Member Submission: My Last Wishes
Greetings lawmaker,
I am writing to inform you of my last wishes. You see, I am registered sex offender in the State of Florida. I was convicted in 2005. I was placed on the Florida Sex Offender Registry for the rest of my life at that time. I am currently 66 years of age. My wife of almost 25 years had a stroke in October 2021. I am trying to plan where I am going to live out the rest of my life if it comes to a point that my wife will no longer be able to take care of me if I were to become incapacitated. I am her sole caretaker at this time.
When that time comes, I plan to miss something that is an arrestable offence (like re-registering, forgetting to add a car…). Once convicted, I plan to stay in the penal system letting the State of Florida provide me with healthcare, prescription medication and “three hots and a cot” for the rest of my life. It is not what I would like, but since the State of Florida had placed me on the ‘for life’ registry, they should have to care for me the rest of my life. You see, since I am a sex offender, there are no retirement communities or nursing homes that will take care of me. So, I have thought long and hard about this, prayed many prayers but I just can’t do this to my wife. I am praying, though, that my 3 kids will at least take care of her. They will not take care of me, because the State of Florida has helped me to ostracize them by making me register their cars, the phone numbers and more. I have made my family ‘offenders’ as well.
I have forwarded my suggestion to the Florida Action Committee. It is a 2,500+ member non-profit organization that advocates for public safety based on empirical evidence (facts) and best practices and not rumour mongering or hearsay. I’m hoping that my idea might gel with some of the 80,000+ registered citizens in Florida. Who knows, the state of Florida may have to build a hospital just for registered citizens so that the people that put us on the registry for life, might have to take care of us ‘for life.’
Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely;
This is honestly something at my age I’ve considered many times. The letter while is sad. It is very accurate IMO. I’m only 49. Bit at some point we will be at the place where we can no longer live alone. Who will take care of us? If nobody at least we know what the state has planned for us. Death in prison.
But hey. At least it’s not punishment.
This is something I concur and thought about highly. I’m retired military but with the registry I’m on no assisted living civilian or not will take me. This fact when I’m older plus I’m more susceptible being Taumatic brain injuries from combat to have forgetfulness all the way to dementia. So option when I’m older with my 3 sons one of which is autistic so I have to try and be there for him as long as I can mentally for im his advocate. So really there are two sons who could when older take care of me. But why should I shove this Burden on those I love the most. Making them sacrifice their life, career, and potential family to be on the registry with their things taking care of me. If I had to take care of someone I wouldn’t have gone into military or seen things I’ve seen so I believe they don’t need the burden.
So eventually I believe my fate is going to be forgetting to registry or not even remembering I’m even on it and having the “Great State of Florida” taking care of my needs. I mean for my safety I already pre-planned and know how to to solitary confinement which they where to place me on when I was arrested based on my military experiences. It was hard to swallow this possibility as a future and many loved ones don’t even want to discuss options like this or can not imagine this could happen in American let alone to a combat veteran honorably discharged.
So I am alone with my future planning. If I do not receive a pardon after our “Great Govoner” of Florida gets out, or try to move to another state and get them to take me off the registry there (Florida is another fight).
Once someone gets over being place on the registry I mean the impact of careers to family turning their backs, the next challenge mentally to get over is once future possibilities on the registry.
It’s depressing but once your getting to old to fight this probably be my fate or others on the registry to be in the jail/prison system probably until death for you will keep violating if you can bot remember to wipe.
Wow… powerful and very apt. I’m a lifetime registrant so this is something I should consider.
Well written.
I totally agree with you. My wife passed away over ten years ago. I have been on the registry for quite a while. I made the mistake of moving to Florida a few years ago. I also made made a mistake of my son’s car registration recently. Right now I am under house arrest for 18 months for a shear mistake. My son does not even live with me but my name is on the registration. I have thought of many different avenues since my sentencing. I had a public pretender and he did keep me out of jail for something that I thought was pretty petty. I really couldn’t believe it when they told me of my choices. As of now, with my choices, I really believe your idea is not so bad. Without money in this world what else can you do?
Profound. Just simply raw and true.
The state of FLA could have their own medical penal colony for folks they do this to.
Good letter. Hope it pulls someone chain into reality.
I feel your pain and shared your words as I feel the same. So what we do is Jam the system. Let them worry about it.
RoShawn’s Journey (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMyMvR-x7tMdC5hJsv9WeEw)
RoShawn, get in touch! Join our movement! We need your representation.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL
How sad and downright inhuman that a senior citizen should have to contemplate such a thing in their “golden years” in the “sunshine state!
The time has come to shine light on these obscene PUNISHMENTS which do nothing whatsoever to protect anyone and are simply PUNISHMENT – PERIOD.
The evidence is clear (facts still count for something in 2022 – right?) that lifetime probation (which is what the Florida registry is) is not constitutional and is a violation of the 8th Bill of Rights (hey we are still AMERICA CITIZENS) and as such SHOULD/ARE FEDERALLY PROTECTED from this cruel and unusual PUNISHMENT imposed for life by the STATE of Florida!
Lee – you are in California, right? Can you post some flyers for our petition there?
Yes, correct. I have actually done that as I live in a very “liberal” part of Los Angeles. Also have enlisted a couple of family members there in Florida to do the same!
Thank you!
already made up my mind when that time comes round,
mine was a bogus charge due to a divorce and custody battle,
needless to say she won,
registry did not even exist in 1992,
am 66 now, over 30 yrs dealing with his BS registry and its
empirical rules,
when i can no longer care for myself, and must go to a home ?
SUICIDE BY COP will be my choice, I WILL NOT BE LOCKED UP AGAIN FOR A CRIME THAT WAS NEVER COMMITED…
Amen
Folks, I am begging you, please don’t choose suicide, not on this forum.
Jail > 6’ underground.
Well that is hard to ask and I agree it is better. But unfortunately some have ho or and dignity too and my military brotherhood comes in “Death before dismount” which in turn means death before any other option becoded victory. But Florida has made and the US very hard specially for those who served the country already and got no help or understanding in court though I do my time and return to society. Kinda like signing a term in the military it was presented kinda do your years on probation and you be able to put this behind you.
But all my freedoms are either gone or inspected now for life lol. Moved billions of dollars of equipment, helps facilitate training and movement of entire brigades, but I’m inspected now worse that first day private in basic training. So sometimes thinking of death one can see the permanent out. Hard to say that but have thought about it for im only free now when I sleep and dream. My night terrors from combat are less depressing that being on the registry it’s funny
I plan on just getting the heck out of this country. I will get what money I have and move someplace. I will find me a few like minded people and pool our money together. I will report to Florida where I am moving. But once I get outside of the US I may change my mind. You never know. I did live overseas for a while. You just have to keep a low profile. That was my downfall.
Don’t do this in Michigan. The MDOC health care is so bad you could literally be bleeding out of the eyes and they’ll tell you to take an aspirin and drink water. Seriously. It used to be take an aspirin, drink water and stop smoking, but smoking was abolished in Michigan prisons back in 2009.
I don’t know if it’s the same now, but there was also a $5 copay for health care callouts. If you didn’t have money in your account, they’d just flag it and take it whenever you got funds deposited. It may not seem like much, but it was a lot when you only made about $20 a month at your prison job.
Youll be doing the State a Favor if you commit suicide in any fashion. Literally!
Why not fight back? You are not what others say you are. You know you! You! Define You! Put on your thick skin armor along with your sticks & stones Boots. Fight! If you made a mistake or not and ended up on the registry stand up for yourself! Leaving Florida is just yet another favor literally your doing for the State. .Make them undo the heck of a mess they have made. Everyone matters Live and Learn don’t make the same mistake. If you were innocent all themkre reason to fight for your rights and. Change