The criminal justice system always enacts laws to protect itself and those who are part of it. Here the Virginia legislature recognized this, and recognized the effects of the registry on registrants, and in 1990 or so enacted a law to protect registrants from harm caused through use of the registry. Reading news reports nationally it is clear such laws are not used enough. Mary Devoy did nothing more than suggest that the law be enhanced, and did not deserve this reporter's insensitive remarks. Mary Devoy deserves a public apology from this reporter, and I urge everyone to contact the paper suggesting that!. Congress mandated such laws in the Adam Walsh Act! (42 USC 16918(f))11-30-2010 Virginia:
Beyond that, we must dig deeper into what this reporter suggests by her comments, carefully consider, does she suggest that, if one is a victim of a crime, then they only deserve our sympathy and protection if their personal background is pure white? What about victims of 911, the Oklahoma Bombing, and such crimes. Are we a society that now must know victims' backgrounds, and approve of them, before deciding what punishment to assign their perpetrators? Lord I hope not, if true we are a lost society!
Anyone in the mood to feel sorry for sex offenders?
I didn't think so.
Virginia has thousands of them on its official sex offender registry. From time to time folks aren't nice to them. Seems lots of us don't want to live next to sex offenders, work with them, or let these dudes - the vast majority are men - near our kids.
Who would?
Most of the registered offenders are creeps. Don't take my word for it, go to the Virginia State Police website and search your ZIP code and adjoining codes. A quick perusal of the 243 offenders in my backyard shows that aggravated sexual battery and rape seem to be the crimes of choice, but several were convicted of taking indecent liberties with children, a few more were kiddie porn collectors, and other freaks were guilty of sexually abusing children in their custody.
Call me heartless, but I'm not inviting any of these weirdos over for dinner.
Back in the 1990s, the General Assembly made it illegal to misuse the registry to harass sex offenders.
The law wasn't needed then, and it isn't needed now.
After all, there are plenty of statutes that protect Virginians from all kinds of harassment and assaults. When a sex offender falls victim to one of these crimes, it shouldn't result in a stiffer sentence for the perpetrator.
Fortunately, the law is rarely used. According to Monday's Richmond Times-Dispatch, only three people have been charged with misusing the sex offender registry - with no convictions.
Meet the la test, He's 19-year-old Daniel R. Narron of Hopewell. According to the Times-Dispatch, Narron was arrested in October after he allegedly recognized a 52-year-old sex offender from the registry and pursued him.
Police said Narron, who was at the wheel of a Lincoln Navigator with three passengers, chased the older man and knocked him off his moped.
The registered offender - who was convicted 10 years ago of aggravated sexual battery and abduction for immoral purposes - wasn't hurt, but Narron was charged with attempted murder, attempted malicious wounding by mob and hit-and-run.
And misuse of the sex offender registry.
In other words, Narron faces more jail time because he allegedly attacked a sex offender than he'd face if he'd committed the exact same crime against an ordinary decent Virginian.
That's wrong.
Enter Mary Devoy, the executive director of Reform Sex Offender Laws of Virginia, a group that lobbies the General Assembly on sex offender registry issues. The newspaper reported that Devoy was "surprised and saddened" that more folks aren't prosecuted under the law.
Odd. You'd think she'd be happy about that. But on Monday, Devoy told me that sex offenders are frequently hassled, yet few bother to report it.
"I'd like them to make this a felony," she said.
Please, no. This statute should be repealed, not strengthened.
Devoy claims that Virginia's sex registry is "useless" and that "more than half" of the people on the list are not dangerous.
Sorry, not buying it.
The sex offender registry is a tool to help the public protect itself from criminals. Virginia lawmakers ought to refine the laws to guarantee that only true sex offenders are on it - remove statutory rapists, for instance. And the registry shouldn't be used by vigilantes to torment offenders.
When that happens, the culprits should be prosecuted under the same laws that protect all Virginians.
Not under bizarre statutes that have created special protections for Virginia's deviants. ..Source.. by Kerry Dougherty
Guys lucky if i was the D.A. prosecuting this guy, I would have gone after Federal hate crime charges and made a example of him.....we all want this sex offender registry and this type of action is only going to help but see that the registry is found to be unconstitutional
ReplyDeleteIT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU KNOW MOST OF THE PEOPLE ON THAT "LIST" COMMITTED OR WERE HARRASSED ENOUGH TO PLEAD GUILTY TO SOMETHING THEY DIDN'T DO, BEEEEFOOOOOORRREEEE IT BECAME A LAW. WHICH MAKES IT, UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!!! IT'S SAD YOU PEOPLE ARE SO NAIVE. JUST WAIT, NEXT IT WILL BE YOU. ITS LIKE SAYING OH HEY EVERYONE WHOS EVER HAD A SPEEDING TICKET, GUESS WHAT NO MORE DRIVING AND YOU HAVE TO REGISTER EVERY 6 MONTHS. YOU PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE WHAT THE MEDIA WORKS UP TO BE SUCH HORRIBLE PEOPLE, ARE SO SO MISLEAD. NOT EVERYONE IS A CHILD MOLESTER OR RAPIST. GET OVER YOURSELVES..LIKE YOURE THAT GREAT EITHER.
ReplyDeleteHere in Europe we have learned our mistakes from Centuries of: Monarchies, The Dark Ages, Gov't Brainwashing'/Illegal Over-Control, Witch Hunts, etc.
ReplyDelete** How would YOU feel if you have small children of your own, and/or have a business employing 10-50+ people, and/or are a well deserved, earned, integral member of the Community -but suddenly, unprovoked, 20-30+ years later you supposedly had to 'Register' as Mr./Mrs slithering Offender' and play the role of something you have no clue of -viciously ripping your children/family apart, had to foreclose on your house, quit your job, go live under a bridge as a rat, then put up your kids to adoption because you are suddenly 'committing a crime' by raising your own kids, or taking your own kids to school/the Park/the Mall/, etc. This highly ILLEGAL NONSENSE and has to stop somewhere - and your local Governments personally know they are only supposed to be there for National Security and certainly not illegal invasion into Family business nor illegal Community tyranny as this clearly has become.
Most of the World (outside of the newly-made hysterical USA) knows this very well: -The ONLY real 'Danger' in America nowadays are your WEAK Leaders and your out-of-control Police tyranny -those very person(s) Campaigning or Supporting their Illegally damaging & wrongfully defaming 'Offender' or 'Predator' NONSENSE, as to conveniently create a Scape-goat for 'their own' failing Empire or other current Mischief, and to selfishly create false 'power' for themselves. Only the WEAK attempt to gain that 'power' from such known illegal nonsense as they knowingly practice.
Suddenly making excuses to plant false 'Offender Danger' all over a Community -thus, making the rest of the Community an angry mob sporting 'Frankenstein Torches' (your 'Leaders' and Police perfectly know...)- it is NOT doing ANY Community a 'favour' and especially NOT 'protecting' anyone. It is ILLEGALLY tearing apart innocent families, cruely ruining innocent lives and ripping the Community apart, forever, especially when you blindly & forcefully shove into each others' faces the commonly exaggerated or commonly Falsely Recorded information about your dear Neighbour's/Fathers/Mother's/Grandmother's/niece's/nephew's supposed distant past.
Thank God we don't have don't have 'predators' or 'offenders' here in Europe, nor hardly any Crime. Why is it that only 'America' does ? Why is it that only 'America' has a Conviction & Prison 'Industry'? This Nonsense has to -STOP- Somewhere people -and the torn Families of the falsely accused/wrongfully convicted MUST be ultimately compensated, and those Criminally minded Police & Prosecutors who commonly tell Lies or withhold information MUST be PROSECUTED!
A reader submitted the following comment:
ReplyDelete"I wrote the following to the Editor of that rag. I recommend EVERYONE write to them and demand that 1) the writer be disciplined and 2) a retraction be printed.
Here's what I wrote:
A recent story written by Kerry Dougherty, (See link: http://hamptonroads.com/2010/11/special-laws-protecting-sex-offenders-are-insult) is, in my opinion, reckless and places you and your company in a position of liability. In my opinion, Ms. Dougherty more or less is inviting vigilantism against anyone listed on the sex offender registry."
Note: The remainder of the comment cannot be posted as it would place this site at risk, and maybe in violation of laws. eAdvocate
The particular reason this law is necessary is actually quite illustrated by this incident. a 19 year old PUNK took it upon himself not only to commit a crime, but to commit a crime which constitutes criminal anarchy. What he did was not merely a crime but was such a direct offense to law and order in the United States that he should have been tried, convicted and executed for treason against the united states. That said, to even considering altering this law is against moral conscience. bottom line- if the public wants a tool to "protect" itself, then the public must incur serious consequences if it chooses to use such a tool in a way that demeans the constitution of the United States or tends to create a state of anarchy in the public.
ReplyDelete