Scarlet-Letter Dilemma In A Suburban Enclave
from the when-information-is-made-public dept
Some interesting issues are raised in this article discussing the events in a San Diego suburb that caused a stir when various parents in the suburb logged onto a new "sex offender map" and discovered one of their neighbors was listed. The man (and his family) have become outcasts in the neighborhood. The man's wife complains that her husband has already served his time - while other mothers in the neighborhood say they're just afraid for their children. It certainly does raise questions about the impact of such information being made public. While I do agree that the guy may have served his punishment already, I don't think that's any reason not to have that information publicly available.
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human nature
The problem is that thanks to the media and paranoid soccer moms, everyone automatically assumes that everyone that's a registered sex offender is some evil pervert that's going to come molest their precious little children.
Doesn't statutory rape (even if the guy was 20 and she was 17) count as a sex offense? People that are convicted of such an offense are on that database too, aren't they?
The social stigma is too great. I don't think it's fair that people go to prison for years and even when they get out, they're tagged for life as something evil. "What about the victims? They'll never forget!" some may say. Maybe if people here would get off the "I'm a victim" mentality, these "victims" might have no problems forgetting and moving on with their lives. But so far, that's not the case. It's easier to play the victim card... blah.
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sex offender map
The problem I have with these maps is that it doesn't do much other than shame the offender and cause paranoia in the area. If the person is still a threat they leave them locked up. I don't care if they've served their time. The public shouldn't have to watch over its shoulders just incase a rapist, murder, etc... has met a legal timeline. If the person is deemed safe to reenter society give them a chance.
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