Should Sex Offenders Have to Register Essay Example

Sex offender registry is a databank used to collect and store information about the convicted sex offenders and is accessed and maintained by law enforcement (Lind, 2018). The registry requires the offenders to report to the record within ten days after they are released from the prison. Most of the information in the log is available for the public who can view it on the law enforcement websites meaning that they can monitor the activities of the offenders. The register usually raises a lot of questions with proponents saying it helps people and the society to protect themselves against sex offenders while opponents argue it is not useful. Sex offenders should not have a register as it creates stigma among those offenders who have transformed, the registry does not adequately protect individuals against sex offenders, and it brings a burden of people defending themselves.

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Sex offender registry creates stigma. Sex offenders have already served a prison term, but they continue to receive punishment after their name (Harris & Socia, 2016). Unlike other lawbreakers who have finished their time in prison, sex offenders continue to face scrutiny from the public long after they have left the prisons. What makes sex offenders unique is that you can identify them just by googling unlike other lawbreakers meaning that their lives are always monitored this interferes with their usual way of living. The sex offender registry was made for parents and guardians to have easy access to possible sex offenders so that they can protect their children (Lind, 2018). Some former sex offenders are harassed for mistakes they did many years ago.

Moreover, transformed sex offenders have a hard time looking for a job or housing. This is so because some house owners would not allow sex offenders in their building as they may lose some customers because of fear (Lind, 2018). Also, finding a job is hard for the transformed sex offenders as information about their past is available to everyone and this leads to many of their applications to be rejected. Movement and actions of the sex offenders are closely observed even if they have transformed. This creates a stigma for this individuals who just want to continue with their lives.

The sex offenders' registry does not adequately protect individuals against sex offenders. The registry was made with a good intention of protecting children against psychic sex offenders who lives in the society. Registries were not designed for rapists only but also other categories of sex offenses such as sexual assault (Pittman & Parker, 2013). This means that even minor sex offenses are taken to be equal to rape and other violent sexual offenses. This is long run males the list of sexual offenders to be long and hard to differentiate which sexual offenders are most dangerous for society. Failure to differentiate rapist from other sex offenders is a huge drawback of the sexual offender's register (Pittman & Parker, 2013).

Additionally, the success rate of the registry is questionable. Sexual crimes against children still occur as the registry only recognizes those individuals who have committed offenses, yet they are less likely to commit another offense (Mustaine, 2014). This mainly happened because of the registry groups all sex offenders in one group.

The registry brings a burden of people protecting themselves. The whole idea about sex offenders' registry is to give people information regarding potential sex offenders living among them. The registries contain information on social security, birth date, local address, vehicle information, and the photographs and also, genetic materials from the offenders may also be taken for proper identification of the culprits, and this leaves people with the task of identifying the offenders so they can protect themselves (Lind, 2018). Moreover, people get too paranoid when living with individuals on the sex offender's registry yet these people may have no intention of harming them. The law involving sex offender registry leaves people to protect themselves (Levenson, Grady & Leibowitz, 2016). The transformed offered are harassed by the police and the society instead of the real individuals who commit sexual crimes. The registry also interferes with the social structure as families of past sexual offenders are alienated from interacting with others regularly.

On the other hand, some proponents of sex offender's registry argue that the record helps people protect themselves and their families. They say without the log; offenders would walk freely among us and attack every time they want since they are extremely dangerous and unpredictable. Moreover, some say it's their right to know the kind of people they are living in so that they can feel more secure about themselves and their families (Mustaine, 2014). However, as much as proponents raise essential points, the sex offender registry does not seem to be the best method to protect against sexual crimes.

Conclusion

All in all, the sex offender registry should be abolished since it creates a lot of stigma and harassment of ex-offenders. Furthermore, the log does not work the way it's meant to work since it sex offenses continue to increase. Also, the registry does not adequately protect individuals against sex offenders as it only makes them more paranoid.

References

Harris, A. J., & Socia, K. M. (2016). What's in a name? Evaluating the effects of the "sex offender" label on public opinions and beliefs. Sexual Abuse, 28(7), 660-678.

Levenson, J. S., Grady, M. D., & Leibowitz, G. (2016). Grand Challenges: Social justice and the need for evidence-based sex offender registry reform. J. Soc. & Soc. Welfare, 43, 3.

Lind, D. (2018). Why the sex offender registry isn't the right way to punish rapists. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/2016/7/5/11883784/sex-offender-registry

Mustaine, E. E. (2014). Sex offender residency restrictions: Successful integration or exclusion?. Criminology & Public Policy, 13(1), 169-177.

Pittman, N., & Parker, A. (2013). Raised on the registry: The irreparable harm of placing children on sex offender registries in the US. Human Rights Watch.