Check Your Internet Registry!!

[Auntie Venom]

I'm not sure if this is the best place in the board for this, I hope I've not created a hassle!
I want to remind all of you (especially with children, especially females) to please please please keep up with the online sex offender registries in your area. Check those for neighboring counties as well. Because of my proximity to a state mental health facility I make a point of checking monthly if at all possible.
Do you think that sex offender registries are a good idea? What sort of shortcomings or benefits do you see them having for parents?
The only drawback that I can see is that there are some people who end up on the registries who might not belong there (people who were falsely accused and convicted, people who committed statutory rape wherein their age and the age of their victim was reasonably close like an eighteen year old with a seventeen year old) and that a "witch hunt" environment can occur. For benefit, I think it's obvious. If you had a dangerous person in your neighborhood you would want to know it.

[User615]

I'm not sure if this is the best place in the board for this, I hope I've not created a hassle!
I want to remind all of you (especially with children, especially females) to please please please keep up with the online sex offender registries in your area. Check those for neighboring counties as well. Because of my proximity to a state mental health facility I make a point of checking monthly if at all possible.
Do you think that sex offender registries are a good idea? What sort of shortcomings or benefits do you see them having for parents?
The only drawback that I can see is that there are some people who end up on the registries who might not belong there (people who were falsely accused and convicted, people who committed statutory rape wherein their age and the age of their victim was reasonably close like an eighteen year old with a seventeen year old) and that a "witch hunt" environment can occur. For benefit, I think it's obvious. If you had a dangerous person in your neighborhood you would want to know it.

You are exactly right on some of your thoughts. I posted in another thread about close ages, and how silly the law can be regarding that. I think the example I used was a 19 year old (legal) and a 17 year old (illegal). Then you have the current witch hunt going on over child pornography. If you are convicted of that, you are going to make the predators list, even if you have never even contacted a minor. Go figure.

[lildoxiedog]

I think the registries are better than nothing at all. But they are only as good as the information they have on it. There are still sex offenders out there that haven't been caught yet. I know one man personally that is on it for statuatory rape even though it was consensual. He's a nice guy, just made a poor choice. He didn't know she was underage at the time. Girl's mother found out and raised quite a fuss. But he isn't the type of person I would be afraid to have my children around.