If the Registry Were Refocused Would This 16 Year Old be Missing?

In the news; a missing 16 year old Tampa girl is suspected of being with a registered sex offender. This is another example of the need for actuarial risk assessments to be used to determine the risk level of the almost 70,000 in the Florida registry.

We MUST start distinguishing the low risk offenders from the truly dangerous so that we are not diluting the effectiveness of our registry!

In this case the suspect had not only one, but two prior violent sex offenses and had been associating with the girl for some time.  If law enforcement was not so bogged down with those who are low risk, they would have more resources available to closely monitor the repeat or dangerous persons.

Unlike the focus of current registration laws; this was not a stranger abduction. It had nothing to do with residency proximity (as he did not live close to a school or to this girl) and the public registry or residency restrictions, as they now exist, would have done nothing to change these circumstances.

Refocusing the registry on the ones who need closer scrutiny, more public awareness, educational programs for families, and reallocation of resources where needed will serve to increase public safety.

We must keep in mind that 95-97% of sexual offenses are committed by someone NOT on the registry.