8/16/2008

First the move was to let felons vote, now to prevent Sex Offenders from being tracked after release from probation or parole

It is one thing to change the penalties after someone has committed a crime, but it is quite another to say that certain penalties cannot exceed just the time that someone is in jail or on parole. The AP has this story:

Eager to protect children from sexual predators, Nevada and other states across the nation are adopting laws that publicize the names of offenders on the Internet.

But sex offenders say they have rights, too, and argue it's wrong to lump those guilty of minor offenses with the worst offenders. Some are challenging the laws.

"People think that imposing these draconian retroactive laws are a way to keep their children safe," said Margaret McLetchie, an American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada lawyer.

McLetchie and Robert Langford, who represent 27 unnamed plaintiffs in a federal civil rights lawsuit, want to block two sex-offender laws from taking effect in Nevada.

The laws, which they say are unconstitutional, were tailored to meet standards under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which President Bush signed in 2006.

Nevada was among the first to pass the laws that would allow the state to post on the Internet the names, photos, home and work addresses and vehicle descriptions of offenders who've served probation or prison sentences on convictions as far back as 1956. . . .

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

"We tried so hard to make this just for serious sex offenders." This is a quote from John Walsh, host of America's Most Wanted. Walsh lobbied for the Adam Walsh Act, named for his murdered 6 year old son. He knows and cares that this law is being misused and must be changed.

We as a society have an image in our minds about what a “sex offender” is. Our legislators and policymakers share this oversimplified view when creating shortsighted laws on this matter. The unintended consequences are often profound. Please view this web page to see how absurd and ruthlessly cruel our policies on this hot button issue have become.

www.rickyslife.com

The media has a responsibility to bring these injustices to light. PLEASE, if you're in the media, have the courage to make these facts known. If you're not, PLEASE review this web site and see what our nation has done, and sign the petition to let our legislators know that this is INTOLERABLE.

8/17/2008 10:21 AM  
Blogger Rail Claimore said...

Advocates for sex-offender registration laws would have a much better argument if they didn't lump people who are caught peeing in a bush with those who rape five-year olds. That to me is populist politics getting way too deep into our justice system.

8/17/2008 11:40 PM  

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