Registered Sex Offenders

Dear Victorious,

I saw an article recently on "America's Outdated Sex Laws." In this story they railed on about how badly America treats registered sex offenders. A few days later I saw an article about Atlanta banishing them to camp in a wooded area. What's your view? Aren't these guys getting what they deserve? I mean, don't we really need to protect our children from these perverts?

Ronnie N. - Salt Lake City, UT

Dear Ronnie,

What's my view? You may not like it. I have had personal experience with several guys who are actually Registered Sex Offenders. I've drawn two conclusions based on those experiences.

First, these people are not who you think. To begin with, they are not all men. There are quite a few women on the RSO web sites. Perhaps more importantly, many of them are not, as you say, perverts. In fact, the ones I've been exposed to have been far from it. They have been just like you and me ... honest men of integrity who did some things they regret. (Frankly, I don't know anyone in life who hasn't!) Of the men I've known personally who had been convicted of sexual offenses and were forced to register as sex offenders --- all but one had not had any physical contact with anyone else. They didn't molest an innocent child. They didn't rape anyone. Quite candidly, the "offenses" that they were convicted of seemed pretty innocuous to me (and I check out their stories to make sure they weren't lying).

Secondly, even if these men (and women) were guilty of real crimes, the punishment does not fit the crime. In fact, it far exceeds it. Consider that someone can be convicted of murder or manslaughter, homicide --- serve their prison time or probation time --- and then enjoy considerably more freedoms than the registered sex offenders. Murderers who have "paid their dues to society" are set free and can live as they choose, where they choose. They have no restrictions. They have no social stigma to deal with. The point is that other people commit considerably more serious offenses and don't suffer nearly as much for it. Why would that be?

In my opinion, our society has largely over reacted to high profile sexual offense cases. In many cases the alleged offender was in fact a victim of sexual abuse themselves. Instead of helping these people heal and become productive citizens --- be brand them a social outcasts and then proceed to treat them with contempt for the rest of their lives. This is clearly wrong. It is definitely now WWJD (What Would Jesus Do).

I read the story about the registered sex offenders in Atlanta who can't find housing that meets the parameters they must live within --- so their probation officers suggested they live in these tents in the woods. It is a national disgrace. I am quite certain God will judge us for this (amongst other things He'll need to judge us for).