Posting #9 – The Reality of the Registry; (A’s Story)

By: RSOL of Virginia
Date: 11/16/2008

Dear Virginia Lawmakers,

In our November 1, 2008 e-mail or letter to you, titled Hate Crimes and Intimidation Tactics, RSOL of Virginia highlighted three points.

• That the Adam Walsh Act gives states the flexibility to decide what information is publicized on their Sex Offender Registry.

• The employment information being displayed on Virginia’s registry serves no purpose other than to intimidate and influence the employer and has been used by vigilantes.

• The definition of a Hate Crime being a crime that occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her membership in a certain social group, qualifies registered sex offenders to be included in the list of Hate Crime groups.

Any person or persons committing a crime against a person listed on the registry solely due to the listing shall be punishable to the full extent of the law under “Hate Crimes”.

Contrary to popular belief among lawmakers there is indeed hardship related to being listed on a sex offender registry.
The lives being destroyed are not just the registered, but their spouse, their children and every family member sharing their name.

The below e-mail was forwarded to us last night, he’s a single father:

Date: Fri, Nov 14, 2008 at 12:21 PM

Hi K,
 I appreciate you checking in.  Things are not going well. 
No luck on the job search at all as it appears the rumor circuit is hard at work.  It appears that at least one person I used to work with is a former victim of a sex offense and upon finding out about my past has taking it on herself to "warn" as many potential employers in my industry as possible.  I am in a very bad situation.  I am looking at having to change industries which is not easy to do and meanwhile, the bills are piling up. 
Its just totally amazing to me this is all over something that occurred 17 years ago and the fact that in that 17 years, I have been a productive employee and citizen doesn't even seem to matter. 
Needless to say I am pretty depressed.  I am not sure what I am going to do.  I won't be able to live where I am very long without paying the rent and that brings a whole new set of problems with residency restrictions etc.
I truly can see where I may very well be homeless if I can't find something in the next month or so.
Anyway, enough of that.  I have my hands full and just have not been able to do much for the cause lately.  I hope you and others will bear with me as I move through this difficult time.  This too shall pass....

Thanks again for checking on me, A.

How many hard working law abiding citizens have lost their jobs, homes and families because of meddling co-workers that have an axe to grind that has nothing to do with the person they are destroying? More than we’ll ever know.

This is a prime example of why employment information should not be posted for public view.

As long as a registered offender submits their employment information to the State Police and the police confirm the location and position do not violate any location restrictions that should be sufficient.

I will end this letter with a recent article that makes this same point.

RSOL of Virginia will ask you again.

During the 2009 General Assembly add registered sex offenders to the list of people included in Hate Crimes and remove all employer information from the Virginia Sex Offender registry.

Article- October 20, 2008
Sex Offender Registry Laws May Cause More Harm Than Good

The recent slayings of two convicted sex offenders listed on Maine’s online sex offender database pose serious questions about the consequences of registry laws. But crime experts and defense attorneys doubt whether a considerate national debate on the issue is possible.

In a nation that seeks increasingly stricter punishments and banishment of sex offenders, most are unwilling to evaluate the risks or fairness of offender registry laws.

“We’ve basically dehumanized these people with words such as ‘predator,’” said Fred Berlin, psychiatrist and founder of the John Hopkins Sexual Disorders Clinic in Maryland. “Every decent human being wants to protect children,” he said. But Berlin claims that registries make it extremely difficult to allow criminals who have done their time to rebuild their lives.

Every state in the U.S. has an Internet sex offender database, which posts photographs and personal information about convicted sex offenders for at least 20 years or even for life. In a number of states, exact street addresses are provided, which allegedly led a Canadian man to find and kill two registered offenders last week.

Acts of vigilantism have been prominent in many sex offender cases ranging from harassment to murder including the killings of two child rapists in Washington and the beating of a New Jersey man who was mistaken for his sex offender brother.

While police, politicians and prosecutors deny vigilantism, they fully support the registry laws.

We look forward to your response.

RSOL of Virginia Organizers