Insensitive of me

I know that it is "unspeakably insensitive" of me to say it but sex offender (public) registration, particularly on the web, has got to go. Yes, this posting is, in part, because of this bit of news. (A 20 year old killed two released sex offenders before taking his own life.) No, that is not the reason. Our notions of justice in this country are beyond screwed up. Minimum sentencing for drug charges, 12-16 year olds tried as adults, the death penalty, and this too. If sex offenders need to be punished for longer than their jail terms, then they should receive longer sentences.

Is it possible that they still pose a threat once released? Sure, but is it possible that you or your neighbor, or I or anyone I know, have met, or live near poses a threat? Absolutely. The fact is, and this has some reverberations for King George's (yes, I got this from Daily Kos) wiretapping atrocity, that there is no way to guarantee security100%. None. I realize that sex offenders are convicted criminals. I realize that the vast majority--if not all--are guilty. I realize that some of their crimes are horrible. I also realize that some of their crimes are tanamount to what Supreme Court Justice Clarance Thomas was accused of. That is to say, a he said, she said, inappropriate conversation and unwanted touching thing. That does not make it not a crime, that doesn't make it acceptable. But there is a very large difference between a sociopathic deviant and a jackass with poor judgement, who probably learned his lesson.

I know that there is more to the sex offender registration than I am letting on here. The main problem is that it opens up a door to all sorts of things. Is there innocence after guilt? Can punishment ever be said to fit the crime if the punishment is lifelong constraint by such registration? What about other crimes? I'm more interested to know if there are any convicted car theifs near me. I want to know about anyone living by me that has been convicted of participating in dog fighting. And maybe drugs. Definately gun crimes. For that matter theft...

There are hardened criminals who will never atone for/apologize for/generally give a damn about anything they have done or anyone they have hurt. Maybe we can somehow isolate such people from those whose crimes are momentary lapses of judgement, or temporary stupidity, or the ones that are completely accidental. Of course this doesn't even begin to deal with unpunished crimes. People get away with quite a bit in this country, whether it is speeding or shoplifting or rape (no matter what really happened in Durham, the odds are against conviction for anyone accused there due to its difficulty to prove). Continued punishment for those who have committed less severe offenses is not justice, it's vengence.