Is the Sex Offender Registry Fair?
Sexual offenses are serious crimes. There is no doubt that the intentions behind creating the laws meant to punish and deter sex offenders were noble.
However, according to opponents of the sex offender registration laws, such as Human Rights Watch, there is no proof that these laws achieved the purpose they were designed for.
As a former sex crimes prosecutor, I share that skepticism.
It’s one reason why, after years of serving as Chief of the Sex Unit and Chief of the Child Abuse Unit in Macomb County, Michigan, I left a cushy government job to serve on the defense side of the table.
I agreed to a set of conditions when I took my plea. My gripe is the additional stuff that has been added. I say “you tell me I am an animal and treat me like I am an animal, when I act like one you cry foul”.
Jack S
At least you got a plea. I was never offered one by my lawyer, the prosecution or the judge. I was told either plead guilty or innocent, was never offered a trial because I ran out of money. What happened to a public defender?
Some would argue with a criminal justice degree I should have known better. But for those who have gone through this, some of us turn into butter and expect the lawyer you paid to do the right thing. Instead, I was thrown to the lions as a mid day snack.
I had 2 paid attorneys. One stood up in court and told them I was guilty and when the victim was ask how many times this happened. She said once, the DA holds up 4 fingers and she said Oh yeah 4. My lawyers did not say a thing
I was going to say you should have said “You’re fired! However that would make me a hypocrite, because that is what I should have done. Was the worse day of my life when they handcuffed me and didn’t even let me hug my Mom before taking me straight to jail from the hearing.
I will say though, my lawyer must have cared (even if unexperienced) because he was so upset with my sentence, he went into the hallway and puked into the trash can. On the other hand, the prosecutor was practically moon walking across the courtroom.
@Cherokeejack I hear you. 30 years ago I didn’t understand that I had a right to take my case to a jury, where I probably would have had at least a 50% chance of beating the charge. No evidence, her word against mine and from what I understand she didn’t want me to get into trouble. I assumed I was supposed to take the deal that the prosecutor offered (no contest). Public defenders don’t care. They get their quick 300 bucks to represent you and hurry up and move on to the next case.
If I could turn back time and go through it again, a jury trial is what I would have done.
Disgusted
Two things
#1 The So called victim (Who was not who reported me) never showed up to court
#2 I spent $15,000.00 on my lawyer only to be sentenced to 22 years. Think I could have done that by representing myself. If I/we knew that back then, things may have been different.
We cannot go back in a time machine, but if we could, hopefully we would use our one “Do over” to not do what we were arrested for in the first place.
CherokeeJ….I was more of an Idiot than YOU! (joking)…
I spent another $120K…and my Victim Never Existed etc and I got railroaded, Just Like You, but in a different way as Yours is Complete Bullshit!
However, You and I and Others could have gone Pro Se, But the Legal Cards-Processes are Stacked Against Self-Representation because the system really does not allow for it….
“A Man Who is His Own Lawyer Has A Fool For a Client”
….or in the 1966 Sitcom, Be-Witched, Dick York is told, “The Man That Defends Himself in Court has a Fool for a Lawyer and a Jackass for a Client”…I think Elizabeth Montgomery was Twitching her Nose!
Truth
But………….if we had Elizabeth Montgomery on our side, she could have “blinked” us out of the court room as soon as the sentence was handed down LOL
*we are showing our ages
CherokeeJ…Actually You Are Correct!
-Minus Endora (Agnes Morehead)
Not as Old as You Think and Not as Wise as You Maybe!
Cheers!
The sex offender registry is punative. You can literally be a murderer, do your time, get out of prison, and no one is aware of what you did. However, you can have CP on your computer, placed there by 3 letter agencies, NOT VIEW IT, or know about it, and your punished for life. Your life is essentially over. As far as I’m concerned, this is absolutely torture, and should be brought up before the International court. It’s not constitutional, or “fair”, whatever that means anymore. Our present government has shown us, you can be a child molester (like Epstein), and if you have a lot of money, you write your own punishment. If your broke, which is more likely after you pay your lawyer, you are going on the register to become a social pariah. It just is what it is. Lady Justice may be blind, but she sure as heck smells money.
There is nothing about the registry that’s noble. How noble is it to have a list of those with the least likelihood to commit future crime? Anyone who believes that might as well reform the Twisted Sister band and rename it Twisted Thinking. A registry that creates more problems than solutions is anything but fair and anyone with any integrity can see it. Registry supporters are the kings of wishful thinking and have PHDs in deception.
No. Its not fair. It was added after the pleae deal and my release from custody. So its 100% punitive. It didn’t even exist when I went to court.
This person is who we need on our side.
As Yoda would say “Good this one is”.
I understand this is Michigan law but the Holmes Youthful Trainer Act would be a godsend if adopted in other states including Florida.
This law removes from the registry certain people 17-24 whose offense is later expunged or set aside, or who successfully complete a term of supervision under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act.
Registry is not fair in my case. I took a ‘Youthful Offender’ plea at 18 yrs old. There was not a sentence on me to register for life in 1996; that law didn’t exist. They broke their plea agreement with me. Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No’. Whatever is more than these is from the evil one (Matt. 5: 37).
From what I’ve heard in news it appears Maxine Grissom might get a new trial because one of the juries on her trial had been sexually abused and was instrumental in influencing others in an irrational way. This being the case . Why is it legal for people like this or a close relative allowed to push ,or influence politicians in irrational ways to pass legislation that is based on isolated cases?