subject: Dangers Of Sex Offenders [print this page] With increased numbers and the high likelihood that sex offenders will become repeated offenders, the federal government felt it imperative to develop laws that mandate all convicted sexual offenders register in the states where they reside. Albeit a controversial law, officials in the government assert that having offenders register in their state is an effective means of preventing some of the more severe offenders from re-offending in the future. Is this invasion of privacy simply a necessary precaution that the state politicians have imposed on those who were already convicted an served time for a sexual offense, or is it a violation of basic human rights to privacy?
It has become acceptable for the government to keep track of people who have committed a crime, and by requiring them to be registered as offenders, they can be tracked. The government can then closely monitor where they live, what they do, their friends, where they go, and so on. The rationale for this is that these are serious crimes and the offenders must be watched, and that our children and women must be protected. Nevertheless, it is a scary precedent and can lead to further controls by the government. It is clearly a marked violation of human rights and privacy, something that certainly would not be allowed in Europe by the rules of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Since beginning this and requiring that all sexual offenders register with their respective states, it opens the door for criminals of other crimes to be required to register. Once that occurs, it allows the governments to start requiring slowly that everyone be registered for one reason or another. Is this something that the people are willing to let happen? Should the government have full knowledge and control over where you go, who your friends are and where you work?
Many feel that the laws for the sexual offenders are not stiff enough; they call for stricter punishments and heavier penalties for these most despicable of criminals. This comes from the side of people that wish to seek nothing more than revenge. At the same time, if someone commits a crime whom is sent for mental help, instead of jail they are not required to register. Their offenses are recorded differently, and their punishment is much easier.
