Does the Sex Offender List Need to Change?

[littleluck55]

A 19 year old was convicted of having sex with a 14 year old he met on the internet and now must register as a sex offender for the next 25 years. The girl and her parents admitted the girl lied about her age and asked the judge not to convict the teen. There is a big difference between this and the other extreme of the spectrum.

 

Teen's plight: From dating app to sex offender registry - CNN.com

 

He was at his home in Elkhart, Indiana, when he met the girl, who lived across the state line in nearby southern Michigan.

 

The girl told Zach she was 17, but she lied. She was only 14, and by having sex with her, Zach was committing a crime. He was arrested and convicted.

 

He was given a 90-day jail sentence, five years probation and placed on both Indiana and Michigan's sex offender registry for the next 25 years. A colossal mistake, say his parents.

 

Both the girl's mother and the girl herself appeared in court, to say they didn't believe Zach belonged on the sex offender registry. The girl admitted lying and outside of court, she handed the Anderson family a letter. She wrote in part, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you my age. It kills me every day, knowing you are going through hell and I'm not. I want to be in trouble and not you."

 

But even if the sex was consensual and even if the girl did lie about her age, it is not a defense under current sex offender laws.

[bugatti]

In short, yes. The laws and "Scarlet A" label should not be the same across the board. Big difference in the scenario you describe and a 40 year old man abusing a 4 year old boy.

[spindoc]

So, she said she was 17. Would it have been similar then or is 17 different?

[bugatti]

So, she said she was 17. Would it have been similar then or is 17 different?

 

Age of consent is 16 in Kentucky.

[norse1]

There is a grey area.. I know someone while he wasn't criminally charged his teaching license was permanently revoked. He was 24. He met a girl at the bar she said she was 22. They had a one night stand she got pregnant and guess what she was only 17! She had gotten in on a fake a id. He had seen her there multiple times but finally one night they started talking.. And it ended up costing him a career in education.

[ColonelCrazy]

The answer is yes, the sex offender laws need to be reformed.

[Jumper_Dad]

I think in htis case there should be an exception but I know the law probably doesn't allow for that. In that case the law should be changed, but I don't see any state rep or senator rushing to bring this to a vote.

[TheDeuce]

Yes. It definitely needs to be changed.

[TheDeuce]

There is a grey area.. I know someone while he wasn't criminally charged his teaching license was permanently revoked. He was 24. He met a girl at the bar she said she was 22. They had a one night stand she got pregnant and guess what she was only 17! She had gotten in on a fake a id. He had seen her there multiple times but finally one night they started talking.. And it ended up costing him a career in education.

 

He should sue the bar.

[ThrillVille Cardinal51]

Yeah that's awful for the dude.

[Bert]

He should sue the bar.

 

He probably did but he still can never teach again either way.

 

 

The problem with changing the laws is who wants to be the person who votes in favor of reforming laws only to see that drug up as he/she being easy on sex offenders come reelection time. Sure, if anyone were to research the accusation, they would see it is a baseless accusation but do you really trust voters to do such research, I wouldn't.

[Getslow]

A cost of having a justice system that increasingly takes discretion away from judges. Sometimes it works for the better, sometimes not.

[ColonelCrazy]

He probably did but he still can never teach again either way.

 

 

The problem with changing the laws is who wants to be the person who votes in favor of reforming laws only to see that drug up as he/she being easy on sex offenders come reelection time. Sure, if anyone were to research the accusation, they would see it is a baseless accusation but do you really trust voters to do such research, I wouldn't.

 

You're exactly right. Sex offenders are an easy target and easy to hate. No politician is going to win an election with a platform of reforming the sex offender laws/registration, no matter how desperately the changes are needed. The public's lack of understanding and hatred towards sex offenders is why these laws were hastily passed in the first place.

 

Sex offender laws, specifically the residential requirements (i.e. a sex offender cannot live within 2,000 yards of a school) are counterproductive and can actually INCREASE the risk to the public. The laws do NOT lower recidivism and tend to isolate the offenders, making them outcasts and more difficult to track/monitor. Of course, that's not a popular opinion and, generally speaking, the public wants sex offenders as far away as possible.

[PepRock01]

I definitely think so, while you don't want people preying on youth, the fact of the matter is that there are many things that can get you on the sex offender list. Public urination on a playground at night (with no children present) while definitely something worth a fine and probably a day or two in the local jail, can get people on the registry. That in and of itself is absurd.

 

Furthermore if you have a 17 year old dating a 15 year old in KY, one is of legal age and the other isn't. If for instance mom or dad walks on on the 15 year old princess and her 17 year old boyfriend mid-coitus then there is a good chance that, even if it was consensual, that the parents may press charges and pressure the daughter into saying he raped her.

 

Now if there is a 24 year old man with a 15 year old girl, then no problems, definitely okay to register him.

[Jim Schue]

He should sue the bar.

 

If nothing else, he could have a fall-back career as a bar-owner.