In an otherwise commendable editorial entitled “A proper ruling”, the Intelligencer Journal editors say “Sex offenders are the lowest of the low, and residents, particularly the parents of children, have reason to fear.” What we deduce they really meant is the sexual offender subset: “Sex offenders of children are the lowest of the low.”
Megan’s law references “An individual convicted of a sexually violent offense or of attempt to commit a sexually violent offense. These are: Rape; Aggravated Indecent Assault; Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse; Sexual Assault; Kidnapping (victim is a minor); Indecent Assault ( victim is less than 13 years); Incest; Promotion of Prostitution (victim is a minor); Obscene and other Sexual Materials; Unlawful Contact or Communication with Minor and sexual exploitation of children.”
In contrast, “Sex Offenders” include those convicted of “Rape, Molestation, Sexual Assault, Sexual Exploitation, Sexual Abuse of Children, Illegal Distribution of Obscene and Other Sexual Materials, Child Pornography, Indecent assault, and Prostitution / Solicitation.”
There are many mothers and grandmothers, solid citizens, who have turned a trick or two in their youth. Moreover, for every one of them, there are scores of guys, many also fathers and grandfathers, solid citizens, who have patronized prostitutes. (Together we may be talking about over 10% of our population.) There are also Romeo and Juliet offenders where liaisons take place between an older and a younger teen. If we consider these people the “lowest of the low”, how do we classify the murderers, the rapists, and the exploiters of children?
Here is further information for consideration: “A 2002 study by the United States Department of Justice indicated that recidivism rates among sex offenders was 5.3%; that is, about 1 in 19 of released sex offenders were later arrested for another sex crime. The same study mentioned that 68% of released non-sex offenders were rearrested for any crime (both sex and non-sex offenses), while 43% of the released sex offenders were rearrested for any crime (and 24% reconvicted).”
It may be that families are in far greater danger from their neighbors who are ex-felons for assault and drunken driving.
The proper goal is to protect our children and ourselves from still another subset: Sexual Predators. “A sexual offender is a person who has committed a sexual offense. A sexual predator is often used to refer to a person who habitually seeks out sexual situations that are deemed exploitative.”
In summary, there is a distinction between Sexual Offenders, Megan Law Offenders (sexual crimes against children) and Sexual Predators. Let’s avoid conflating the three, protect ourselves where there is a likelihood of danger, and otherwise practice justice and mercy.
