Sexual Offenders: A Problem that Must Be Dealt With…Now
There are people who believe that once a convict has served his time, he should be able to re-enter society without impunity. Once a person has served their time, they’ve “paid their debt to society” and should be able to go on with their lives. I believe that most people agree, at least in principle with that concept.
When the former convict is a sexual offender, the rules must change. I know, there are people who believe that sexual offenders/predators can be rehabilitated. They are wrong. Flat out wrong. Sexual offenders/predators do not change. It doesn’t happen. They might be able, with therapy, to control their proclivities, but they do not change. It’s not an arguable point; so don’t waste your time or mine trying to change my mind.
Let’s discuss for a moment the difference between a sexual offender and a sexual predator. For the purposes of this essay, we will assume the offender/predator is male. In Florida, it’s mostly the number of times a male has committed sexual crimes, and/or the circumstances surrounding the incident that determine whether a person is a sexual offender or predator.
As a sexual offender we can have a nineteen-year old male who has consensual sex with his seventeen-year old girlfriend. He can be charged, and convicted of statutory rape and be forever labeled a sexual offender. In my opinion, this might be morally wrong, but it shouldn’t be a criminal act. If however, that same nineteen-year old male kidnaps and rapes his seventeen-year old girlfriend the facts change. He is now a criminal and should be charged, and if convicted, have to register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life. We can also have a male who prefers little boys or girls, or teenage boys or girls, or adult men or women. This male may have many victims, but few convictions. The status of this male may change as the number of victims becomes known, and the number of his convictions rise.
A sexual predator is one who actively looks for another person whom he can control and force to have sex with him. Consent is not involved. Violence may or may not be part of his MO. Sexual predators aren’t necessarily pedophiles. The age and sex of their victims is a personal preference. They may have many victims, or a few. The difference in being a sexual offender or predator is subtle, but as I said, it's the number and circumstances around the criminal act(s) that determine the status.
When a sexual offender/predator leaves jail or prison in Florida, they are required to register with the local sheriff’s office as a sexual offender or predator. They are told to report to the probation officer within a certain amount of time. The problem is that the offender/predator may forget to register, either honestly or deliberately. Authorities can’t track the offender/predator once they leave custody unless you have a person who does the “right thing” by registering, and notifying authorities when they change address. They are home when the PO does a house check, they report to their PO, and do what the PO tells them to do. This offender/predator is a rarity.
What can be done to track these criminals? Well, I think they should be registered before they leave jail for one. The information can be sent to the sheriff’s office where they intend to live and have to report in within a specific time frame – hours, not days.
It might be a little expensive, but how about setting up a special division of probation officers who work only with sexual offenders and predators? How about having the PO meet them in jail to fit them with a GPS device that will be worn while they are on probation. Then, if they don’t check in at the sheriff’s office when they should, they can be tracked. Their probation time can be extended if they change addresses without permission, don’t comply with rules, fail to make appointments, or attend classes or whatever the PO tells them to do. Or, of course, they can be recommitted because they failed to complete their probation.
This is not a solution by any means. The suggestions I made at least reduce the possibility of the offender/predator disappearing into the mist only to be found when they are being hunted as a possible suspect. GPS devices would allow tracking from the time the criminal leaves jail until they leave probationary status. If the criminal doesn’t report a change of address it would be discovered long before a body is found.
Most probation offices are unable to keep track of the “ordinary” criminal. Let them deal with the “ordinary” criminal and let the new section deal with sexual offenders and predators. When a body is found, it’s too late. It is unacceptable. We must act before we have more victims.
There are people who believe that once a convict has served his time, he should be able to re-enter society without impunity. Once a person has served their time, they’ve “paid their debt to society” and should be able to go on with their lives. I believe that most people agree, at least in principle with that concept.
When the former convict is a sexual offender, the rules must change. I know, there are people who believe that sexual offenders/predators can be rehabilitated. They are wrong. Flat out wrong. Sexual offenders/predators do not change. It doesn’t happen. They might be able, with therapy, to control their proclivities, but they do not change. It’s not an arguable point; so don’t waste your time or mine trying to change my mind.
Let’s discuss for a moment the difference between a sexual offender and a sexual predator. For the purposes of this essay, we will assume the offender/predator is male. In Florida, it’s mostly the number of times a male has committed sexual crimes, and/or the circumstances surrounding the incident that determine whether a person is a sexual offender or predator.
As a sexual offender we can have a nineteen-year old male who has consensual sex with his seventeen-year old girlfriend. He can be charged, and convicted of statutory rape and be forever labeled a sexual offender. In my opinion, this might be morally wrong, but it shouldn’t be a criminal act. If however, that same nineteen-year old male kidnaps and rapes his seventeen-year old girlfriend the facts change. He is now a criminal and should be charged, and if convicted, have to register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life. We can also have a male who prefers little boys or girls, or teenage boys or girls, or adult men or women. This male may have many victims, but few convictions. The status of this male may change as the number of victims becomes known, and the number of his convictions rise.
A sexual predator is one who actively looks for another person whom he can control and force to have sex with him. Consent is not involved. Violence may or may not be part of his MO. Sexual predators aren’t necessarily pedophiles. The age and sex of their victims is a personal preference. They may have many victims, or a few. The difference in being a sexual offender or predator is subtle, but as I said, it's the number and circumstances around the criminal act(s) that determine the status.
When a sexual offender/predator leaves jail or prison in Florida, they are required to register with the local sheriff’s office as a sexual offender or predator. They are told to report to the probation officer within a certain amount of time. The problem is that the offender/predator may forget to register, either honestly or deliberately. Authorities can’t track the offender/predator once they leave custody unless you have a person who does the “right thing” by registering, and notifying authorities when they change address. They are home when the PO does a house check, they report to their PO, and do what the PO tells them to do. This offender/predator is a rarity.
What can be done to track these criminals? Well, I think they should be registered before they leave jail for one. The information can be sent to the sheriff’s office where they intend to live and have to report in within a specific time frame – hours, not days.
It might be a little expensive, but how about setting up a special division of probation officers who work only with sexual offenders and predators? How about having the PO meet them in jail to fit them with a GPS device that will be worn while they are on probation. Then, if they don’t check in at the sheriff’s office when they should, they can be tracked. Their probation time can be extended if they change addresses without permission, don’t comply with rules, fail to make appointments, or attend classes or whatever the PO tells them to do. Or, of course, they can be recommitted because they failed to complete their probation.
This is not a solution by any means. The suggestions I made at least reduce the possibility of the offender/predator disappearing into the mist only to be found when they are being hunted as a possible suspect. GPS devices would allow tracking from the time the criminal leaves jail until they leave probationary status. If the criminal doesn’t report a change of address it would be discovered long before a body is found.
Most probation offices are unable to keep track of the “ordinary” criminal. Let them deal with the “ordinary” criminal and let the new section deal with sexual offenders and predators. When a body is found, it’s too late. It is unacceptable. We must act before we have more victims.
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