Many experts are concerned that the registry and sentencing laws undermine any possibility of rehabilitation.

We must find what works and doesn’t work.

Long Prison terms certainly don’t work and the future expense is staggering to each state. When a person does a long term sentence, it is almost guaranteed that person will be conditioned to be in a worse condition than when they went in. Out of sight out of mind will not solve the problem for the future. It is a “Feel Good” solution with future consequences. We have set ourselves up for TOTAL failure.

These draconian laws should be used only in the most exceptional cases and that on an individual basis.

We have gone WAY OVERBOARD in our attempts to solve a problem that does have solutions to it. *** offenders are more likely to commit a property crime in order to survive than a second *** offense. As an alternative to these long term registration laws, we should have what is known as “Time Conditional Laws.” That is, once a person completes their prison sentence and parole, they are taken off the public registry and removed from residency restrictions. All information is kept with local police departments. If a person goes on to reoffend with another sexual offense, law enforcement and the courts can deal with them as a recidivist.. 95% of all new offenses are committed by individuals who are NOT on any registry. Crimes have either not yet been committed or they have not yet been caught. Those who have completed their conditions of prison and parole must be given an opportunity. They have PROVEN themselves to be law abiding. All individuals are human and have human value. These new laws being passed because a tragedy to a child has occurred. ONE person committed THAT crime and to make an entire class pay for a murder that THEY DID NOT commit is an injustice. Retroactivity in applying these laws to a class of people who have finished their contracts with the courts are an injustice and in fact unconstitutional. But we undermine our most precious document because of FEAR and HYPE as well as law makers who do not have the intestinal fortitude to stand up and be counted as SMART. Instead re-election is their main concern, even to the detriment of sound law. This is nothing but wrong headedness and is totally unproductive to society and offenders alike.
Keeping the Constitution intact, should be of the utmost importance and priority to law makers. Side stepping the U.S. Constitution in the guise of civil action is extremely dangerous to every citizen, no matter how law abiding that person is.

We need a RESTRICTED registration system that affords the 95% who do NOT reoffend to be given an opportunity to become law abiding productive tax paying citizens. As it stands now, the registries are counter productive to society and the individual offenders who want to get on with their lives.

There is NO PROOF that the get TOUGH ON CRIME works for the betterment of society, or the individual offender. SHOW ME THE PROOF! WHERE IS THE PROOF?? We have only one alternative and that is to get SMART ON CRIME! Laws are passed and based on media hype and emotion as well as large profit. Law makers trying to “OUT TOUGH” the next law maker, so they can get reelected. This is a very slippery slope which has only negative consequences for society and the offender alike. I often ask myself WHO IS VICTIMIZING WHO? With Liberty and Justice for SOME?

Linda Wagner

The 8469 Deborah Thomas blog…