Legally Registering Sex Offenders

Because of the increase in the amount of sex offenders that repeat their crimes, the federal government now requires anyone connected of a sexual offense to be registered in their home state. The government claims that this is an effective means of preventing these dangerous criminals from repeating their crimes, but there is still controversy over this law. Some hold that this is an invasion of privacy that the government has imposed on people who have already paid for their crimes, while others believe it to be a reasonable method of controlling the most dangerous members of society.

At some point in time, it became acceptable for the government to track former criminals; in requiring them to register as an offender, they are essentially tracking the criminal. They do nothing more than monitor closely their whereabouts, actions, friends, lifestyle, etc. How this came to be is quite scary, while it has occurred for a crime that fits the punishment, after all our children should be protected. It also comes with a price. Many people see this as an intense invasion of privacy and human rights, and in Europe under the banner of the European Convention on Human Rights, such procedures would almost certainly not be allowed.

This is only a beginning, and opening the door by requiring sex offenders to be registered can lead to all criminals of any crimes being forced to register. And that can lead to the government eventually requiring every person to be registered and tracked for some reason or another, and Big Brother watching you will become a reality. Will we just sit back and let that happen? Should the government be able to know and control where you live, where you go, what you do, where you work, who your friends are?

While many people feel that the laws for sexual offenders are not strict enough, and push for greater punishments for people who commit these heinous crimes, you have to wonder whether this is just a bid for revenge. Not to mention the fact that it seems rather unbalanced that if a sexual offender is found mentally unstable, that person is simply required to seek help instead of serving jail time. Not only are their crimes recorded differently, but the consequences of their actions are not as severe.