U.S. Sexual Predator Map

**Vladimir** · 05-26-2006, 17:07

As long as they keep me off the list I'm happy.

**Lorenzo_H** · 05-26-2006, 17:33

Originally Posted by Vladimir

As long as they keep me off the list I'm happy.

Why? Do you feel a surge of guilt?

**English assassin** · 05-26-2006, 18:05

What I think is that sexual offenders who still pose a measurable risk to children should not be released, so for them the question is moot. Sexual offenders who no longer pose a measurable risk to children should be released (once they have served their time) and be free to live in peaceful anonymity.

Any benefit of the doubt on whether there is a measurable risk goes to the children, not the offender.

Thus speaketh EA, on behalf of his two little assassins.

**Lemur** · 05-26-2006, 18:48

Originally Posted by English assassin

What I think is that sexual offenders who still pose a measurable risk to children should not be released, so for them the question is moot. Sexual offenders who no longer pose a measurable risk to children should be released (once they have served their time) and be free to live in peaceful anonymity.

The problem with your proposal is that all sexual criminals pose some risk. But nobody in their right mind is suggesting that we lock every sex offender up for life.

I'm torn on this issue. On the one hand, I think an individual has a right to some privacy, and if a felon is going to set his or her life back on track, more power to them. On the other hand, sexual criminals tend to have high recidivism rates, and parents (like the Lemurs and the Assassins and the DAs) have a need to know about who is in their neighborhood.

I don't see any easy answers.

**Ser Clegane** · 05-26-2006, 18:49

Originally Posted by Lemur

I don't see any easy answers.

Indeed - although I have no children (yet) I would probably like to be able to know if a known child molester lived in my neighbourhood - OTOH I seem to recall that not too long ago one of the persons who has been on such a "blacklist" has been killed due the published information (I think it happened in the US).

**Lemur** · 05-26-2006, 18:57

Nope, the lynching occured in Merrie Olde Englande. I remember hearing about it on the radio. I'll post a link when I find it.

[edit]

Found it. Highlights:

From Plymouth to Portsmouth, Manchester to London, wrongly identified men and known paedophiles found themselves being hounded by mobs up to 300-strong.

The vigilante action was most severe on the Paulsgrove estate in Portsmouth, where protesters circulated a list of 20 alleged sex offenders in the community and proceeded to target them.

The crowds - 40 of whom were later charged with offences - smashed windows, torched cars and forced five families wrongly identified as harbouring sex offenders out of their homes. A suspected paedophile in nearby Southampton shot himself dead and a female registrar was hounded from her South Wales home because neighbours confused "paediatrician" with "paedophile."