That was disturbing.

I was taking a test for my Criminal Justice 115 course, and it is an open book/notes/etc test. It asked if the SC law enforcement division had a sex offender registry available to the public. I thought that was mandatory but googled anyway to be sure ... eek! I put in our zip code and there are WAY too many people in this town that are registered. And some really sick ones as well. Disturbed. Blech.

Edit: Ehhhh, found a nearby neighbor.

We have a registry here too. However, only the names of those who are at high risk to reoffend are posted publicly.

I believe in second chances. Just because someone committed a crime doesn't necessarily mean they'll commit it again. Some people actually do learn their lessons after doing time in jail and when they get out do their best to live an upstanding life in the community. However, because they had been in jail, oftentimes they are revisited by police and harassed when a crime of a similar nature has been committed. Which I don't think is really fair.

People who commit sex crimes, can be rehabilitated, provided they take part in counseling and treatment prior to release, and continue to do so after release.

The exception are child molesters. Those who molest children are not likely to be rehabilitated, ever. There is some wiring in their brain that drives them towards children repeatedly. So the chances of those people reoffending is extremely high.

I've been keeping tabs on the registry here because my cousin (the one who sexually abused me, and every single one of his children) went to prison a year or two ago for child sexual assault. He has a long history of child abuse and was finally thrown in jail for the first time. He'll get out and he'll reoffend. I just hope it doesn't take them another 39 years to put him in jail.

I never really stopped to think that the offenses follow them forever until noticing some convictions in the 70s and stuff and nothing since then. There were a couple people that had a bright red YES next to "sexual predator".

One guy was 18, and his victim was 4...ew, what was he thinking!? Some of them seem like they are on the list from being caught around 20 with a person 5 years younger, which was actually pretty common in NJ with HS girls that had older boyfriends. (Doesn't really make it right, but never really thought of it as terribly wrong).

Most on the list have been caught with victims 16 and under, though there are a few of indecent exposure to other adults, and assault on other adults. One had three or four different convictions and I've come across A LOT who are currently incarcerated.

That is terrible to hear your cousin has been getting away with this over and over again

There's always a story behind the listing. Some people really are predators, some were just stupid teenagers with younger girlfriends who had irate mothers. Hard to tell from a short blurb on the offender list. Although you have a pretty good idea if it was a 40-year-old guy with a 5-year-old kid. Eww. Those guys need to be strung up.

Its just been in the papers today that parents will be allowed to know the names of peadophiles on the sex offenders register in our area which is fantastic, it should have ben legal over here years ago. I don't think half the people who are you would ever suspect.x

For the most part I love that they do that. There are two circumstances where I think it is entirely unfair. One, when it is a young 20 something with a teenager- most of the time, I am sure plenty of the time the guy didn't know the girls age, or didn't realize it was a problem. The second is the new child pornography charges they are giving to teenagers for sending and receiving "sext" messages. It shouldn't be allowable to convict a person for receiving a message. And, it might be inappropriate for teens to send nude pictures, but how can you label them as a child pornographer for that? I think it unnecessarily ruins their lives.

I definitely agree it sucks for those younger 20-somethings with a teenager that probably consented and/or lied about their age. That happens A LOT and many don't get in trouble for it. Some may not even KNOW it's a problem.

But this list tells you why they were put on there. It gives you the statute and the age of the victim. There were some 50yr olds with 9 yr olds, 18 with a 4 yr old, 40-somethings with 11 yr olds, etc. Those definitely belong on there. They had a couple rapists on there as well, which I think should be there. The ones who I mentioned in the first paragraph though shouldn't be stuck with that on their names for the rest of their lives.

I'm surprised there are places that lists like this aren't available openly to the public actually. I thought it was a very common thing to have out there.

Originally Posted by Tara & Rob

I'm surprised there are places that lists like this aren't available openly to the public actually. I thought it was a very common thing to have out there.

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It would lead to vigilantism and infringes on the convicts rights to privacy. As I said, where I live there is a public list, but it's only for those who are at high risk to reoffend. And even then only the city they choose to live in is listed, not the address or even area of town. You also have to be a resident of my Province in order to view it.

Hmm, the list for South Carolina has their addresses, all their information (DOB, height, weight), current photos, and all the convictions. If they left the state, is has the new town and state listed with the date they moved.

I could probably understand worries about vigilantism.

Originally Posted by Tara & Rob

I could probably understand worries about vigilantism.

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Also, not fair to the convict who has been truly rehabilitated. By posting all of that information, people form a bias against the person which makes it so much harder, if not impossible, for the person to reintegrate into society and live a normal life.

Not only that, but you can only go against the grain for so long before you run out of steam and just give in and start acting the way people expect you to behave.

In the case of pedophiles, I definitely think their name should be on the list forever. I don't think they are ever rehabilitated.

When you buy a house here part of the "full disclosure" includes an offenders list for your zip code. I was shocked at the number in this suburban area.

I was thinking about this thread yesterday...I went and picked Bf up from work and he told me about a guy we know that he went to school with....This guy is like 30ish (older I think) and I met him when I was 16 and he was over 21 dating my 16 yr old friend...Gross even then. But now last week he was busted by the state police for having sex with a 15 yr old. GROSS! Rumor has it that because of this, and other really young girls stepping forward about him he will be heading off to jail for a long time, atleast a couple years. Personally I say good, its one thing when its an 18-20 yr old getting in trouble for dating a 16 or 17 yr old but a 30 something yr old man who knows better is having sex with a 15 yr old! Thats just freakin nasty! I really hope that guy ends up on a sex offenders registry, we have been waiting for years for this guy to get busted. I know we have one for our area but I never bothered to look it up.

Definitely a good idea to have sex offender registries available to the public, but I never realised that they also (at least in SC I guess) list what the offense was. In California (or maybe just Long Beach or Los Angeles County, I'm not sure), if you get busted for public urination you have to register as a sex offender. Now that is ridiculous. Child molester, public pee-er... yeah there's just a bit of a difference there, don't you think?

I'm wondering what falls under indecent exposure. Some people are on the SC list for indecent exposure charges ~10 yrs ago to adults. Flasher? Public peeing? Some charges are vague on what it was. The ones with multiple charges of pedophilia are seriously gross. Like each time they were released from prison. (even tells you the term of their sentences)

I've looked at the sex offender registry for my area and it is quite shocking! Most listed have committed a crime against a child. But yes it can be misleading! My co-worker once told me about her neighbors. They didn't like her daughter's boyfriend (was a 2 year age difference I believe) and knew they were sleeping together. Well once he turned 18, they called the cops!! So now this poor kid has a record because of this girl's parents. In cases like that; I don't believe the person should be labeled a sex offender. How can you just ruin a kids life like that!?!?!