Two radio
shows in the last 2 Days about Sex Offender Registries, their legitimacy, the restrictions
and regulations against those listed on them, including juveniles and the need for reform all because
of the recent Zachary Anderson case.
Mary
1- Public Radio International - To the Point Show: Does Public Shaming
Guarantee Public Safety? July 9, 2015
Sexual
abuse is an especially heinous crime, and there's unwavering popular support
for tough penalties. There's also increased evidence that public registries of
convicted sex offenders may be doing more harm than good. Rehabilitation has
become almost impossible for some 800,000 people, many of whom — including
teen-agers — don't really belong on the lists. Is it time to re-visit laws
enacted before the Internet blurred the lines between what's socially
acceptable and what's a crime?
Guests:
· Maurice
Chammah, The Marshall Project
· Roger
Lancaster, George Mason University ;
author of Sex Panic and the Punitive
State
· Victor
Vieth, Gundersen National Child
Protection Training
Center
· Jeff
Temple, University
of Texas
Roger
Lancaster: “My understanding of the
literature which I’ve reviewed is that there are no substantial studies
which suggest that the sex offender registries are effective at achieving their
stated aim which is to reduce recidivism rates. Some studies actually
suggest the registries increase recidivism rates basically because they convert
every registrant into an unemployable, unhouseable, permanent social outcasts
living on the fringes of society and give them no conceivable stake in their
own rehabilitation. That’s a very serious and significant negative effect
of the registries.”
Listen to 33:33 Show: http://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/to-the-point/have-sex-offender-registries-gone-too-far
2- NPR/Diane Rehm Show: Sex Offender Registries And Calls For Reform, July 7, 2015
Sex
offender registries are designed to protect the public from pedophiles and
others who have committed sexual crimes. But some say those guilty of much
lesser offenses don’t belong on the list. We look at sex offender registries
and calls for reform.
Guests:
· Abbe
Smith professor of law and co-director of the Criminal Justice Clinic and
E. Barrett Prettyman Fellowship program at Georgetown University; author of
"Case of a Lifetime."
· Jill
Levenson associate professor, social work, Barry University
· Brenda
V. Jones executive director, Reform Sex Offender Laws, Inc.
· Victor
Vieth founder and senior director, Gundersen National
Child Protection
Training Center