I work at a bank and the other day a co-worker was looking on the Utah State site at sex offenders. I personally think its kind of a morbid past time but that is beside the point.
First off I would like to say that I wholeheartedly do not agree with sex offenses but I do feel that it is a violation of that persons privacy to be plastered all over the internet or whatnot.
Back to the point. This co worker found a member of the bank that is a known sex offender. She immediatly started saying she always knew he was 'creepy' etc. Did she really or is she filling in what she felt with what she now knows.
I think it is kind of like the Scarlett Letter. Does everyone have to posted on the internet with sins or crimes committed. Where do we draw the line?
I also disagree with the statement the 'girl claims rape.' The majority of the people I saw on the site were offending against minors. Whether the girl 'claimed' it or not is irrelevant. The individual is still a danger to children in the area.
Basically I think the public should be informed but not about every offender. I think repeat offenders should be listed for sure and beyond that I just don't know.
I really wish we lived in a world where was no sexual assault but unfortunatly we don't. I don't agree with the assaults but I do still think it is a violation of their rights to post what they've done for everyone to see.
Wow that was long and somewhat repetative. Sorry.
2 comments:
I agree with Bittymiah when he said.. "repeat offenders should be listed for sure".. There are people in this world that mess up and will learn their lesson and never make the same mistake twice. But then there are people who repeatedly get caught for crimes. These are the people we all need to be aware of.
I remember when I was in high school my Mom looked up on the registry and found out that there were a lot of people in our own neighborhood listed. It kinda scared me when she told us but then I was also comforted at the same time. If you try to imagine being a parent who's child has been sexual abused etc. or know anyone who has, you would definitely want to know. I think for parents it is especially a great resource to have.
I don't agree with people like Bittymiah's co-worker who just go on there and search during their free time. I think it should be there as a resource for people who really have a purpose, not just to poke fun etc.
It is a difficult ethical issue to be sure. There are those sexual offenders who may very well posa a continued threat to society, and it is important for those nearby to be warned of the danger, but I believe that the number is a lot smaller than the list makes it out to be. I remember specifically the talk we had about an 18 year old dating a 17 year old and getting in trouble when they broke up and the spiteful 17 year old claimed sexual abuse. Is it fair for this person to suffer shame for the rest of his or her life over something so silly? Absolutely not. And what of those who are not really guilty? The court system is not right all of the time. Are these people to be shamed and marked their whole lives?
I guess that I agree with what has been said. Repeat offenders should be listed with a circumstantial explanation of their crime, while single time offenders should get a bit of a break as far as the internet is concerned. Not everybody needs to know that information unless the person is really a proven threat not just some person who made a bad mistake once in their life and learned from it. We all make mistakes, albeit maybe not so great as sexual offence, but many of us learn and change from our mistakes, we should give them the same chance.
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