Ah, ye olde sex offenders. A subject near and dear to my contempt.
Thank you homelan for posting the links to the indiviual states' registries. The information, at least for my state, is not 100% up to date, but it's close enough for rock and roll.
Now. I encourage everyone who reads this to bookmark the site on your computer. When you do your computer maintainence (defragging, etc), make it habit to check your area just before you start. That way it's easy to remember...most of us are pretty good at remembering computer maintainence, right?
If you have children, check the registry often. If you have a wife or a sister or a mother or even a son or brother, check it often. Be aware of who lives near you. I am not advocating riding people out of town on a rail unless you really want to. But knowledge is important.
Also be aware that not every pervert is convicted...far, far from it. Just as every convicted sex offender is not registered. These people are criminals; their compliance with what they are supposed to do isn't exactly exceptional. So just because you don't see any residences near yours doesn't mean you're home free. Some offenders were convicted before registering was required, so they won't show up either.
Sex offenders do not look like sex offenders. Even people in my profession fall into that trap. Sex offenders look like everyone else. They are very adept at blending into a crowd. They do not as a rule raise suspicion by their appearance, mannerisms, or behavior. My most compliant offenders on supervision are usually sex offenders. Why? Simple. Two main reasons. One, they do NOT want to be in jail...let us just say that they are not generally well received by the inmate population. Two, they want to remain out so they can keep offending. For every known victim of a typical convicted sex offender, there are an estimated 16 others that are not known. That's a lot of victims. These people just never stop doing inappropriate things to others, period. I wouldn't go on record as saying that I have ever met a truly reformed sex offender in my life. Oh, they'll cross Ts and dot Is, but it's all part of the game to them. Don't draw attention to yourself, don't risk getting cut off from potential victims, don't do anything to make someone suspicious of you. It's their stock and trade.
Child molesters are typically more likely to reoffend simply because they are also much more likely to get away with it. Kids don't tell. Kids don't know what to tell, or to whom. Kids don't think we'll believe them. Kids don't know that what happened to them is all that wrong. That's our fault. We should tell our kids what is and what is not acceptable from other people, and stick to it. We should not wait for a child to tell us about an incident; we should observe them and notice the warning signs and then ask them if something happened, and believe them when they tell us until we have reason not to believe them. Iron clad reasons. Not just, "I don't believe uncle Joe could do that." He might surprise you.
In today's society and climate, we as a population are more tuned to accept and believe claims made against others, unless we happen to know the accused. Then we want to believe that they are the exception. We are also more exposed to claims that are false, and sometimes we conclude that the accuser is just "out for something". We must remember that those are adult motives and concepts, not childish ones. If a kid tells you that something happened, you owe it to the child to see that it is investigated and resolved.
Pedophiles are generally past the point of redemption in a rehabilitative sense. Frankly put, there are no known successful methods of "curing" them. Is it true that the court system places these monsters back on our streets? Yes it is. Like it or not, agree with it or not, it is the fact. Therefore, it is up to us as citizens and parents to go the extra step the courts have proven unwilling to do. We must do all we can to protect ourselves and our loved ones from these predators. And the first step of that is knowing where and who they are. The registries are not complete, nor are they 100% foolproof and accurate. But they beat nothing.
Sex offenders released to community supervision are subject to much more stringent conditions of release than even murderers are. Now know, they are not 100% compliant with these conditions. Probation and parole officers simply cannot be in all places at all times; therefore sex offenders like anyone else will get away with things from time to time. It's inevitable. But also know that the increased scrutiny given these offenders makes it tougher on them to get away with stuff. Not impossible, just tougher. Think of it this way: We all know where the local speed traps are on our route to work, right? So we slow down a little when we get there, then hammer down again when the coast is clear. What makes you think a sex offender is any different?
This post is much longer than I intended, and still I haven't said all I need to about the subject. But please, everyone, make it a priority to check your local or state sex offender registry on a routine basis. Talk to your kids, spouses, siblings...whomever, about awareness. It only takes three seconds or less to incapacitate and abduct someone in broad daylight in a populated parking lot. Be wary. If you check your registry and realize you have a sex offender in your area, or in your school district, make it your business to remember the name and face and address. It could make all the difference.
