Child molestors ahoy!

[meshou]

How close are you to your local rapist or child molestor? Answers are just one click away. (http://www.familywatchdog.us/)

I have a sexual batterer down the street! I think I recognize him! Fuck!

Now your turn!

If you're not in the US, I guess you just have to be less scared. Sorry.

[PenguinHunter]

Wow. That's really weird.

[Eileen]

I found this dude I see all the time at the coffee shop. I knew he was a convicted pedophile, but somehow that doesn't make it any less weird and creepy.

[moni]

holy fuck, there's 241 offenders around where i live in hawai'i...

[mancroft]

They've been talking about having a similar system in the UK but there are concerns about reprisal attacks if these people are identified.

[Nemesis]

On some level I'm glad that people know who to keep their children away from, but at the same time, this is kind of sadistic.

[Meliora]

If I'm not on there then the system doesn't work.

[Nemesis]

If I'm not on there then the system doesn't work.
Stop insinuating such things! You haven't even taken me out to dinner!

[Meliora]

Stop insinuating such things! You haven't even taken me out to dinner!

Pssh, you're legal. That's a big turn-off for me.

[Nemesis]

Pssh, you're legal. That's a big turn-off for me.
I look young for my age. And I've only been legal for like a week... Wait, why am I trying to encourage you?

[Meliora]

I look young for my age. And I've only been legal for like a week... Wait, why am I trying to encourage you?

Must...resist....must...not...find...Nemo...in...bed...*head explodes*

[attila_the_hunny]

There is one a couple houses down from me...apparently he likes to expose himself.

[cafe]

Got a molester three blocks away. So much for letting the kids walk to the corner store.

[Madrigal]

I think that if we had a public list like that here, they'd be killed.

[Krill]

I think that if we had a public list like that here, they'd be killed.

So if child molesters are troubles, they'd have to melt like lemon drops, which would mean in your locale it is common to enforce public policy via forms of powerful corrosives.

Unfortunately it's hard to ascertain your location knowing that.

[Claverhouse]

Madrigal is in the Argentine.


Claverhouse :ph34r:

[LuridLemur]

Huh. That's interesting. I wonder what percent are women. Probably less than 1.

[attila_the_hunny]

In Texas a lot of the them have Ray or Wayne for their middle names.

[Ivy]

Huh. That's interesting. I wonder what percent are women. Probably less than 1.

I was surprised to see that there's a female offender a few blocks from my parents' house. I would imagine 1% is a generous estimate, too.

[Nemesis]

Haha. The entire map is filled with dots. Guess that's what happens when you live near Camden.

[mr. treat]

a few months ago, someone used that database to track down and kill a couple people here. since then, there has been a lot of talk about whether or not it's something we should allow in the state.

personally, i think it's a horrible violation of civil rights.

i'm reminded of a recent case where a man, now in his 50's, was convicted as a sex offender when he was 21 because he fooled around with a girl who turned out to be 16. he went to prison, and all that good stuff, and since he's moved here people have been staging protests and the like. but what's ironic is that what he did wouldn't even have been considered a crime here when he did it because the age difference wasn't illegal by our standards.

[bergenski]

A few months ago, I think three people on the list were murdered in Maine by some psycho.

[cafe]

a few months ago, someone used that database to track down and kill a couple people here. since then, there has been a lot of talk about whether or not it's something we should allow in the state.

personally, i think it's a horrible violation of civil rights.

i'm reminded of a recent case where a man, now in his 50's, was convicted as a sex offender when he was 21 because he fooled around with a girl who turned out to be 16. he went to prison, and all that good stuff, and since he's moved here people have been staging protests and the like. but what's ironic is that what he did wouldn't even have been considered a crime here when he did it because the age difference wasn't illegal by our standards.

Jeesh, people are dumb. I'm not worried about guys like that, or at least not nearly as much. That guy's not a child-molester (unless he's still going after 16 year olds). It's the ones that go after very young kids that worry me. I think it is a violation of their rights to some extent myself, but these folks have a really high recidivism rate and short of executing them or imprisoning them for life, we don't have a lot of good ways of reducing their opportunity to harm people.

[Sackanaka]

personally, i think it's a horrible violation of civil rights.

I talked to a friend tonight a few hours ago about this topic. Told him about this thread and we began discussing and came to a unanimous conclusion: this registration does a lot more potential harm than good. I'm just too tired to recap the reasonings. Yea. Unless someone asks. Someone else will probably explain it better though. And then I'll agree silently. Or make faces. This isn't a laughing matter, yea. Nothing is anymore. I'm turning emo. It's the only way out. Yea.

[mr. treat]

Jeesh, people are dumb. I'm not worried about guys like that, or at least not nearly as much. That guy's not a child-molester (unless he's still going after 16 year olds). It's the ones that go after very young kids that worry me. I think it is a violation of their rights to some extent myself, but these folks have a really high recidivism rate and short of executing them or imprisoning them for life, we don't have a lot of good ways of reducing their opportunity to harm people.

i think it's far more likely that a kid will get molested by a family member than some stranger on that list, but i hear you.

[attila_the_hunny]

i think it's far more likely that a kid will get molested by a family member than some stranger on that list, but i hear you.

Some of those strangers may try to befriend you/your child.

[mr. treat]

Some of those strangers may try to befriend you/your child.

and i may get hit by a meteorite. as i said, it's more likely it'll be someone they know.
http://www.rainn.org/images/statistics/perptovic3.png

source: http://www.rainn.org/statistics/index.html?gclid=CPzh7qKzyYcCFUdLGgodqGjAJw

[Ivy]

and i may get hit by a meteorite. as i said, it's more likely it'll be someone they know.
http://www.rainn.org/images/statistics/perptovic3.png

source: http://www.rainn.org/statistics/index.html?gclid=CPzh7qKzyYcCFUdLGgodqGjAJw

I don't think she's arguing against that. Pedophiles often befriend mothers to get close to their children, gain their trust & then act. If a friend of the mother is a pedophile, then it WILL be someone they know. They don't usually just strike out of the blue-- they become an acquaintence (nearly 50% of the chart you posted) first. You're right that stranger abuse IS very rare but like the saying goes, "strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

[cafe]

and i may get hit by a meteorite. as i said, it's more likely it'll be someone they know.
http://www.rainn.org/images/statistics/perptovic3.png

source: http://www.rainn.org/statistics/index.html?gclid=CPzh7qKzyYcCFUdLGgodqGjAJw
Wow. Strangers are much higher than I expected. As an introvert, it's hard to imagine letting a stranger within six feet of me, but most people aren't introverts, I guess.

[attila_the_hunny]

I don't think she's arguing against that. Pedophiles often befriend mothers to get close to their children, gain their trust & then act. If a friend of the mother is a pedophile, then it WILL be someone they know. They don't usually just strike out of the blue-- you're right, stranger abuse IS very rare.

That's exactly what I'm saying. I had an older neighbor who befriended my grandmother and uncle for the sole purpose of trying to fuck me.

[attila_the_hunny]

Wow. Strangers are much higher than I expected. As an introvert, it's hard to imagine letting a stranger within six feet of me, but most people aren't introverts, I guess.

I think the stranger vs. acquaintance is difficult to gauge. Child abuse/molestation is probably one of the most underreported kinds of abuse, precisely because the people who do it are close to their victims.
I've been physically and sexually abused as a child, and never reported it. It's a common occurence in my family, particularly with the girls. Family members make each other feel shame and use manipulative tactics to make you feel like shit. I don't know anyone who actually reported it, they usually just endure it and look for an escape. They rarely ever do, and just perpetuate the image with the own spouses and children.

[Randomnity]

I think it's a bad idea to make this sort of thing public, for pretty much the reasons people have already said.

Also, isn't it possible that something like this could lead to a false sense of security? Parents not being as careful in general, either if the list shows no offenders around, or if there's a few offenders identified who can be avoided. Although not being a parent and all, I have no idea if this would happen. Thoughts?

I read somewhere that first offenders tend to strike at children around their home, while repeat offenders are more careful and go far away from their neighbourhood. No idea how accurate that is though, or even where I heard it. Just one of those random things that sticks in my mind.

Edit: Actually I had a thought. Perhaps if they put the details of the record up (they don't do that now do they? I couldn't see cause I'm not in the US) it would at least prevent people from assuming that everyone on there's a pedophile (don't know what the actual proportion is). Although that's probably unconstitutional...moreso than just putting the names up. Anyway I'm rambling.

[cafe]

My math or figures may be off, but nearly a quarter of all children under the age of 18 are victims of molestation. Twenty percent of those children are molested by strangers. That makes about 5% of all children being molested by a stranger. That's about 5 million kids. If we had that many people being hit by meteors, there'd be a national outcry.

http://www.childmolestationvictim.com/statistics.html

[floid]

My math or figures may be off, but nearly a quarter of all children under the age of 18 are victims of molestation. Twenty percent of those children are molested by strangers. That makes about 5% of all children being molested by a stranger. That's about 5 million kids. If we had that many people being hit by meteors, there'd be a national outcry.

Meteors are rarely pillars of communities, don't have reputations to protect, and don't perform sacrament in the catholic church either.

[cafe]

I think it's a bad idea to make this sort of thing public, for pretty much the reasons people have already said.

Also, isn't it possible that something like this could lead to a false sense of security? Parents not being as careful in general, either if the list shows no offenders around, or if there's a few offenders identified who can be avoided. Although not being a parent and all, I have no idea if this would happen. Thoughts?

I read somewhere that first offenders tend to strike at children around their home, while repeat offenders are more careful and go far away from their neighbourhood. No idea how accurate that is though, or even where I heard it. Just one of those random things that sticks in my mind.

Edit: Actually I had a thought. Perhaps if they put the details of the record up (they don't do that now do they? I couldn't see cause I'm not in the US) it would at least prevent people from assuming that everyone on there's a pedophile (don't know what the actual proportion is). Although that's probably unconstitutional...moreso than just putting the names up. Anyway I'm rambling.
Crimimal convictions of adults are public record in the U.S. The site shows, in general, what the conviction is for (for my state, at least), unless it was an out of state conviction. It also gives the specific code for the crime, which one could look up, if so inclined.

I don't think it would give most parents a false sense of security. When you pull up a map of your town and it has so many spots on it, that it looks like it has a nasty case of chicken pox, it's hard to feel secure. But that's just me. (Molesters get a red dot on the map; rapists, yellow; sexual batterers, blue; and others, green).

[mr. treat]

i imagine 5 million people a year die from choking on a big mac. truth be told i don't know any pedophiles, but without knowing any i know i would give them the benefit of the doubt were i ever to meet one. sure, i'd be on guard and keep my eye out, but only as a curiosity. perhaps there is a male/female differential i am unawares of in this subject...?

edit: in a perfect world, such a database would be a useful tool in preventing crime, but in reality i think having such a thing is the greater of two evils.

[cafe]

i imagine 5 million people a year die from choking on a big mac. truth be told i don't know any pedophiles, but without knowing any i know i would give them the benefit of the doubt were i ever to meet one. sure, i'd be on guard and keep my eye out, but only as a curiosity. perhaps there is a male/female differential i am unawares of in this subject...?

edit: in a perfect world, such a database would be a useful tool in preventing crime, but in reality i think having such a thing is the greater of two evils.
Not even close. Less than 3 million people in the U.S (which my figures represent) die each year. Roughly 3,300 of those deaths are from choking and that includes small children choking on foreign objects.

I think there may be a parent/non-parent differential. I don't know if the website thingy reduces the number of crimes, but from my perspective, we've got to try something. It's a big deal.

[attila_the_hunny]

I think there may be a parent/non-parent differential. I don't know if the website thingy reduces the number of crimes, but from my perspective, we've got to try something. It's a big deal.

It is a big deal. Lots of people who have been molested as children tend to go on and be the sexual offender. It's a cycle.

[Nemesis]

I think it's interesting that the Amber Alert not only allows this kind of thing, but mandates that all members of a neighborhood be notified when a sexual offender moves into their neighborhood. However, how much money is spent on trying to help the offender "get better" as opposed to spreading awareness/fear?

[Randomnity]

Crimimal convictions of adults are public record in the U.S. The site shows, in general, what the conviction is for (for my state, at least), unless it was an out of state conviction. It also gives the specific code for the crime, which one could look up, if so inclined.

I don't think it would give most parents a false sense of security. When you pull up a map of your town and it has so many spots on it, that it looks like it has a nasty case of chicken pox, it's hard to feel secure. But that's just me. (Molesters get a red dot on the map; rapists, yellow; sexual batterers, blue; and others, green).

Oh my mistake, I thought I remembered hearing that only "sexual offender" was shown, I think this was around the time of the sexual offender shootings(?) in the US a few years ago. That'll teach me to trust TV. Oh great and wonderful idiot-box, you've let me down again. :threat:

[cafe]

Oh my mistake, I thought I remembered hearing that only "sexual offender" was shown, I think this was around the time of the sexual offender shootings(?) in the US a few years ago. That'll teach me to trust TV. Oh great and wonderful idiot-box, you've let me down again. :threat:
Well, honestly, the fact that it's specified does not prevent idiots from not knowing (or caring) how to read the key or the details and drawing wrong conclusions. No preventing that, unfortunately.

[cafe]

I think it's interesting that the Amber Alert not only allows this kind of thing, but mandates that all members of a neighborhood be notified when a sexual offender moves into their neighborhood. However, how much money is spent on trying to help the offender "get better" as opposed to spreading awareness/fear?

It's a side-note, but I think you're thinking of Megan's Law. Amber Alert is a notification system for kidnap victims.

[Nemesis]

It's a side-note, but I think you're thinking of Megan's Law. Amber Alert is a notification system for kidnap victims.
That's it. Thanks.