Sex Offender Registry

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In three in five states in the U.S., there are sex offender registries available online. Through them, the public gains direct access to private information, including locations and pictures, of ex-sex offenders. Often times, police officers reference the online registry, and are allowed to inform the public by going door to door to the sex offenders’ neighbors. However, this type of public punishment is too severe for the crime that is already paid. The way the online registry of sex offenders is established today yields many challenges to society. The system is too rigid and faulty, and fails to protect anyone in a fair and just way. One challenge with the sex offender registry is that it causes many cases of homelessness. Many sex offenders…show more content…
For one example, there is an increased likelihood of re-arrest, not for re-committing a sex offense, but for trying to survive on the streets. In makeshift settlements, such as that near the train tracks in a warehouse district north of Miami’s airport where two dozen men lay, conditions are both unsafe and unsanitary. One 26-year-old man, who had been living out there for more than a year (declined to give his name, but is listed on the online sex registry), is concerned that he could become a target while living on the streets (Source D). No ex-offender deserves to be subjected to this lifestyle because of debilitating policies such as the online registry. Not only is being a homeless sex offender precarious in these ways, being restricted to the streets makes it harder for them to both find and hold onto a job in order to sustain…show more content…
With employers having direct access to that information, the rehabilitating offender immediately faces discrimination in the job market. Employers immediately pick the person without the rough past whether it pertains to the candidate’s qualification for the job or not. If an ex-convict has flourished in a job for years and has the prospect of being promoted, a deeper check into their already buried past can tarnish their reputation and ruin their chances for a better position. These troubles are faced not only in a career, but in the ex-convict’s daily life. They easily face discrimination and stigma from many people who can access their private history. Factors such as these make it more difficult for the ex-convict to rehabilitate and reintegrate into

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