by Mark Brazel

Created on: January 24, 2009

Sex offenders should, without a doubt, have to register in the jurisdiction where they take up residency. The real question is, should certain individuals be considered "sex offenders." I will explain this in the latter portion of my article.

First of all I'm offering very little in the way of opinion. My article is based on my fifteen years of experience in the law enforcement profession, five of that as a full time investigator. I have investigated more sexually related crimes than I care to remember, but many of them are etched in my mind. Victims of sex crimes are forever impacted by the trauma they have incurred and many, without proper counseling and support, fall into the same category as their offender.

Sexually related crimes are categorized by many factors including the age of the victim, the age of the offender, the handicap of the victim, if any, whether or not a weapon was used, threat of force, inducing victims with drugs, factors regarding penetration, etc... There are many levels of these crimes including Sexual Assault, Aggravated Sexual Assault, Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child, Sexual Abuse, Aggravated Sexual Abuse and others, with variations from state to state. The less serious offenses are classified as misdemeanors, the more serious as felonies. Many people believe that sex crimes are defined as only molestation and rape. This is understandable to a person not in the law enforcement field, but the details of the offense are what makes it more or less serious. The offense that the person was convicted of will usually be stated on the registry along with the offenders personal information. Researching the offense they were convicted of may provide you a little more insight on just how dangerous this person really is, if at all. Law books are available at your local libraries and much information is available online. The above listed specifics regarding the offense such as age, weapon, etc., are what you should be focusing on.

What many people fail to realize is that the sex offender registry was created mainly so that law enforcement personnel can keep tabs on the convicted offenders. When a sex offender moves from one town to another, he has a certain amount of time to notify law enforcement of his new place of residence. Failure to do so will result in an arrest for violating the sex offender registration guidelines. Sex offenders are not allowed to live near schools, parks, and other places where children may be present. This

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