should be defined as a sex offender.
When we lump the technicalities in with the dangerous and predatory, it takes away from the seriousness of many crimes. It is also responsible for making members of the registry a target for scorn and ridicule. Some may say the offenders should have known better . . . but hindsight is 20/20.
I am more concerned by the men and women not registered than the ones who are.
There are those out there who require a close watch, who will never be rehabilitated, and then there are those who want to move forward and have a life; some even attend college with us. This is not to say danger lurks around every corner at APSU; the simple reality is, it can be found anywhere.
Ted Bundy was one of the most famous serial killers of his time. He was handsome - I would have gotten in a car with him. It was because of this he was able to lure several women into dangerous situations. He confessed to thirty murders but was suspected of committing over 100.
There is no way of knowing when you look at someone whether or not they are on the sex offender list - why? I guess what I am trying to say is that for those of you who are away from home for the first time, never assume that everyone is bad or good; put yourself in situations that promote your well-being and support your welfare.
I also want to say that in no way do I belittle or discount the victims of violent or sexual crimes. I am a woman and a mother; I would not wish that on anyone.
But I do ask you to step back and examine something that is meant to edify and protect us as possibly being flawed or in fact just not enough to tell the story causing us to scream fire before we see the smoke. ..News Source.. by Sunny Peterson
