Tag: public interest
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The sex offender registry was marketed as a necessary safeguard against dangerous predators. Yet in practice, it routinely sweeps up people who committed non-violent, often minor, and sometimes ridiculous offenses — acts that in any other context would be handled with a fine or a slap on the wrist. Public urination, streaking at a college…
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The sex offender registry was sold to the public as a tool aimed at dangerous adult predators. Yet in practice, children as young as 12 — and in some states even younger — have been placed on the same public list used for the worst offenders. Their names, photos, addresses, and “offenses” are posted online…
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Politicians and supporters of the sex offender registry have one go-to justification that they repeat like a mantra: “public safety.” Every expansion of the registry, every new reporting requirement, every residency ban, and every piece of public shaming is sold to the public as necessary to keep communities safe. The phrase has become so automatic…
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The sex offender registry was sold to the American public as a simple, common-sense tool to protect children and communities from dangerous predators. Politicians and lawmakers promised it would reduce sex crimes by alerting the public and keeping tabs on “high-risk” individuals. Decades later, the hard data from the very agencies tasked with tracking crime…