There is a vast need to overhaul how sex offenders are labeled and watched by t
he criminal justice system. If ever there was an example as to why this should happen immediately it was today. Making national news was a horrifying story about a young woman who was abducted at age 11 and held against her will in a secret compound hidden away in the backyard of a registered sex offender. Fox News headline read
“Police: California Girl Kidnapped 18 Years Ago Kept as Sex Slave in Couple's Backyard”
This registered sex offender was not only able to fool a parole officer who visited his home on a regular basis but he was also able to tour a college campus where he hoped to teach with two female children which we later learned that he fathered with the abducted girl. The horrifying thought that this man now had two more small girls in which to abuse should raise a call to action from parents across the globe. We should ask ourselves "What is a better way to deal with offenders such as this one? "
he criminal justice system. If ever there was an example as to why this should happen immediately it was today. Making national news was a horrifying story about a young woman who was abducted at age 11 and held against her will in a secret compound hidden away in the backyard of a registered sex offender. Fox News headline read“Police: California Girl Kidnapped 18 Years Ago Kept as Sex Slave in Couple's Backyard”
This registered sex offender was not only able to fool a parole officer who visited his home on a regular basis but he was also able to tour a college campus where he hoped to teach with two female children which we later learned that he fathered with the abducted girl. The horrifying thought that this man now had two more small girls in which to abuse should raise a call to action from parents across the globe. We should ask ourselves "What is a better way to deal with offenders such as this one? "
I offer that there should be categories in the sex offender’s registry. Those who assault children should be labeled as “SO1” offenders and have to consent to random searches of their homes and computers to ensure they are following the letter of the law.The article on AmericanScholar.org, the online version of the quarterly magazine of public affairs, literature, science, history, and culture published by the Phi Beta Kappa Society since 1932, Second Chances, Social Forgiveness, and the Internet We need the means, both technological and legal, to replace measures once woven into the fabric of communities by Amitai Etzioni and Radhika Bhat states
“The sa
d fact is that most convicted criminals in the pre-digital age did not use the second chance that their obscurity gave them, nor did they use their third or fourth chances. Convincing data show that most criminal offenders—especially those involved in violent crimes—are not rehabilitated; they commit new crimes. “This paper restates the opinion of many professional that believe that sex offenders can not be rehabilitated therefore bear constant watching from the criminal justice system. Now with the advances in technology "the era of digital communitions" it is even more crucial that we apply stricter regulations to monitor these offenders’ so that we can one day never have to hear of a tale about a young woman held as a sex captive for 18 years.
