There was an opinion piece published recently on one of the American Civil Liberties Union websites, that asked some very thought-provoking questions. Specifically, the author – Deborah Jacobs, who serves as the Executive Director of the ACLU of New Jersey – raised the subject of sex offender rules and how they may actually do more harm than good in our communities. It’s an interesting article, and we think she made a few very good points, so we decided to share some of these thoughts with you.
Current laws don’t make a difference to potential victims.
According to Jacobs, the biggest issue she has with sex offender laws is that they make no difference to any of the potential victims out there. It can seem like a confusing stance to take. The entire point of the restrictive laws is aimed at corralling sex offenders after their release. We want to know where they are and we want to keep them away from certain areas. But according to Jacobs, future victims aren’t kept safe because these restrictions.
How do sex offender restrictions not keep people safe?
Jacobs says that “banishment zones”, geographical restrictions and publicized sex offender registries all play to the fears of the public, but actually do more harm than good. This is because we are penalizing the few, but not dealing with the many. And by that she means the many crimes that go unreported, which Jacobs says is the majority of sex crimes. And as she reveals, statistics show that they’re committed by family, friends, and clergy members – in other words, trusted people close to the victims – not sexual offenders who happen to live near by.
Banishing convicted sex offenders impedes their rehabilitation
According to Jacobs, the other negative side effect of sex offender banishment laws is that they actually make it harder for paroled sex offenders to be rehabilitated. That in turn increases the chance that they will reoffend. “People who want to lead law-abiding lives after serving a prison sentence need to establish stability in their homes, jobs and families. Those are difficult things to achieve, but add to this the consequences of certain laws, and limits to where offenders can live, and few have hope of succeeding.”
Sex offenders need support systems in order to succeed in life
“Banishment zone laws may very likely force sexual offenders to move from environments where they have support networks, into other communities where they have no support, putting residents in their new communities at risk.” Jacobs explains. “Further, people who are labeled as sex offenders lose jobs, get evicted, are threatened with death, and harassed by neighbors. Some have had their homes burned down, or been beaten in acts of vigilantism. Coping with this kind of stress is almost impossible, and without exceptionally strong support systems, most are doomed to fail.” The thought is that once offenders have paid for their crime, we ought to let them reintegrate back into society albeit slowly and with caution.
Being convicted of a sex offense is life changing!
Here at The Kronzek Firm we know that once you’re convicted of a sex offense, your life is changed forever. The social stigma, having your name on Michigan’s public sex offender registry, and being imprisoned all have devastating effects on a person. So if you’ve been charged with a sex crime, your best choice is to hire a really good attorney who will work to ensure that if at all possible, you avoid the conviction all together and get your life back. Not every criminal defense attorney has decades of experience fighting sex assault cases. But some of us have exactly that much experience.
Call The Kronzek Firm right now and protect your future!
The very best way to have the best chance at protecting your future from being destroyed by a sex crime conviction is to hire a highly skilled criminal defense attorney, right from the start. Find an attorney that has decades of experience fighting sex assault charges in Michigan. Look for an aggressive fighter. By making sure that your case is handled by people who know exactly what they’re doing, and have done it well for decades, you have a better chance of avoiding all that pain and misery. So call the experienced sex crime defense attorneys at The Kronzek Firm right now. We’re available 24/7 at 866 766 5245 (866 7No Jail) to help you through this. We’ve been through this many times since the last century. We can help you now.