My question would be: "Why do we need an online registry in the first place?" Most ex-sex offenders are not repeat offenders (recidivist), and studies have shown that ex-sex offenders have one of the lowest recidivism rates of all other criminals, yet we don't monitor those other criminals who actually do pose more of a threat to the public. Those who have been deemed dangerous, should be sentenced to longer times in prison, then the registry would not be needed at all, and the wasted money could be used elsewhere, like in educating our children, fixing the roads, helping police, etc.
08/27/2011
Maine's sex offender registry as it currently operates is not a very effective tool for keeping dangerous people at a distance.
We all want to know the whereabouts of someone who has preyed on young children or committed violent sexual assaults. We don't want to know if someone in the neighborhood was accused of having sex with his girlfriend 30 years ago or fought a legal battle 25 years ago against sexual abuse charges during a bitter custody fight. Especially if, in the ensuing years, that person has proven to be a caring friend and family member, a productive citizen, and free from any brushes with the law.
Some of those on the registry had denied the charges vehemently but agreed to plea bargains to put an emotional, expensive fight behind them; others had accepted their punishment and changed their lives for the better.
Nonetheless, many years later those who had resolved these types of charges and led exemplary lives were ordered to register as sex offenders alongside offenders with clear indicators of risk.
We generally assume that a registered sex offender is a disgusting pedophile who should be controlled by the police and ostracized by society.
The truth is that the term "registered sex offender" is meaningless in Maine.
The registry is unwieldy for the average person to use and needlessly expensive for police to implement because it is clogged with people who pose no danger to society. Unfortunately, because of recent court cases, the public's attention has been focused almost solely on the issue of the rights of people who may be unjustly required to register. The other equally critical issue is that unless those people are removed, the registry's bloated numbers make it nearly impossible to be vigilant when it comes to dangerous predators.
