Persuasive Paper: A Problem Exists

Persuasive Paper: A Problem Exists

Latisha Blacknall

Professor Julie Davenport

English 215 Research and Writing

March 3, 2013

The sex offender registration system was designed to help keep track of where people convicted of sexual offenses live and also to monitor their activities. In the United States and other areas, registration is made public and notifications with be released to the general public through web sites or public media. In the United States, registered offenders are restricted from living in certain areas near schools or day care facilities. Offenders are not allowed to own toys that could entice minors and they are placed on restriction from using the internet. Many sexual deviants use the internet as a mode of gratification mentally, because they cannot physically be around children. The law on sexual offenses is not very clear. This law is filled with grey areas and could never be viewed as an open and shut case. There are many variables that constitute a sexual offense and all of them must be reviewed before making someone register as a sex offender. Every person convicted of s sexual offense, does not belong on the registry.

In some areas, the lists of sex offenders are made available to the public through the newspapers, community notification, or the internet. In some areas, the complete lists are only available to the police. Failing to register as a sex offender comes with high penalties. In the United States there are more than half a million registered sex offenders. The government is faced with the challenge of being fair to the community that they vowed to serve and protect; as well as, promote justice to the accused. Before an offender is convicted, he was a part of the protected community. What law makers and the communities that they serve should realize is that every registered sex offender is not a deviant. When a person is found guilty of urinating in public, depending where the act took place, they are made to register as a sex offender. A persons drunken mistake, could brand them for life. It is for that reason, why the offender registry should not be made public, because it will bring unnecessary fear to the community. The published registry could be detrimental to the community and the accused. When the community is afraid vigilante groups develop and their mission is to get justice on their own. It is for this reason that policy makers are challenged when creating regulations for sex offenders. That is why it is so important that the right people are placed on sex offenders registries.

The term “sex offender” brings about a feeling of disgust in most people, so it’s not surprising that laws regarding sex offenders tend to only get tougher. Laws are usually