Meagan's law

blackcrown · Post by **blackcrown** » 22 Dec 2004 13:18

California now has a website where you can see if there are any registered sex offenders living near you (or your kids school, etc..). I was looking on the site to see if I lived near any perverts and I found out that this guy that my company just hired is on the list (lewd acts with someone under 14). Should I do anything? Should I mention it to our Human Resources person? Should I ask him to explain why he's on the list? Should I just ignore it? What would you do?

Eric

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 22 Dec 2004 14:21

I would say don't do anything.

What is the point of punishing people if they are still going to be further punished after the crime - why not just punish them forever?

I think he has done his time and he should be free to work where ever he wants now.

How many people at your work are under 14? If it's none - how will his past crime effect any of you?

blackcrown · Post by **blackcrown** » 22 Dec 2004 14:44

I work at a pre-school. No, I'm just kidding. The reason I brought up the HR person was that I think it's illegal for convicted felons not to disclose there offences on the job application. As for punishing people after they've done there time, yeah I'm agianst that in most cases, but not so much with child molesters. I really have zero sympathy for them.

Eric

FlexThis · Post by **FlexThis** » 22 Dec 2004 14:58

My wife and I were discussing this very thing last night. A friend of mine just got busted with MJ for like the second time and he was on probation. He is a career criminal and I don't think he wants to spend the rest of his life peddling smoke. So we were wondering what he should do in order to get a REAL job. He has a bachelors degree, but 2 felony convictions.

So I said, "well couldn't he just not disclose it and hope he doesn't get caught?" And my wife says, "No because HR can look it up on the Web and get his record from his Social Security Number before he is hired.

So maybe HR already knows about the NEW hire. And I agree with Jeremy about the time served thing. Humans make mistakes and deserve second chances. I wouldn't be here posting if Brad Kaplan wasn't such a pimp, and Ellis wasn't such a cool guy as well.

So I say do nothing. But I understand ZERO tolerance for child molesters. At the same time though, my sister had a kid at 15, and her husband was never convicted of a crime and they started dating when she was 13. So I have mixed feelings on the issue. Regardless anyone under 18 should be off limits.

lightningbolt · Post by **lightningbolt** » 22 Dec 2004 15:00

Maybe point out the site to your HR person and let them find it. Beside that I really don't know.

Alaska has that web site too. I live like two streets up from somebody who on that site for rape. There alot of bitching about it here. Some people have Jeremy view that they did their time and we should stop punishing them. Others believe that the public has a right to know. I think it's temporarily settled that they have to register with this site 10 years after their last conviction.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 22 Dec 2004 15:19

I don't understand what you mean by "zero tolerance"

Do you mean they should be locked up forever?

I don't think child molesters are tolerated at all - that's why they are sent to jail!!

I think there are lots of reasons why people commit crimes - but a big one - especially for ones like that - is being mentally ill to some degree. Maybe not enough to be officially classed as mentally ill - but I think you'd have to be sick in someway to commit such crimes.

It is true that the current system of jail doesn't work at all and leads to the majority reoffending - but that's both the choice of the people in question and the people setting up the system. My state - Tasmania - has had a big reduction in reoffending - because we've changed the focus to rehabilitation rather than punishment - I think the statistics are clear that this is a better option.

If we continue to demonise people after they have served their time I think it will make them much more likely to reoffended - and to be more extreme the next time. Ok so this person made lewd acts with someone under 14 - This is something that is socially unacceptable. If we continue not to allow them to be part of society - I can only see them committing more socially unacceptable acts - probably even more so because they will feel anger against society and its values as well as whatever else drives them to do what they do. If we accept them into society and recognise that once made a pretty big mistake but both forgive them for it and respect the fact that according to society they've "paid their price" then I think we will have much more success in convincing them to stay within the bounds of what societ accepts.

blackcrown · Post by **blackcrown** » 22 Dec 2004 15:35

In this case I'm not going to say anything, for now. I'm willing to give a onetime offender the benifit of doubt. Maybe it was a case like he was 19 and she was 16. But I really feel like child molesters should be put away for life. I just do not believe that a two (or more) time offender will ever change. I say we release all the poor bastards that are in jail for petty drug crimes (weed) to make more room for sexual predators.

Eric

DoctorJay · Post by **DoctorJay** » 22 Dec 2004 17:05

This reminds me to the Middle Ages and the time of the pillories- Props for this innovation USA.

This kind of a public database should not exist in any country of the world.
What's the difference if you know that this guy next to you is on that list ?
Won't you let your kid go out anymore ?
Will you burn his house ?
You have no vantage of this list, but he has all the disadvantages, maybe that gives some kind of satisfaction to US folk?
Moreover you have no insurance that this guy won't do it again, and the procedure of social proscription will tend to new crimes.

hacksterbator · Post by **hacksterbator** » 23 Dec 2004 00:19

good call, but i'd like to also point out with this site around every one is gonna point the finger at so and so when some kid goes missing off the street. "The peterson girl went missing yesterday." "well 9 years ago Joe apparently had some sort of thing with some one under 15... it must have been him. Gerald, get the shot gun."

blackcrown · Post by **blackcrown** » 23 Dec 2004 09:31

DoctorJay wrote:What's the difference if you know that this guy next to you is on that list ?

If I had kids and some deviant moved in next door I would want to know

DoctorJay wrote:Won't you let your kid go out anymore ?

I sure as hell wouldn't let my kids near that house.

DoctorJay wrote:Will you burn his house ?

If I saw a molester trying to take advantage of some kids I would do something.

DoctorJay wrote:You have no vantage of this list, but he has all the disadvantages, maybe that gives some kind of satisfaction to US folk?
Moreover you have no insurance that this guy won't do it again,

Yes, the whole idea is to put sexual predators at a disadvantage. And because we have no insurance that these guys won't repeat there crimes we need to know who they are so we can keep our kids away from them.

DoctorJay wrote:and the procedure of social proscription will tend to new crimes.

I think it's there uncontrolable desire to fuck kids that leeds to new crimes. I'm not going to welcome a child molester into my neighborhood with hugs and kisses and forgiveness.

Eric

hallucinogenious · Post by **hallucinogenious** » 07 Jan 2005 00:21

well..... whats the website?