by Silva Payne

Created on: August 15, 2009   Last Updated: August 17, 2009

The creation of a register for all individuals convicted of a particular set of criminal offenses seemed a good idea at first. Forcing those individuals to register and comply with notifying the authorities of their current addresses and enabling the authorities to know exactly where the individuals were at any time would be a great advance for public safety. At least, that was how the Sex Offender Registry was sold to the general public.

In reality, the Sex Offender Registry in many US states and also in the UK now holds information that is inaccurate and out of date. The initial group of offenses that were to be included have in many cases been expanded beyond much public comprehension.

Along with those who commit heinous crimes against children and other individuals, there are the so-called Romeo and Juliet cases of teens prosecuted for sexual acts with their young girlfriends, and also men who have done nothing more than urinate in a semi-public place. The legislators have taken the public trust and used it to further their own agendas, for whatever political, moral or financial reasons they may have.

The term "Sex Offender" is grossly misused in the media and by the uninformed public. The stereotypical sex offender in the public mind is a male, middle-aged loner paedophile who hangs around schools and playgrounds waiting for a chance to abduct small children.

This is the kind of person the public wanted protection from when the idea of a Register was first mooted, yet very few of those charged with an offense that would place them on the Register fit that description in any way. The Sex Offender Register in any location contains women as well as men; as a group, those registered are of any age between as young as 11 and older than 90.

True sex offenders, the small group that the public is so concerned about, are some of the most devious and skilled liars in society, so believing that they will voluntarily comply with the terms of the registry is naive in the extreme.

Having a register of all known convicted offenders of a specific category does not keep anyone safe. It does not prevent those specific crimes, or any other crimes from happening. What a Sex Offenders Register can do (and only if properly maintained and regularly updated) is give the investigating authorities a starting point to act from once a crime has occurred.

Individual's names and details are held on many official databases but the crime rate has not decreased dramatically, so

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