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NY State parole officials announced their Halloween plans: Checking up on sexual predators on parole and probation in the state in "Operation Halloween: Zero Tolerance." The Post reports that there are about 1700 sex offenders (paroled and on probation) in the five boroughs; they must stay at home between 3PM on Halloween and 6AM the next day. Furthermore, they cannot wear costumes or masks, and cannot open their door to trick-or-treating children. And that's not all:
The random visits are serious: Apparently a parole officer found banned materials a one parolee's Long Island home, which meant the parolee was heading back to prison.Investigators will conduct unannounced home visits and curfew checks and then make follow-up phone calls to paroled sex offenders' homes throughout the night to guarantee they do not slip out in search of victims.
In addition, the state's parole officers will be armed with portable DVD and CD players to randomly view movies in sex offenders' homes to make sure that the covers are not masking banned materials.
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while this is obviously a good idea, the thing that bothers me about any kind of sex-offender laws (especially meghan's law)
how long will these people wear a scarlet letter? haven't they already done the time, gone through the system and justice been served? how long are you a criminal?
This story mentions paroled and on probation which means they're still in the penal system.
To answer Kevin: Recidivism among sex offenders and pedophiles is incredibly high! In other words sex offenders are very likely to commit crimes again, even after serving time in jail. Also as hfjksdhfjsh said these people are still technically being punished.
On a personal note, I think that sex offenders should be sterilized and placed under surveillance 100% of the time... but that’s not very American of me, is it? Plus it would be pretty expensive.
What about offenders who are trying to get their act in gear, and finally found a a job working third shift? Or are trying to fix a broken marriage/family and have to pick their own kids up from soccer practice? Sorry - you're not in jail, but you have to be home before dark. We don't trust you THAT much tonight (other nights, we don't care).
Sure, they are part of the penal system. But why the special treatment? What about convicted CEO's? Shoplifters? Drunk Drivers? Let's make sure they don't move money/enter a store/drive a car.
And what about online sexual predators? Are they not allowed on the computer on Halloween?
Means and opportunity are available if you look for them - Halloween or any night. But public draconian measures to show you're "cracking down"?
Sounds like a witch hunt to me too, Kevin. Maybe we should watch their chimeny's too..you know, make sure they don't fly out.
darn, I was going to trick or treat at Debra LaFave's home.
Hey, I'm all for expanding the Death Penalty to this class of offendors.
Why don't you folks with no experience being victimized by these criminals or those without kids reserve judgment - you're on high moral ground, but on very weak true experience.
Yes, please
DO it for the Children, Please, I beg of you.
while I hope that father in CT who stabbed his neighbor to death on a false claim rot in Hell and the mother gets a maggot infested vagina forever.
Hey Hans -
Let's talk about true experience.
Have you been in that federal courtroom? I have.
What about in front of the city's zoning board because they feel at 1,002 feet away, your father lives too close to the elementary school...even though the law is 1,000 feet. Again, me too.
Or interviewed by FBI agents? Hmmm, let's see. Me three!
Sure it's easy to make judgment. But it goes both ways.
"how long will these people wear a scarlet letter?" - How about as long as it takes their victims to return to their life before the crime, meaning never.
We're not talking about a drunk that crashes a car or a CEO that steals money, we're talking about people that violate children, leaving them with life-long mental (and sometimes physical) scars, there is no redemption for these people.
A drunk driver leaves emotional and physical scars,
A CEO who left a retiree pennyless upon retirement leaves emotional and physical scares.
Why extra attention to this type of crime?
huh huh huh huh?
This should be expanded. If you cause an accident while drunk driving, you should not be allowed to drive a car ever again. I'm sure some innocent kid in their parents' car who gets plowed into by a drunk driver is scarred for life, too. Hell, death penalty for drunk drivers. At least pedophilia is a biological urge, unlike just deciding to drive home to Long Island after a few bridge and tunnel nights. Or even worse, one of those fucking scumbags who moves to Brooklyn and keeps their car they had in Kansas.
The answer is not to torture these people after they leave jail, but rather to more universally and stringently apply existing judicial standards. If you molest a kid, you go to jail for 20 years, or more, no plea bargains or anything. That, to me, seems more humane than telling someone they've "done their punishment" and then harassing them like animals afterwards.
Hmm..given the choice of losing your money or being crippled in car wreck vs being raped repeatedly as a child, I know I'd rather be in a wheelchair or forced to work at Wal-Mart when I am old.
Maybe someone should rape you repeatedly for a few years and see how much you enjoy it?
Let's be sure to keep these predators off the streets while we repeatedly cut state and federal aid to families and children and underfund ACS. Listen, sexually assaulting a child is a horrific, horrific crime that deserves a ton of punishment. I have to say, though, that these widely-publicized steps against paroled/on-probation sex offenders seem to give the government more credit than it deserves for protecting children.
This also strikes me as a little convenient for my taste:
"In addition, the state's parole officers will be armed with portable DVD and CD players to randomly view movies in sex offenders' homes to make sure that the covers are not masking banned materials."
You seem to like the word "rape" a lot.
pervert.
As pointed out, the rate of recidivism is extremely high. It makes sense to take proper precautions. Large groups of kids after dark, adults in masks and costumes (better to hide identity) making it easier to move among the kids.
BTD also made a very good point--the effects of this type of crime is enduring and everlasting--even for generations. It never goes away. It can ruin a person. I think victimizers should be treated accordingly.
Hester, why should the offender get to get their life together when the victim and their family do not get to make that choice? A victim never gets that second chance and you can never erase what happens. I feel compassion for offenders trying to get it together, but not at the expense of the devastation they left behind. The inconvenience to the offender of having to be home this one night and these random checks is far preferable than other alternatives. If it makes people happy, why not? I do not seem a harm really. These people committed crimes and are still considered a danger so they will continue to pay for their crimes.
But you are right the opportunities and ways are always there so perhaps they should be removed from the general population, or we can go an eye for an eye and do to them what they did to innocent, defenseless children who never asked for that to happen to them and can never make it go away.
"Let's be sure to keep these predators"
Only 3% of all inmates in NYS die in prison the rest "Come home"
"the rate of recidivism is extremely high"
Saw that on Fox News myself. Hummm...Is that true for all sex offenders or only ones NOT under community supervision?
Try askin a PO what the biggest barrier is to supervision?? Its policy from Albany. We are reduced to nothing more then data entry techs at this point under HORRIBLE working condtions
The recidivism rate for sexual offenders overall is actually very, very low. It is a very persistent lie that it is high and there is no "cure". In the vast majority of cases, a "cure" isn't needed, the behavior just needs to not occur. Statistics and empirical evidence have overwhelming proved the recidivism rate is low. I just can't understand for the life of me why the opposite lie continues to live. Stop listening to just any Joe Blow on the street and read some research!
Also, there are literally hundreds of thousands of people on these Registries who have NOT damaged a victim for life. There are also hundreds of thousands of other types of criminals who have who are of course on no Registry.
If we are going to Register people, we’ve got plenty more categories of people who “need” it. Why do we have meth manufacturers living right next to schools? Why do we have people there who have gotten angry in the past and broken a neighbor child’s arm? Or my favorite - a guy who went into an elementary school and
buried the claw end of a hammer into a random 10 year old girl’s head (The media reported: “She was hit so hard that the hammer's claw was imbedded in her skull and part of her brain had to be removed.”)? At least he didn't sexually molest her. That would've been a problem.
No, there is something to this Sex Offender Registration other than public safety and protecting children. It’s not REALLY about that. I personally think it has a LOT more to do with the people who want the Registration than the people they want Registered.
Just my opinion (based on over 20 years experience).
This is really sad. You have a freaky,Sick fetish for kids, Get caught doing something that your not suspose to be doing . Do time for the crime, Get out on probation and try to live your life and this is waht they have to go through . I'm not a fan of sex preds. But they have a right to live life! Yes you inform the neighborhood that they are living in your mists, That's it , Leave them alone . As long as they don't commit another crime they should be left in peace .
this also applies to anyone on pre-trial probation... despite the fact that they haven't been convicted... even in cases of non-violent offenses like possession of child pornography. while i think it's a good idea, to stigmatize in a general way is very very wrong. it should be based only on individual need... and certainly AFTER conviction.
this also applies to anyone on pre-trial probation... despite the fact that they haven't been convicted... even in cases of non-violent offenses like possession of child pornography. while i think it's a good idea, to stigmatize in a general way is very very wrong. it should be based only on individual need... and certainly AFTER conviction.
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