Sex offender license plates

[rdp78]

I think the license plate is going too far and that the label "sex offender" should be reserved for people who have commited the worst sex crimes(raping, child molesting). I mean its kind of sad we are treating people who done little meanless things like acidently exposing themselves or a couple of consenting adults who taped themselves doing it but now the tape is on the Internet shouldn't be treated as those who are truly sex offenders. I also don't think a young man who is 18 and got his still underage teenage girlfriend pregnant be treated as if he was a 28 year old creep who molested little girls.

[DisgruntledBadger]

The flip side of the statutory rape card is also not pretty. You folks have pointed out that a kid is most likely to get molested by someone they know, and I can attest to the truth of that. When I was 17, the creepy old man who'd lived across the street from my family for over a decade decided to play the "let's see if I can get into Badger's pants" game. Really not a fun experience, as I'm sure you can imagine. However, this is certainly not even in the same ballpark as a couple of consenting horny teenagers getting slapped with a statutory rape charge because one of them is 18 and the other one is 16 or something like that. If both of them fully consent, then it's none of our business. Period. End of story.

With that said, I think there should be a classification system for sex offenders somewhat similar to the system for classifying prescription medicines. For example, let's say that a child rapist would be considered a class 1 offender, a child molester a class 2, and so on and so forth. If a system like that were to be put into place, then the public notification aspect could be scaled more appropriately. I admit that this is something I haven't thought through all the way, so if anyone can point out holes in my logic, please do!

[rahmota]

Badger: Your idea does have some merit. A sliding scale with clearly defined levels is in theory a good idea and uses common sense, one of the reasons why it will probably never be used.

The problem I see is defineing which is a class 1 and which is a class 2 etc.... Personally child rape or molestation are on the same level of vileness to me. Actually harming a child in that way at all deserves a rope dance to me but hey.....

[KaeZoo]

What happens when well-meaning citizens see someone with special tags driving by a school? Parked at a family restaurant? Going to your church?

It seems like any politician who wants to drum up some cheap popularity can just propose another get-tough measure against sex offenders. After all, who's going to stick up for them? And what politician wants to be confronted by an election ad saying "XXXX voted AGAINST laws that would protect our children from sexual predators!"

The bottom line is, if you make it impossible for someone to live normally as a registered sex offender, you're going to see a much larger number of unregistered sex offenders. The end result is that we're less safe even as silly laws make us feel more safe.

If you're on a sex offender registry, then special license tags aren't even among the worst things that the law can do to you. Some of the nastiest laws have already passed: clicky linky...

[Lace Neil Singer]

But if an abductor is seen fleeing with a child in a vehicle with a sex offender license plate, the fact that he is a sexual offender does little if you didn't read the license plate number. It is not a very useful tool.

Plus the small fact that children have been abducted by pedophiles and taken away on public transport. If the licence plate law becomes reality, the predators will just do that more often. They may be perverted, but they're not stupid. So the law would be pointless as well as risking death and injury to those who are labeled sex offenders but aren't dangerous.

Read the book Acid Row by Minette Walters for a very graphic depiction of what happens when a convicted pedophile is outed to the general public.

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/printed-book...alters/443080/ Contains spoilers; only read if you have no intention of reading the book; tho, you really should.

[AFPheonix]

And what's to stop a child predator from first stealing a car (or at the very least, jacking someone else's plates), and then going trolling for kids?

So very much wrong with this law, it's not even funny.

[Boozy]

Another stupid law that will do nothing but give communities a false sense of security and provide easy targets for bloodthirsty vigilantes.

But hey, its an easy vote-getter, right? I mean, no one wants to be forced to actually think about their child's safety. Don't we all want to live in a world where "good" and "bad" are so clearly labelled that we no longer have to use our brains? And of course, we ALL have complete and utter trust in the justice system, right? If the Grand Unfailing Justice System says someone is bad, they're bad. Disagree with "lenient" penalties for child molesters? No problem! Bypass the court system entirely, and beat the shit out of one! Or kill him! That'll teach 'em. The system has now made it easy for you to ignore due process by labelling the people they'd like you to lynch.

There are SO many problems with this law. I am disgusted by politicians who propose things like this. They know its going to make them popular, but they don't give a damn about the consequences.

[rahmota]

Which is why people cant trust the "justice system" or the authorities to do their job for them and be personally responsible for thier own lives and the lives of their children. The best way to protect children against pedophiles is to be interested, and involved in their lives and the people in it.

[Lace Neil Singer]

As well as teaching them good old fashioned "stranger danger".

[AFPheonix]

Well...and wierd, skeevy uncle danger....

[Lace Neil Singer]

That too, as most of children are abused by a family member or friend of the family. Not forgetting "Nasty neighbour danger"!