POLITICS: California to Post Sex Offender Data Online, page 1

posted on Sep, 25 2004 @ 02:37 AM

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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed legislation that would allow 55,000 of California�s worst sex offenders to be posted on the Internet. The governor indicated that while this bill was a good step, he wanted to see tougher legislation in the following year. This measure add California to the list of states that have a comprehensive list posted online. This list includes the name of the offender, their crime, and their address.

story.news.yahoo.com
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (news - web sites) signed legislation Friday allowing the home addresses of the state's 55,000 most serious sex offenders to be posted on the Internet by early next year.

The Republican governor also made it clear he wants an even tougher bill next year, saying Friday's bill is a "good first step."

The measure adds California to a majority of states that have posted personal information about high-risk and serious convicted sex offenders who have been released from prison.

The 55,000 offenders affected by the bill include those convicted more than once of violent sexual crimes and others convicted once of sexual battery, rape and child molestation.

Republicans lawmakers pressed unsuccessfully this year to identify more registered offenders on a state-run Web site, including those convicted of child pornography, lewd conduct and spousal rape.

Californians also will be able to look up an offender's picture, physical description, any known aliases and criminal history.

Opponents say the postings offer little actual protection for children, but could spur attacks on law-abiding ex-convicts and their families.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

This is an expansion on Megan�s law which was enacted after a paroled sex offender �relapsed� and raped and killed seven year old Megan Kanka. The paroled sex offended had moved in across the street from the family without their knowledge. The new database will allow not only name and address, but a physical description as well. However, opponents of the bill have stated that it will provide li8ttle in the way of real security to the community. Furthermore they state that it will put the law abiding parole at risk of vigilance justice. The law calls for a June date for the database to be up, but Attorney General Bill Lockyer says he is shooting for January 1st.

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
The Megan's Law database. Does a sex offender lives near you?

intrepid

posted on Sep, 25 2004 @ 02:53 AM

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Anyone that knows me knows I'm far from the "right" side of things but isn't Ahnold doing a good job, or am I hallucinating.

FredT

posted on Sep, 25 2004 @ 02:58 AM

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Originally posted by intrepid
Anyone that knows me knows I'm far from the "right" side of things but isn't Ahnold doing a good job, or am I hallucinating.

He really is. I voted for him and he so far has lived up to his promises. He is emensely popular. When the Dems and the Republicans in the Assembly start to get thier backs up he takes it tot he people. So far So good. We will see if his budget actions pay off though. We have floated bonds to cover the deficits, but also closed the door to more.

He really is a typical Northern California Republican much like myself. Pro Choice, Pro Death penalty, moderate on social issues and somewhat conservative on financial issues.

Assassin

posted on Sep, 25 2004 @ 05:51 AM

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well, its about time. alot of states have been doing this for quite awhile now...

BasementAddix

posted on Sep, 25 2004 @ 07:20 AM

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Kinda wish he would have ran in NY...our gov. isnt the best...I voted for him...but because of lack of choices...

Joe Manco

posted on Sep, 25 2004 @ 08:37 AM

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Well it is likely to cause vigilante justice but I guess they brought it on themselves, I believe rape to be the worst crime of them all and they probably deserve all that's coming to them.

shoo

posted on Sep, 25 2004 @ 09:41 AM

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You are right Joe but promoting vigilante justice is may be not as worse as the actual rapists but it's close to it.

There are many reasons why vigilante justice is banned - normally. I hope that's clear

Anyway, my justice-part-of-character says it's a bad move but the rest in me says down the drain with them. A pitty it isn't that easy at all.

1gboy

posted on Sep, 25 2004 @ 12:44 PM

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Arnold (with a few less bucks) could easily be found among the 55,000 posted Bad Boys, given his penchant for gropping (and laughing about it later)!

FredT

posted on Sep, 26 2004 @ 03:12 AM

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Originally posted by shoo
You are right Joe but promoting vigilante justice is may be not as worse as the actual rapists but it's close to it.
Anyway, my justice-part-of-character says it's a bad move but the rest in me says down the drain with them. A pitty it isn't that easy at all.

That is the dilemma with this IMHO. I want, no demand the right to protect my child and want to know if the guy next door is a high risk offender. I did a scan on the San Jose Police Department Website. They have a model of what the state systems may look like for San Jose. I was shocked to find: 2 serial rapist living within a 2 block radius from my mother In Laws house. and worse a paroled child molester less than a mile from an elementry school. That being said where do we put these people? Not in my backyard is the common (Im guilty) cry for this. But the bottom line is that I have to protect my family and this will at least let me know what lurkes near my home.

Susquehanna

posted on Sep, 26 2004 @ 09:09 AM

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Originally posted by FredT
That being said where do we put these people? Not in my backyard is the common (Im guilty) cry for this. But the bottom line is that I have to protect my family and this will at least let me know what lurkes near my home.

We don't have the right to put them anywhere. It's still a free country, even for these freaks. The theory is that they are rehabilitated, but just in case we're wrong, this is where they live, so keep your eyes open...

Jemison

posted on Sep, 26 2004 @ 09:14 AM

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Arnold is doing an awesome job!

And as the Mother of 4 daughters I am SO happy that he signed this legislation! I don't let my children roam the neighborhood without me (they are still young, oldest is only 6), but when I'm walking the neighborhood with them it would be nice to know if we are walking by a sex offenders house or not! Obviously I would find an alternate route.

Yeah for Arnold!!!

Jemison

shoo

posted on Sep, 26 2004 @ 09:34 AM

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So Jemison.

You seem to have a very pro-vigilante justice opinion. How about the following situation...

There was a woman called Jemi, living in beautiful Cal with her 4 daughters and husband. They are a nice family and everything is perfect. Her husband is teacher in a school nearby.
One day he comes home, disturbed, he tells Jemi that a girl of his history class is about to fail the exams and she extorts him. Either she passes or she will accuse him of rape.
They decided to stand the extortion and so it comes and the girls fails history.

2 days after the girls failed police raids Jemis house. Her husband is taken away and the word is spread fast: "He raped a schoolgirl!"

The girl stands tough, even in court and he is condemned to several years of prison. While he serves his time in prison live is hell for Jami.
People avoid her and her daugthers are bullied in school.

...several years after the incident they are still outlawed and as her husband gets free they decide to move away.
So they sold their house and tried to move away but they fail to buy a house. Real estate agents deny any business with them, her husband is an official sex offender - "you can read it up in the internet! Do you believe I will sell a house to such monsters?! Out now."

Finally they managed to move to the north of california, a small nice town and nobody knows about their old life.
Small town, yes, but there's still internet.

Hell starts again.

You learned a thing or two? I hope you didn't. You should have thought about it before

Jemison

posted on Sep, 26 2004 @ 10:15 AM

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Her husband is teacher in a school nearby. One day he comes home, disturbed, he tells Jemi that a girl of his history class is about to fail the exams and she extorts him. Either she passes or she will accuse him of rape.
They decided to stand the extortion and so it comes and the girls fails history.

Though not sexual in nature, I have lived through a situation where a family member was wrongly accused of a crime and involved in a large government type scandel. "Operation Ill Wind" is the name and it was not a pleasant experience for my family.

I also have my Masters in Psychology and spent a lot of time working with young girls (as young as 4 and as old as 16) who had been sexually abused. These girls will always have a difficult life and working with them was heart-breaking. Studies show that it is virtually impossible to rehabilitate a pedaphile.

It's unfortunate that some people are falsely accussed of crimes. I know how much it hurts an entire family, not just the accused. Unfortunatly, it happens. The system isn't perfect.

I didn't say that I would demand that these people MOVE from my neighborhood. I didn't say that I would make their life hell for living near me. I said that I would find an alternate route for my children to walk and ride bikes if I discovered there was a registered sex offender in my neighborhood. Why you have a problem with that is beyond me.

Jemison

[edit on 26-9-2004 by Jemison]

shoo

posted on Sep, 26 2004 @ 10:59 AM

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I don't have a problem with your idea of the alternate route but be honest - knowing their name is one thing but do you really think that people would just walk the alternate way?

No, they will make life hell for them(that was the reason I came up with it in my example). Probably 99 of 100 have deserved it but as I said before, my justice viewpoint cares about the one left behind and the rest says "just one" for 99 monsters punished how they deserve it. Not an easy topic.

Thanks for letting me know your background, it sounds different to me now.

Jemison

posted on Sep, 26 2004 @ 11:22 AM

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I don't have a problem with your idea of the alternate route but be honest - knowing their name is one thing but do you really think that people would just walk the alternate way?

I can't speak for other people, I can only speak for myself. I would take another route.

Jemison

RedBalloon

posted on Sep, 26 2004 @ 01:03 PM

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What happened to innocent until proven guilty? The websites like this already in existance don't post the details of the crime, and you could have plenty of people not deserving of harassment being driven out of their homes. You could have the mother who took naked pics of her 6 yr old playing in the bathtub on that list because someone accused her of kiddie porn.

It's also pointless as many incidences of child sexual abuse happens from relatives and people who are known and trusted by the family, and not neighbors.

Ruining these people's lives does not fix the problem, does not keep children any safer, and probably does more to having them reoffend than allowing someone who has done their time and been 'rehabilitated' to rejoin society again and live a normal life.

FredT

posted on Sep, 26 2004 @ 01:33 PM

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Originally posted by RedBalloon
What happened to innocent until proven guilty? The websites like this already in existance don't post the details of the crime, and you could have plenty of people not deserving of harassment being driven out of their homes. You could have the mother who took naked pics of her 6 yr old playing in the bathtub on that list because someone accused her of kiddie porn.

Thats not how the systems works. The systems as it exists now is for "High Risk Offenders" only. It does list thier crimes. You can see for yourself at this site for the City of San Jose.

www.sjpd.org...

Here is a sample taken at random:

The San Jose Police Department, as authorized by the State of California, is releasing the following information pursuant to Penal Code Section 290 & 290.4. This section authorizes law enforcement agencies to inform the public of a high-risk sex offender�s release or change of address when: at the discretion of the agency, the release of information will enhance public safety and protection.

The subject has been identified as a HIGH RISK OFFENDER, by the Department of Justice, based on his criminal history. The individual who appears on this notification has been convicted of a sex offense that requires registration with the local police agency within the city or county that they reside. This individual has served the sentence imposed by the courts. The San Jose Police Department has no legal authority to dictate where this subject lives.

Name: Stefan Wlodzimierz Baluta
Address: Nadine Drive, Campbell
Description: WMA, 5�11", 195 lbs
Eye color: Blue
Hair color: Brown
DOB: 04/04/1947

Registered crimes: 288 PC, 647.6 PC

Description of Crimes: Lewd or Lascivious Crimes against Children under 14 years of age. Annoy or Molest Children The listed subject has previous conviction for sexually assaulting juveniles.

RedBalloon

posted on Sep, 26 2004 @ 01:40 PM

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Originally posted by FredT
Thats not how the systems works. The systems as it exists now is for "High Risk Offenders" only. It does list thier crimes. You can see for yourself at this site for the City of San Jose.

www.sjpd.org...

That's great for CA, but what about the other states that have them, and aren't so focused on "high risk"? What makes someone "high risk" anyway? Repeat crimes? Severity? Psychological profile? Race?

Jemison

posted on Sep, 26 2004 @ 02:18 PM

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In order to be registered as a sex offender you must have been convicted of a sexual crime. These people have already been found guilty.

Jemison

FredT

posted on Sep, 26 2004 @ 02:20 PM

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Originally posted by RedBalloon
That's great for CA, but what about the other states that have them, and aren't so focused on "high risk"? What makes someone "high risk" anyway? Repeat crimes? Severity? Psychological profile? Race?

The state site shows this:

Generally, a "high-risk" sex offender is an individual convicted of multiple violent crimes, at least one of which was a violent sex crime. The criterion for �high-risk� sex offenders is set forth in Penal Code Section 290(n) (1) (A).

This information can be released to persons at risk or to the entire community.

"Serious" sex offender has a conviction of a specified felony sex offense or misdemeanor child molestation. A complete listing of crimes subject to registration is listed in Penal Code Section 290.4 (a) (1). The information can be released to persons at risk ONLY.

"Other" sex offenders are required to register, but are not subject to disclosure under Megan's Law. These other sex offenders are individuals convicted of pornography, exhibitionism, misdemeanor sexual battery, incest or spousal rape. Additionally, sex offenders adjudicated in juvenile court are not subject to public disclosure. Information regarding �Other� sex offenders MAY NOT be disseminated to the public. Return to top of page