Six Flags Sends a message to Ex cons!

[DawnCt1]

Six Flags has issued a message; "Convicted Sex Offenders stay away". According to the Springfield, Mass radio news, Six Flags has warned that they can deny admission to anyone convicted of a sexual offense. and has placed this warning on thier annual passes along with a refusal of admission to Sex Offenders. I think that this a good first step. Lots of teens go to Six Flags by themselves. How Six Flags will find out who is who, is another matter but, its a step.

 

[grinningghost]

I have no idea how they'll know who is and isn't a sex offender - but IF there really was a way to tell, I'd be all for it. The scumbags shouldn't even be on the street IMHO.

 

[DawnCt1]

I have no idea how they'll know who is and isn't a sex offender - but IF there really was a way to tell, I'd be all for it. The scumbags shouldn't even be on the street IMHO.

That's the unfortunate thing, there will be no way to know. You don't have to give a real name to have a season's pass issued to you. My son made up a goofy name for his Season's pass last year that in no way could have been real and no one questioned it.

 

[piglet too]

This is what I got from my local news.....

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/051905_ap_ns_sixflags.html

Six Flags reserves right to restrict access to convicted sex offenders
May 19, 2005 — Six Flags Great America is putting sex offenders on notice.

This year Six Flags has put on season passes to all 30 of its U-S amusement parks a notice that it reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone convicted of a sex crime.

The company says it won't run background checks on all visitors but if they're seen acting inappropriately a park could run a check and throw them out.

Amusement parks have long reserved the right to throw unruly visitors out but the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions says Six Flags is the first chain of amusement parks to take such a step.

In 2000, a ride operator at Six Flags in Gurnee was convicted of molesting three girls as he strapped them into a ride. The company paid one-point-four (m) million dollars to two of the girls.


I think this is a great thing. I for one would have no problem with them using the technology available to check for sex offends as patrons enter the park. I forget what it is called, but isn't there some computer program that scans faces and could pull up those who are in the sex offenders database? I understand that many would view this as "Big Brother" watching them, but is it protects innocent children, what is the problem?

 

[Tigger_Magic]

Six Flags will look for the special tattoo on their foreheads.

There is no way to identify sex offenders unless they decide to make copies of available registries from the Internet and then cross-reference that with advance ticket sales. But I wonder how many convicted sex offenders buy a season pass to Six Flags? It's not like Six Flags is known as some pedophile playground.

My take is that this is a grandstanding publicity stunt designed to make parents feel secure about sending their children off alone to a huge amusement park. Stupid idea; stupid stunt.

 

[marybet]

Six Flags will look for the special tattoo on their foreheads.

There is no way to identify sex offenders unless they decide to make copies of available registries from the Internet and then cross-reference that with advance ticket sales. But I wonder how many convicted sex offenders buy a season pass to Six Flags? It's not like Six Flags is known as some pedophile playground.

My take is that this is a grandstanding publicity stunt designed to make parents feel secure about sending their children off alone to a huge amusement park. Stupid idea; stupid stunt.

Well said, ITA.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Six Flags will look for the special tattoo on their foreheads.

There is no way to identify sex offenders unless they decide to make copies of available registries from the Internet and then cross-reference that with advance ticket sales. But I wonder how many convicted sex offenders buy a season pass to Six Flags? It's not like Six Flags is known as some pedophile playground.

My take is that this is a grandstanding publicity stunt designed to make parents feel secure about sending their children off alone to a huge amusement park. Stupid idea; stupid stunt.

 

[momof2inPA]

There was a creepy guy at the zoo the other day watching all the school children instead of the animals. Maybe 6 Flags has reserved the right to request ID from creepy guys hanging out at the park, so they can check them against Meghann's Law registries.

 

[Rowena]

I agree with Tigger_Magic. Seems like they are trying to put a spin on some previous bad publicity, mentioned by piglet too.

I hope they implement this as a way to expel unruly guests rather than the way it's stated. And, I sincerely hope they now do background checks on employees!

To play devil's advocate...there could be people out there, who at age 18 were convicted of stautory rape by the parents of his 16 or 17 year old girlfriend. Is that still not a "sex offense"? It's now 5, 10, 15 or even 20 years later and same person is happily married, perhaps with children of his own. Should he be barred from admittance there? Should he be thrown out of the park simply because he has a record?

 

[piglet too]

The way that I am reading it is this....
Six Flags put on their season passes they reserve the right to refuse sex offenders admission in the parks. If anyone is caught acting out, they can be checked out (on a sex offenders list) and thrown out of the park. From th enews bit I posted

"The company says it won't run background checks on all visitors but if they're seen acting inappropriately a park could run a check and throw them out. "

This may not be the best sollution, but I feel it is a start. So many people out there today worry about their privacy being protected. If Six Flags said they were going to run background checks on all guests or all season pass holders, there would be a major uproar.

 

[tarmand]

Six Flags will look for the special tattoo on their foreheads.

There is no way to identify sex offenders unless they decide to make copies of available registries from the Internet and then cross-reference that with advance ticket sales. But I wonder how many convicted sex offenders buy a season pass to Six Flags? It's not like Six Flags is known as some pedophile playground.

My take is that this is a grandstanding publicity stunt designed to make parents feel secure about sending their children off alone to a huge amusement park. Stupid idea; stupid stunt.

Exactly!

 

[DawnCt1]

Six Flags will look for the special tattoo on their foreheads.

There is no way to identify sex offenders unless they decide to make copies of available registries from the Internet and then cross-reference that with advance ticket sales. But I wonder how many convicted sex offenders buy a season pass to Six Flags? It's not like Six Flags is known as some pedophile playground.

My take is that this is a grandstanding publicity stunt designed to make parents feel secure about sending their children off alone to a huge amusement park. Stupid idea; stupid stunt.

Good point. There is a false sense of security being engendered here. It sounds good but there is no way to enforce it.

 

[piglet too]

To play devil's advocate...there could be people out there, who at age 18 were convicted of stautory rape by the parents of his 16 or 17 year old girlfriend. Is that still not a "sex offense"? It's now 5, 10, 15 or even 20 years later and same person is happily married, perhaps with children of his own. Should he be barred from admittance there? Should he be thrown out of the park simply because he has a record?

I agree with you 100% on this. I would hope that the offense class would be taken into account.

I for one have checked out the Illinois Sex Offenders List, and there were guys that DH knew from his hometown. All but one of them had been convicted of stautory rape. As a matter of fact, two of them went on to marry their "victim."

 

[Chuck S]

What about murderers? What about other violent criminals? This a PC stunt by the parks to make parents feel warm fuzzies.

Murderers and other felons serve their time, are released, but are not "branded for life" like a sex offender who may have been 18 and dating a 16 or 17 year old whose parents didn't approve.

Why don't murderers and such have their addresses published in the newspaper and on websites? Is murder less serious of a crime?

 

[momof2inPA]

The company says it won't run background checks on all visitors but if they're seen acting inappropriately a park could run a check and throw them out.

as quoted in the article above, Six Flags isn't claiming that they will run background checks on everyone, only the people who are reported or seen to be acting inappropriately. So, if some creepy guy is following a group of 12 and 13 year old girls from ride to ride, they can report him, and Six Flags will run his name for sex offenses. I think this is a good policy and Disney should follow suit.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

The way that I am reading it is this....
Six Flags put on their season passes they reserve the right to refuse sex offenders admission in the parks. If anyone is caught acting out, they can be checked out (on a sex offenders list) and thrown out of the park. From th enews bit I posted

"The company says it won't run background checks on all visitors but if they're seen acting inappropriately a park could run a check and throw them out. "

This may not be the best sollution, but I feel it is a start. So many people out there today worry about their privacy being protected. If Six Flags said they were going to run background checks on all guests or all season pass holders, there would be a major uproar.

What I have a problem with is this part:"if they're seen acting inappropriately a park could run a check and throw them out."

HELLO! The park could run a check and throw them out???? Sorry, if someone were acting "inappropriately" with either of my two daughters, the park wouldn't have time to run a check and decide whether or not to throw them out. I would take care of that for them.

If Six Flags were serious about this, they would have said that anyone acting inappropriately in the park will be escorted from the park or something to that effect. This statement is so wishy-washy as to be useless.

And I seriously doubt this will have any impact on sex offenders going to Six Flags. As someone else said, they are simply trying to recover from their own scandal by employing a distracting move. Stupid is as stupid does.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

well its a start
i think you should have to have an ID and if you on a sex registry then you cant ever come in to ANY place that kids go
malls, parks, playgrounds, anything
i do not think they should ever be outta jail

 

[momof2inPA]

What I have a problem with is this part:"if they're seen acting inappropriately a park could run a check and throw them out."

HELLO! The park could run a check and throw them out???? Sorry, if someone were acting "inappropriately" with either of my two daughters, the park wouldn't have time to run a check and decide whether or not to throw them out. I would take care of that for them.

It's good to leave this as a general statement for legal purposes. That way, Six Flags could interpret it any way they like. "Acting inappropriately" could be just staring at kids. It wouldn't have to be a blatant action.

 

[Chuck S]

OK, what constitues "staring at kids"? Let's say I go to Six Flags, I'm sitting on a bench, and a group of kids walk by...I'm a people watcher in parks...I notice what people wear, facial expressions, guestures...anyway, a group of kids walk by...and one of them is wearing an intersting shirt or outfit...do we all need to now make an effort to not look at ANYTHING, or notice people at all?

BTW, do any of you have a sex-offender living nearby? There is a gentlemen directly across the street from me...his name and address were in the newpaper...I have done nothing wrong, but my homes resale value drops instantly by several thousand dollars...who should compensate me for that? After all, the offenders do have a right to live somewhere after they are released, and no one would be the wiser if it wasn't published (by law) in the paper...so basically by law, I am now personally financially "punished" for someone elses crime?

 

[momof2inPA]

OK, what constitues "staring at kids"? Let's say I go to Six Flags, I'm sitting on a bench, and a group of kids walk by...I'm a people watcher in parks...I notice what people wear, facial expressions, guestures...anyway, a group of kids walk by...and one of them is wearing an intersting shirt or outfit...do we all need to now make an effort to not look at ANYTHING, or notice people at all?

Staring at kids could be whatever Six Flags wants it to be. It's not public property, they don't have to let you in or let you stay if your staring is bothering people. I often catching myself staring at people, too, but the guy I previously mentioned who was at the zoo staring at kids seemed extremely out of place. He was child watching/ not animal watching.

It's a bummer about the value of your house. My sister doesn't think that Meghann's law is fair from a legal perspective, because people who might have pled guilty years ago (before Meghann's law) for a lighter sentence to, for example, lude conduct for mooning someone, or statutory rape for sleeping with their younger teenage girlfriend, now have consequences they didn't know they were agreeing to. I understand that argument, but I would rather have a few harmless mooners and statutory rapists thrown out of Six Flags than have the sexual predators roaming the parks.