I don't even know what to say about this article...

[hentob]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/05/31/sex.offender.suit.ap/index.html

 

[Felicia]

...if only it were an eye for an eye...

 

[agnes!]

It's being the litigants' legal representation in cases like this that IMO do not help the ACLU's reputation. I mean, is any kind of legal limit too much? How far is too far? 10 feet, 25 feet, 100 feet?
I truly wonder if the ACLU is willing to accept *any* restrictions on these convicted felons.

agnes!

 

[hentob]

It's being the litigants' legal representation in cases like this that IMO do not help the ACLU's reputation.

I agree.

 

[auntpolly]

I would say that we don't know enough to really decide -- maybe they have a point? I don't know the town -- maybe the polling place and their church is right beside the playground. Maybe these guys aren't the kind of sex offenders that raped children. I don't know. I don't know. I don't like to jump to conclusions.

As a general rule I stand firmly against sex offenders -- and I think that a pedophile is hard to reform. But were these men pedophiles? Anyway, if they have paid their debt to society, I guess they have their right to a day in court just like the rest of us, and I'm glad the ACLU is there to stand for causes no one else wants to.

 

[Beth76]

I agree with Aunt Polly. There's not really a lot of info in that article. It seems like they're leaving a lot out in order to spark outrage. And like AP said, it didn't specifically mention pedophiles. But, I sort of think that if these people (if they are indeed pedophiles) need to be kept away from children, then maybe they should be in jail. It doesn't sound like they feel they are fully reformed.

 

[auntpolly]

Let's say your 19 year old son is arrested for having sex with his 17 year old girlfriend (it's happened!) Now, he's a convicted sex offender and can't attend your church because it's by the playground.

It's just not always so black and white.

 

[mickman1962]

Child molesters are not nice people, and restrictions on them don't make me too upset. However, this is where the problem starts. The law isn't for child molesters, its for Sex Offenders. That category has become amazingly broad, and people are now having to register as sex offenders for crimes that were not originally intended. You can have consenual sex with a 17 year old girl in one state and be a sex offender. No more playgrounds for you, without an adult. In other states, not even a crime. That's just a simple example. There are many cases in which people are being forced to register as sex offenders for misdemeanor charges. Remember, its illegal to be gay in many states, and if you are charged with sodomy, you can be forced to register as a sex offender.

 

[Bob Slydell]

I'd have to agree with others. First, if this law is for all sex offenders, it's too broad. Secondly, as others mentioned, if a number of often travelled roads and various places of business are near enough to parks, etc., it could be a logistical nightmare trying to figure out where certain people can and cannot travel (both for those under the law and those attempting to enforce it).

Heck, in one town I lived, the police station was next door to the community park/playground. Would that mean an offender on parole couldn't go to the police station to check in with a parole officer?

 

[LukenDC]

Remember, its illegal to be gay in many states, and if you are charged with sodomy, you can be forced to register as a sex offender.

In 2003 or 2004, the Supreme Court struck down all laws criminalizing sodomy between consenting adults. It is no longer illegal to engage in consensual homosexual sex in any state of the union. Now, I don't know if men and women who were convicted of consensual adult sodomy before the Supreme Court ruling are still considered sex offenders.

I advocate a tough approach with pedophiles. However, the term "sex offender" does seem a bit broad given that it can apply to teens within one or two years of age when one is 18 and the other is younger than 18.

My employer runs criminal background checks on all prospective employees and as the director of human resources, it's my responsibility to check those reports. One time a very impressive candidate had a criminal record for indecent exposure. His crime? He was caught mooning someone in college. Hardly something that warrants a lifetime of penalty and punishment.