Sex Offender Websites

I’m sure that I will make enemies with this post but I feel that this is a hot topic that really centers itself on the core of what’s wrong with our county. Websites that give you the exact location of registered sex offenders are becoming very popular but for several different reasons.

Most people look at these sites so they can keep an eye on their neighbors which they feel will allow them to make every effort to keep their children safe. I can understand this thought process but I can’t validate it or use it in my own day to day life. This is my issue with protecting your children by having this knowledge. The people who follow the system and register know they are being watched and are obviously complying with their agreement to register in their area. The people who are the most dangerous are the ones you don’t know about. Statistics show that most child molesters are someone within the family circle or a close trusted friend of the family. Out side of that, the next majority are neighbors that you would tend to trust to watch your kids. So the people on the websites know they are there and the people who haven’t been convicted are looked at with a blind eye. All you are going to accomplish by knowing where these offenders live is paranoia. I keep a cautious eye on every person who interacts with my children. By doing this I feel I will help my children remain safer in the community.

The second reason for this site is to use it as a weapon. Here is my thought on that. I often say that a child molester should be exterminated upon sentencing. I can’t have my way so I’ve learned to understand that the people listed on these sites have paid their penalty and are complying with the law. We do not have a right as a law abiding society to single these people out, ridicule them and harass them into leaving. All you are doing is driving them into another community with more children. It’s a statistic impossibility that you can successfully drive away all of the known offenders in your area, let alone any of the unknown offenders.

Lastly it’s also important to understand that not every person on these sites is a child sex offender. Many of them have been found guilty of different levels of offense. A person gets a little tipsy at the X-Mas party and makes the wrong advance and ends up on a list. These sites don’t always lay out the rhyme and reason for the crime so it’s not fair for us to judge the severity of the crime with out own forced punishment.

I still think that any child offender should be exterminated but that isn’t going to happen so it’s important that you do more for your family and don’t be apathetic and lazy when it comes to protecting your children. Be wary of every person who comes into contact with your child. If you do this then obsessing over these sites won’t be necessary. Ultimately it won’t help you.