How campaign rhetoric about child porn made it to the Supreme Court hearing
Since 1990, when Congress first voted to make the possession of child pornography a federal offense, the law has moved toward stiffer penalties, and never toward relaxing them. (Making and distributing child pornography was made a federal crime 13 years earlier.)
When voters have gotten their say, judges seen as stopping short of the sentencing guidelines have landed in political trouble. Emily Horowitz, an academic who’s written critically of pumped-up sex offender laws, pointed to the fate of Aaron Persky, a California judge who handed down a six-month prison sentence in a college rape case, and was recalled by voters within months.
The discussion about sentencing guidelines has happened in public, with the U.S. Sentencing Commission studying its own standards and asking whether they should be more nuanced. In a 2012 paper, the commission suggested that “the current guideline produces overly severe sentencing ranges for some offenders, unduly lenient ranges for other offenders, and widespread inconsistent application.”
Senator Hawley has introduced a bill to strong penalties for CP cases, which we shouldn’t be surprised and to be watchful of blanketed bills affecting all of us so called “predators”. The only predators I see are Congress taking our rights based on myths. Stop beating a dead horse already and allow all to ride in freedom.
Brandon, please give us a citation to the bill you are referencing. I searched through all of the bills introduced by Senator Hawley (https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/browse?sponsor=412840) and was unable to find the one you are referring to.
FAC # 3
It’s called the Protect Act of 2022 and on Senator Hawley’s Press Office Twitter page. There’s a story on Yahoo News by Jon Brown titled, Hawley introducing bill to ensure strong penalties for cp possession, which was published yesterday.
Brandon
They are afraid of the headlines and their careers. Can you imagine the headlines “Senators release 1000’s of sexual predators onto the streets to do what ever they want without restraint”.
Hawley.senate.gov also has information on his bill under press releases. I tried copying the link, but technology doesn’t want to work.
Ahh – it has not been introduced yet – he intends to introduce it. Thanks for this.
Sex offenders should endorse political candidates that understand the angst those on the list face everyday of their lives over just one mistake.
Anyone that uses the term sex offender can go kiss a curb and they lose all credibility. I’m not a current offender and anyone who uses that label is part of the problem. Get your head out of the clouds and get your shit together by using appropriate terms.
Brandon
I think, as a friend, you are being a bit harsh on this person. He seems to be a new and I sometimes slip up and refer to us as sex offenders but am getting better and using the correct term/terms.
We all agree once our eyes are opened that unless we are still offending, we are no longer sex offenders. And we all agree that that term alludes to us driving around looking for victims to offender against.
But jumping on a someone does not help us get new people on the site. I am not trying to be all hugs and unicorns, just I have been that guy here sometimes getting jumped on that almost made me leave. That is all, I will go back to my man cave now and watch paint dry.
CherokeeJack
Looking at it in that perspective I agree with you and yes it’s harsh. Honestly I hate calling people out on terminology because they see things through different and that’s fine. Personally I don’t like being called an offender and I admit it’s sometimes hard to find a term that isn’t offensive to everyone. I welcome all even though we might not agree on the first few pages, but we agree in the overall goal: abolish the registry. I’ll relax and not be quick to judge a comment because I hate when it’s done to me. Thanks for putting me in my place when I’m wrong and out of line. Great I’m not having a decent track record.
Well, not gonna tell you to kiss a curb and I don’t call myself a SO, but I get your point. However, finding political candidates that understand the pointlessness of the SOR and want to do something other than punish (or “not punish” ) is like finding a needle in a haystack.
To: mbgodofwar
Once when I was registering at my previous county I lived in, there was a long line. Some in the line stay to themselves and others blab their life story to anyone who will listen. If you listen, sometimes you hear crazyness, but other times you get some good stories and some insight.
One fellow told me how he got a new lawyer because the public defender was caught telling another lawyer “I hate defending these sick *ucks”. The other attorney actually reported the public defender to the judge.
The guy still ended up with a sentence but at least got a new lawyer. But just makes you wonder what lawyers talk about when their clients are not around. Are we all just a payday for them?
I feel at odds with my defense attorney: A friend wrote and commented that the money I spent on defense just went to buy my lawyer a new Rolex (never stated as fact), but I also think he tried what he could to get the best mutually agreed-upon and court-decided outcome that he could. :-/
I remembered calling a local place for a job, talked to the guy in charge, and asked if people on the SOR could work. He didn’t go into details, didn’t know who I was nor asked, didn’t ask if I had a criminal record, or event got vulgar about it, but the way he said, “we can’t let people like that work for us” made me think that his talks of second chances and forgiveness didn’t apply to those of us on the SOR.
More often than not it doesn’t. The second chance attitude that some people claim to have is hypocritical. It’s something that has made me cynical. All of that talk about moving forward sometimes is just that. Talk.
That being said, endure. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. Put your faith in a higher power. Don’t let those people win. Be better than they are. Keep moving forward. You are not alone. Okay, I am done preaching.
mdgodofwar
Yeah it is sad. Many places will hire thieves, Murderers, con-men, drug dealers, former prostitutes, violent offenders, drunks, etc and give them a second chance. But put the word sex offender in there, and Satan himself has a better chance of getting the job than we do. Heck they might even give Charles Manson the job before considering us.
For many of them we ARE just a payday, at least the useless charlatan passing as an attorney I had in Orange County.
It seems others agreed as he was sanctioned for inadequate counsel and ultimately disbarred from practicing law in Florida. Unfortunately too late for me as the damage was done – so yes WATCH OUT for that type.
Sex truth
Shouldn’t that have allowed you an appeal based on “New” evidence of inadequate council? There is no statue of limitations on new evidence in most cases.
Senator Lee just stated we engage in re-victimization for our lifetime.
What is wrong people? Everyone can change but us? They think the worst sin is sex. Not stating being abused is ok, but if I had a choice of being ravished by someone by force or being murdered, I would not want to be killed.
And yet sex offenses seem to always be the worst sin/act a person can commit. Even worse than the bombs dropped during WWII that killed tons of people. Hitler, Putin and Charles Mason combined are more liked than we are. We do not seem to get a 2nd chance.
We are often told by F.A.C not to compare ourselves to the Holocaust. I understand that because the Jews did nothing wrong other than being accused of being a hated race/religion. I visited concentration camps in Germany about 15 years ago. I was in tears of the horrors they went through.
Having said that, they were killed and got no second chance. We are alive and cannot even get a 2nd chance. In Flor-a-duh we have to be punished for life with no goals to reach. I have moved at least 20 times since My release from prison. I am tired of moving and have told my neighbors “You move because I am not going anywhere!” I cannot stand Chess, but right now I am living a game of chess and I do not intend to lose even if I have to stall the game indefinitely.
Don’t let anyone define you as the government label, you are more than whatever happened in your past. It takes courage to take responsibility and to live your best life even when others don’t like you. Honestly it’s their loss not yours. Never trade in your chess board even during trying times. All registrants have different experiences, yet we share similar experiences on the registry. When we put our minds and experiences together we can move mountains. Never surrender till the highest peak has been climbed and freedom is restored.
Dramatic for sure however, a total LIE.