Sex Offenders
Posted Thursday, January 12th, 2006 at 8:21 pm
Someone sent me this, and it makes for interesting blogging?..or maybe not…if you happen to be on the list:
Public Knowledge @ Sex Offenders
Enter your address…it will show your house on a map… all the little colored boxes are Sex Offenders near you… click on them and you get a name, address & picture of the person along with his crime…
pretty amazing and scary…it shows you where they live in proximity to your home and the local schools.
There’s a ton right near me…Wild Stuff!
What do you guys and gals think about having access to this type of stuff?
That’s pretty scary and cool at the same time. There’s not that many living near me but a lot living in a 6 mile radius area around me. There’s one child sex offender living right across an elemntary school near me and one living in the really expensive part of the Beverly Hills area. I guess they come in all shapes, sizes and backgrounds…from poor to extremely wealthy. That’s something I could never figure out….the pedophile. Just can’t imagine being sexually attracted to a young kid just like I can’t imagine being an alcoholic. You’d think one hangover would cure ‘em. It sure works for me. Oh well. The world would be so boring if everyone was like me.
I guess the next step in this would be to lojack offenders and hook them up to a GPS system.
I know if i had children, I’d be happy to have this link though:neutral:
Is 13 out of 4000 a lot? Probably not. I actually thought it would be higher.
here in Los Angeles, it’s like *Connect the Dots*
Thanks for the link Bob. As a parent, no strike that, as a human being, I think YES we should have access to this information. Hell I think child sex offenders should have to wear a bright neon dog collar denoting they are a danger to children. Extreme? not if it’s your kid it saves.
I was just told that some states like NV isn’t set up for this yet…don’t you like near there?
*Unfortunately, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Vermont do not currently provide addresses for registered sex offenders*
The problem with this stuff is you don’t know how accurate the information is, also there is the problem with reprisals, a few years ago in the UK the News of the World (a rupert murdoch paper) started publishing lists of sx offenders on the front page, ( it trebled their cirrculation) but it resulted in a lot of attacks on people (though sex offenders) had been convicted and punished for their acts by the law. and they occasionaly published wrong info, and people completly inocent of any crime were attacked, also people who had the same or similar name. On a council estate local to me, a peadiatrition’s office was set on fire becuase it sounded like peadophile, in all about 10 people died throughout the country, some commiting suicide some murdered, lots more people moved and rehoused, and scarilly a lot of known and monitored peadophiles went to ground disapeared of the rader, which is a lot more dangerous. The paper had to stop publishing and make a public apology. I think as long as police have knowledge and we are sure that offenders are under strict monitoring, the public shouldn’t be aware of the information.
it’s a good debate to have either way
i’d like to think a site like this does more good than harm(at least I hope so)
I think the public should know as long as the information is correct…and there’s more details posted about the crime. And perhaps it might prevent would-be offenders knowing that the public would get to know.
The site’s FAQ section says *we receive our data from multiple sources. We combine and cross reference the data from all four sources*
I’d also like to think that if the same offender is on 4 different sources, there must be *some* truth to it, but i’m not sure.
As for police doing strict monitoring, i’m not sure how strict they can be. Personally, i’d feel much safer knowing myself.
I’m curious in your “about me section” of your blog…
it says
“What would you name your ballet inspired by the sight of children leaping through a garden sprinkler?
Mother Land”
Forgive me if I think that sounds a little freaky but in light of this topic it makes me wonder.
The information in the USA is public record. You can go to any courthouse and look it up. You can go online and actually do a background check on anyone without their knowing.
The information is as current as the the convicted felon. Rapist & molestors are suppose to file with police departments anytime they relocate, if they fail to do this, then jackpot they’ve committed another crime.
I really wonder about you especially after looking at your blog and profile….exactly what makes you “happysam”, I sure as hell hope it’s not the “motherland”. Otherwise, we’ll be seeing you photo on Watch Dog.
I don’t have a problem with the information being public. We have a lot of kids that run around the neighborhood. Though you do run into the problem with people attacking other people. Then again, child abusers should be beaten with blunt objects anyway.
Just blogged about this myself, because ironically enough, my co-worker and I stumbled across one of our technicians on the list on Wednesday.
Oh wow….
Yeah, I’m not sure i understand the whole 2nd degree and 3rd degree stuff on the site either.
I’m just wondering how there can be a *lesser* offense for *FORCED SODOMY*
[There's a really bad punch line in that statement somewhere]
Another kind of messed up thing with this is that you don’t have to do too much to become registered as a sex offender.
In some states, if you are 18 and your girlfriend is 17, and her parents don’t like you, you can get busted on a statutory charge and registered as a sex offender. I suppose this would work the other way, as well, but somehow I think no one would bother.
I wish it said what the Green was.
I see what you mean about and 18 year old dating a 17 year old and getting clumped in as a sex offender. I wonder how much of that happens.
It seems like the people to look out for is the YELLOW (Rape), BLUE (SEXUAL BATTERY)…it looks like most of the RED(offense against children) …most of those say what the Convictions are.
like one near me said: *ORAL COPULATION WITH PERSON UNDER 14/ETC OR BY FORCE/ETC*
Another said:
*LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH CHILD UNDER 14 YEARS*
I think the ones that don’t say anything, it makes you wonder if they belong there.
I’m guessing the photos were taken at the time of the arrest but i’m not certain.
I just thought I’d throw the question out there to see what the general opinion on this is.
I have 443 offenders in my vicinity! I stopped looking through pics because I was scared I would see a neighbor or something & totally freak out!
Thanks for letting us know about it
yeah…some of the photos are pretty spooky for sure
I don’t think that this website will do any good unless someone browsing it recognizes a face. And even then, I think that if a person is a sexual pervert, there’s really not much that you can do about it. It’s an addiction and they will figure out a way to do it regardless. Policing them is useless. It’s just something that society has to learn to deal with by teaching kids to be more aware of their surroundings and that these sexual deviants do exist.
And those photos! Oh man! They absolutely LOOK like they’d have sex with just about anything that moves!
*Policing them is useless. It’s just something that society has to learn to deal with by teaching kids to be more aware of their surroundings and that these sexual deviants do exist.*
i don’t know if it’s useless…it makes for good debating though. I totally agree that teaching children about it is probably the best thing that can be done…oh yeah..and not letting the kids go to the Never-land Ranch too…
I guess it’s time for me to make my mark… ONE of the issues that I have with this system is, if these people are dangerous, why are they out on the street? Isn’t that what prison is for? Who decided that an EXTREME sex offender should be out wandering around…? if a person demonstrates a pattern of abuse shouldn’t society protect itself from them? It seems to me that a forty-year-old father having sex with his eight-year-old daughter (or son) should have his license-to-breathe revoked. But eighteen-year-old kids who have consensual sex with their seventeen-year-old girlfriend (boyfriend) shouldn’t be ‘branded’ for life. Another issue I have is, why isn’t there a database like that one for people convicted of murder, assault and battery, armed robbery, etc.? I think I might like to know if I’m living next to a guy who beats the crap outta his wife and kids on a regular basis…
you make a valid point, but i’ll add to that a bit by saying that the problem lies in the sentencing of these offenders. by law, once they have served their time they’re not supposed to be a threat to society and have “done their time” and paid their debt to society, yet they continue to pay their debt for life by having so many restrictions placed on them, i.e., must register, can’t live within x miles of a school, etc… the second point you made is that why isn’t there a database for the other offenses like released murders, and other serious offenses? i don’t have any kids, but i can understand why a parent would support singling out sex offenders and giving them a scarlet letter, but by the same token I don’t want my head chopped off by a murder on parole. shouldn’t they be in an available database too?
it’s a double edged sword that steps on both groups’ rights and i’m straddling the middle because each time i try to take a side i get flamed. =)
sometimes it’s good to get flamed and have an opinion than none at all
Yeah, sadly, our penal system does nothing but punish criminals… after they’ve been punished ‘enough’ according to the law, they’re released… but ‘released’ is not ‘reformed’… at least not usually.
A comment by K, farther on, is right on the target. Sexual predators are usually people with EASY access to their victims: friends, relatives, neighbors, etc. Seeing registered sex-offenders you don’t know on a computer screen ramps up the fear-factor but obscures the fact that it’s the people you already KNOW (and maybe even live with) but don’t recognize as dangerous that are the most likely to victimize you or your kids.
*‘released’ is not ‘reformed’… at least not usually.*
but is it really possible to reform a pedophile? I mean…it might stop their behavior but deep down, they’re still attracted to children right?
I agree with K too, but i think someone needs to point out that the people who show up in this search ARE someone’s “friends, relatives, neighbors” who just got busted.
The argument about “the 18 year old dating the 17 year old and getting put on this list”,…these photos are mostly of older men that seem to be taken at the time of the arrest (not an 18 year old).
*why isn’t there a database like that one for people convicted of murder, assault and battery, armed robbery, etc.?*
Maybe there should be? or maybe there is? I’ll have to look into it.
The main thing is just teaching children…but even that isn’t going to stop things from happening.
[...] I saw this over at Bob Gentry’s website[...]
Well statistically speaking, it’s your family members and friends you need to worry about.
Oh and the guys you just met and got really drunk/wasted with.
Not to make light of it… these lists are not all together bad. It’s good to know. But the ones you really need to worry about are the ones you won’t find on any list.
I’m not saying people should not worry about registered offenders. I have personally spoken with Marc Klaas on the subject. He is the Father of Polly Klaas. For those who don’t remember Polly Klaas, she was abducted from her home, sexually assaulted, and killed in California. In her case, registration could have helped.
*statistically speaking, it’s your family members and friends you need to worry about.*
i hear ya there…. thankfully none of my friends and family show up in this list yet
truth be told, i’m not sure what the answer is here.
i like ot hear what people think about this though…i find it interesting. Maybe it’ll help? I dunno
Here’s the point of view from someone who was a victim. Freshman year of college, a guy I had dated, knew him for a couple years and was friends with his family, attempted to rape me. We had just left a college dance (where there was no drinking because of the age) and he was suppose to be driving me home but home ended up on a deadend road in the dark with me doing battle. I eventually got away from him and ran for my life. When I reported this to the police I was told that if this went to trial nothing would be done to him because it was 1st offense and he had a clean record. I was even asked did I really want to ruin his reputation???? What kind of f—ing question is that???? Never mind I was standining in the police station holding my dress together, with a bust lip and a broken rib. So he plead to minor assault, performed 8 hours community service and his record was cleared after 90 days. He did successfully raped someone and was never charged. Twelve years after his attempt on me, he died of aids. So let me ask this question to each of you: If you had a convicted rapist or molestor leaving next door to you or you mother or your sister or any family member, wouldn’t you want to know so that you could take extra precautions for yourself and your family? Sure this person may not commit the crime again but you never know. I definitely prefer knowing there is a convicted rapist who lives 9/10ths of a mile from me.
*I was even asked did I really want to ruin his reputation????*
oh my gawd…that’s aweful.
Brave of you to share your experience here…1st let me say i’m so sorry you went through that
i’m all for the precautions, I’d just want to be sure that people are not put on that list *by mistake*. I just hope this website’s sources are dead-on.
It’s a touchy subject, but one that should be talked about for sure.
Thanks so much for sharing!
If there’s a name on the list that is close to your address, you just have to take the name and address to the police station or court records to confirm. But as I stated sometimes this information is only as current as the convict, if they don’t update their information then they’ve committed another crime.
Personally, I think they should all be put in a prison, dropped on a deserted island and let them take their strange fetish out on each other. Male and female offenders both. Hell point on a cruise ship and call the love boat, I don’t care their perverts.
No problem about sharing, if my experience can open one persons eyes then that’s all that counts.
*No problem about sharing, if my experience can open one persons eyes then that’s all that counts.*
I’m feeling the same way about this website link…if it can help or prevent just one person/child, it’s worth it in my book. That’s not to say I worry if someone is wrongly put on the list…i do but my guess is that it’s not as easy to be put on this as a couple people here suggested…this is just a guess…truth is..i don’t know…i just hope
I had a friend whose father molested him (yes..a HIM) from the age of 8 to 14. Sicko. Even the mother and siblings knew about it but did nothing. His dad has since died and the guy is now in his 40s and has never recovered. He has the lowest self- esteem of anyone I’ve ever met. Family members who remain quiet are just as guilty as the preptrator.
This is an ongoing debate that will never end because unfortunately, it’s something that has existed throughout history. Fortunately, today we’re more aware of it and can take steps to protect children and ourselves from becoming victims.
*Family members who remain quiet are just as guilty as the preptrator*
yeap..i feel the same way about the mother who dropped her kid off at Michael Jackson’s Never Land Ranch
Let me set this straight. “Michael Jackson didn’t molest those childern. He made love to them.”
i really wanted to buy that t-shirt but i was conflicted with the other one that said *”I swear I didn’t know she was 3″* Some of those shirts over at tshirthell.com are just jaw-dropping
Val,
Considering my own experience from the past, I really think it would be worse to be molested by a family member than what I went through. A family member is someone you’ll see the rest of your life. Families are ashamed and don’t want their dirty landry aired, so they keep quiet. It’s very sad and I feel for your friend.
As for me, I don’t live in the past but my past does make me stonger.
I was raped 5:30am Christmas 2000. I was in my own bed, in my own home. I won’t go into details, but the result of all I went through was for him to get let off while I struggled to make it through each and every day. Even to this day I still receive threats from his family and friends. Last year they threatened to harm my daughter. The police do nothing. It is one thing to share information of those who will commit crimes, but it’s something entirely different to actually protect people from crime.
Hearing these types of stories really anger me. I’m so sorry you’ve had to deal with this.
This subject really seemed to touch many people.
For those of us who can’t afford body guards, one might think there is something the police could do? I hope you keep filing reports and getting more of this stuff on record.
In any case, I’m really sorry
You’re very kind. What makes me truly angry is that while I came out the other side worse for ware, but reasonably okay (we’ll ignore the nightmares and flashbacks), there are how many people who take their own lives because of this kind of abuse? After what I went through I had a young girl approach me at a party. She asked if I was who I am, of course I said yes, and she burst into tears on me. It turned out that she had been gang raped the weekend before hand, and she was actually planing to take her life that night after spending one last evening with her boyfriend. She was too terrified to tell anyone what happened because she thought she’d be blamed. Because she’d over herd someone talking about my case she came to me for help. I felt so privileged to be able to help her. It rips my heart out to think of how many people have been in her situation and not felt safe enough to tell anyone, especially the young men who are abused. Then theres the way this kind of abuse effects those close to the victim. My brothers were devastated when they found out what happened to me, my mother almost had a brake down (or was it an “I’m-gona-skin-the-sicko-alive brake down). I just hope that all the people who post here will have the strength to reach out and help those who go through this kind of thing, because they need your support to heal their lives .. and to know the sun will still rise.
*I just hope that all the people who post here will have the strength to reach out and help those who go through this kind of thing, because they need your support to heal their lives*
i’m with you on that.
Posting this link really did cause quite a stir.
I noticed on the day i put up the link the blog got over 650 visits…so hopefully people are passing the info along to others
sending hugs
One last post: A friend gave me a link to another website that shows where sex offenders live and ironically, the same faces appear and it also gives a little more information about each person.
Here is the link http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/
you’re right….this one seems to have a little more information about each person’s crime. I’m going to have bad dreams now.
thanks for the link i wondered about a neighbor of minead now i know. and now im freaked out psycho guy..lives two doors down
i think that would freak me out!
i was a little freaked out just having some people on the same block…but the same building??
Here is what a parent can do. Having been a 4 year old victim myself, I have always been keenly aware. Our local library posts police photos of offenders, and when we go by I will point them out to my kids and say, “These are BAD people and they hurt kids! If you even see one of them near you come get mommy or daddy!” My 18 year old was recently out with some people who she thought were friends. One of the guys slipped the date rape drug into her Red Bull. Fortunately her cousin realized what had happened and locked themselves in the bathroom at a motel and stayed there all night untill my daughter could recover. I have warned all my adult children to watch their drinks, blah, blah. When I asked her she said, “Mom I thought that kind of thing really only happened in movies.” I’m so thankful. The outcome could have been much different.
good to hear the outcome was a good one…
i’m sorry to hear about what happened to you though
hugs!
this old post really caused people to open up
Thanks for the hugs.
good thing about livin’ out in the boonies, not many on the list…. however, i did learn from that link that someone i went to high school with was on there for 1ST degree sexual abuse. yikes. he was younger than i… i had a linked bookmarked to show offender but it wasn’t that one… that one you linked is a bit different.
wow, that would be weird to have someone on that list that i went to school with.
The pictures of these people SCARE me