Contrary to stereotypes we all hear in the media, there is no “typical” person who has committed an offense. They cover all ranges of society, from rich to poor, those with serious psychological issues to kids sharing intimate selfies with each other.
| Texas—lifetime registration since 1996: A man who at 19 had consensual sex with his 15 year old girlfriend, now his wife and mother to his four children. | Michigan: An 11 year old boy was placed on the registry for touching his younger sister’s genitals; his status became public when he turned 18. |
| Georgia—lifetime registration since 1997: A 17 year old female was placed on the registry for having oral sex with a 15 year old boy. | In the U.S., the offense of viewing illegal images, while a crime that should receive fair punishment, has resulted in increasingly harsher punishments. |
| In Ohio some time ago, a 15 year old was charged with “the illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material.” The minor was herself; she had sent nudes of herself to the phones of some of her classmates. | A fair estimate is 100,000 individuals on registries for viewing illegal images, many trapped in law enforcement “stings.” |
And there are many people impacted by sex offense registries beyond those who have been convicted of a crime.
| Proponents claim the registry protects children, but studies and reports reveal extensive harm to children with a parent on a sex offender registry, including psychological trauma, social stigma, harassment, disruption of family life, and threats and harm to their person and property. | The same negative effects are experienced by adult family members and family friends. Additionally, vigilante violence has claimed the lives of a spouse and a friend in at least two separate incidents. |
| One wife shares the challenges of being married to someone on a registry: “Every time the doorbell rings, my heart drops. You live in this constant state of fear.” | Researchers report the collateral damage that can cause additional harms to family members who have done nothing but be supportive of a loved one. |
There is also a broad array of professionals who work with persons convicted of sex offenses, as well as with their loved ones, who realize just how useless registries are at improving public safety.
| Required mental health treatment and classes for persons convicted of sex offenses range from very helpful to harmful depending on the methods applied and to whom. Treatment providers in general, however, have found no benefit to sex offender registries. | Private therapists and psychologists chosen by the registrant—or in the case of juvenile offenders, by their parents—have strong anti-registry views. |
| Registrants usually have extensive dealings with parole and probation officers, as well as other law enforcement officers. These officers often view registries as helpful for public safety and offender monitoring but question their effectiveness in deterring sex-based offending as well as their ease of integration with other risk assessment and supervision tools. | Everyone who has a criminal conviction has interacted with defense attorneys or public defenders, and many registrants maintain relationships with a defense attorney at various points in their lives, some for years. Defense attorneys largely criticize the sex offender registry, arguing that it is an ineffective and overly punitive system that creates more harm than good. |