Attacks on sex offenders may be connected Other Issues, posted by Editor, Mountain View Voice Online, on Nov 10, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Police say two registered sex offenders living in Mountain View have been targeted for attack in recent weeks, apparently by someone who wants to punish them for their crimes.
Read the full story here Web Link posted Monday, November 10, 2008, 11:07 AM
The public has proven over and over and over again, that it cannot handle the online registry info in an adult and civilized manner, without resulting in vigilante violence, or harassment. And this is proof, the registry should be taken offline, and used by police only, like it was when it was working and not a hit list.
Posted by Barb, a resident of the Shoreline West neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2008 at 7:20 am
I think its great that the registry is online. It is a crime deterrent and should force people to think twice before they commit these types of crimes because they know that they will be embarrassed in the future. I think it was wrong for these people to be attacked, but at the same time they attacked other people, so it isn't really a far stretch from what they did themselves.
Posted by Tim, a resident of the Sylvan Park neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2008 at 9:31 am
Studys are now starting to show that the sex offender registry is NOT a deterrent to sexual assaults. These have shown that 95% of sexual assaults are commited by a person with NO prior arrest record at all. 90% of the victims were assaulted sexualy by a person well known and trusted by the victim with over 50% of those being a family member. Futher the US Dept. Of Justice states that as a group sex offenders have one of the lowest recidivism rates amoung all criminals with 3.5% of them re-convicted of a new sex crime within 3 years of release from prison. When most crime recidivism rates are over 45%. Now if those in office realy wanted to protect us the public they would REQUIRE ALL KNOWN SEX OFFENDERS TO PAY FOR TESTING THAT SHOWES HOW MUCH OF A DANGER THEY ARE TO RE-OFFEND. Using this information they would post only those who are at the greatest risk to re-offend on a public sex offender registry. After all is not that what we the public want is to be protected from those who are the most danger. This testing is avaliable and very good but of course nothing is 100%. Oh yes some of you may not understand that a person can be on the sex offender registry for things that do not include sexual assaults of anyone child or adult. They can be on it for peeing in public, and some other non-contact crimes.
Posted by Ned, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I'm all for making the info public. On face value, some pretty funny and ironic statements quoted from above considering we are talking about convicted sex offenders. Replace "sex offenders" with "women" or "children" in the following statements you get the very reasons the registry was set up.
"He is attacking people because they are sex offenders, which is awful," Wylie said.
Sex offenders are urged to report suspicious activity to the police at (650) 903-6344.
"Obviously we're concerned sex offenders will be hesitant to come forward," Wylie said.
Posted by Robert Klein, a resident of the Shoreline West neighborhood, on Nov 13, 2008 at 5:16 am
Look at these despicable imbeciles trying to say the offender list online is dangerous to the molestors.
How deplorable.
The man who beat them should be considered a hero.
Yet, you molestor enablers are protecting them from harm, like if they do not deserve it. They deserve that, and more. They are lucky a militia does not go after them all for abusing children.
They seeked the punishment, they are lucky they are not in jail and being torn apart by inmates who despise molestors.
Posted by MSLGWCEO, a resident of the Blossom Valley neighborhood, on Nov 15, 2008 at 9:05 am
It isn't what the sex offender deserves so much but what we as a society deserve. The laws as they are written ALL say the same thing. "They do more HARM than good."
Sex offender legislation has been nothing more than knee jerk responses based upon myths, lies and hysteria. Every study I have read says the same thing, "MORE HARM THAN GOOD." that they ENDANGER children and society. I have yet to find a study that says these laws do any good. Not one study.
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