The sex offender registry puts millions of children and families at risk, and has not reduced or prevented sex crimes, but don't take it from me: The Proof

What the media, law enforcement and your lawmakers don't want you to know about sex offenders:

The registry endangers millions of innocent children and other family members of registrants. The registry has proven to increase vigilante violence against registrants and their families. Studies have indicated that over half of registrants' families do not feel safe in their own home and have experienced discrimination, job loss, community shunning, property damage and threats of violence. Children of registrants report being especially targeted, not just by peers but by teachers, instructors and other parents.

The registry CONTAINS nearly 200,000 children. In California and Michigan, children as young as 6 have been charged with "sex crimes". Teenagers having consensual sex are frequently targeted, even if the "victim" has lied about their age. As these teens get older, their registry entries are not updated to reflect their age at the time of the "offense", making them look like child predators.

The registry ignores the overwhelming majority of current and future victims. 93-97% of child sex abuse victims are abused by people they know, who have no prior conviction for a sex crime. 

The registry provides communities with a false sense of security and empowers undiscovered predators. Being lulled into thinking the registry is a magical list of people to avoid actually empowers true predators, who have never been caught or reported. Because law enforcement and sex crime legislation is focused so blindly on registrants, most predators are not identified and unknown to police and the community; they are also completely unaffected by sex crime laws. 

If you want to become more educated on this politically- and media-driven travesty, continue below.

Bet you've heard these before:

• "Sex offenders usually re-offend." False. Sex offender recidivism has consistently proven to be extremely low, about 3.5-8.5%. This is the lowest re-offense rate of any crime other than murder.
  

• "All sex offenders are pedophiles." False. A pedophile is a diagnosis of mental illness by a mental health professional, not a type of crime, and is defined as an adult who is sexually attracted to pre-pubescent children. While some sex offenders have molested children, most have not. Over the last few years, the increase in individuals convicted as sex offenders for non-contact crimes has risen by thousands of percentage points. 

• "Most sex offenders attack at random and abduct their victims from parks, schools, or other areas that children gather." False. Sex offenders who target children spend a lot of time gaining the trust of their victim and are almost always someone known to the child and their family - 97% of children under 6 know their abusers. 93-95% of children 17 and under know their abusers. Overwhelmingly, the abusers have never been convicted of a sex crime, and are not on the registry. 

• "Restricting where sex offenders live keeps children safer." False. Extensive studies have shown that restricting where sex offenders can live does not reduce or prevent sex crimes against children or adults. Most sex crimes occur over a mile from the abuser's home.

• "The sex offender registry has reduced sex crimes." False. Studies spanning before and after the registry became public indicate that sex crimes committed by non-registered offenders as well as registered offenders re-offending have remained steadily at the same rates.

• "Who cares if sex offenders can't find jobs or become homeless? They deserve it!" Everyone is entitled to their personal opinions on sex offenders. However, the inability to support themselves or find housing creates an unhealthy environment which can lead to re-offense. 

• "Most sex offenders don't have families or anyone who cares about them." False. The majority of sex offenders live with their families.
  

If you have been effected by these harmful laws, or simply value effective legislation, join us in making the public aware of the lies they have been told and demand that lawmakers tell the truth. Together, we have a voice.

Email: iloveanso@gmail.com

Blog: www.iloveasexoffender.blogspot.com

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Copyright 2012 Shana Rowan