Just How Important The Issue Of Child Safety Is
Do you think that listed sex offenders are really such a threat? There are a lot of studies and research papers claiming that there isn't any significant correlation between the rate of repeated crime and offenders' registries.
But, on the other hand, maybe those registries and reports of sex offenders are really the only thing keeping them from committing their crime again? Warning their neighbors and coworkers, people living in the vicinity of the perpetrator that there is someone who might be dangerous, and they adjust their behavior accordingly? Or maybe they are just an excuse for witch hunts and paranoia? These are certainly significant questions and, as with all difficult issues, there isn't a single and clear answer to every one of them.
One might argue that these databases invade someone's privacy and hamper his/her efforts to reintegrate in the society and "go mainstream" after they serve their time.
But every parent will tell you that children's safety is their number one priority and knowing that a man or a woman next door might be a dangerous criminal with a few convictions might direct them to raise their kids differently and to instruct them to be more careful on the street, coming home from school, contacts with strangers.
Who knows what dangers might be lurking out there? We teach our kids to respect cops, but what if someone impersonates a policeman and tries to lure your child? That's why it's important to have these registries' so one might be prepared.
But are sex offenders' registries a real solution to the problem? The answer is complex; but they are not the only solution, rather a part of a series of measures to prevent people from committing a crime again.
And the boundary between the privacy of an individual and our right to protection is thin.
We must be aware that not all perpetrators are the same, that some feel true remorse for what transpired from their deeds while others only try to lay low for a while only to repeat the crime some time later.
At the same time, our society should help the former and implement strict control of the latter, but that's not an easy task.
That's why sex offender reports exist, that's why people establish safety watch and neighborhood patrols exist to help people protect themselves, their assets and, most importantly, the lives of their loved ones which might be under threat from someone we all know.
But, on the other hand, maybe those registries and reports of sex offenders are really the only thing keeping them from committing their crime again? Warning their neighbors and coworkers, people living in the vicinity of the perpetrator that there is someone who might be dangerous, and they adjust their behavior accordingly? Or maybe they are just an excuse for witch hunts and paranoia? These are certainly significant questions and, as with all difficult issues, there isn't a single and clear answer to every one of them.
One might argue that these databases invade someone's privacy and hamper his/her efforts to reintegrate in the society and "go mainstream" after they serve their time.
But every parent will tell you that children's safety is their number one priority and knowing that a man or a woman next door might be a dangerous criminal with a few convictions might direct them to raise their kids differently and to instruct them to be more careful on the street, coming home from school, contacts with strangers.
Who knows what dangers might be lurking out there? We teach our kids to respect cops, but what if someone impersonates a policeman and tries to lure your child? That's why it's important to have these registries' so one might be prepared.
But are sex offenders' registries a real solution to the problem? The answer is complex; but they are not the only solution, rather a part of a series of measures to prevent people from committing a crime again.
And the boundary between the privacy of an individual and our right to protection is thin.
We must be aware that not all perpetrators are the same, that some feel true remorse for what transpired from their deeds while others only try to lay low for a while only to repeat the crime some time later.
At the same time, our society should help the former and implement strict control of the latter, but that's not an easy task.
That's why sex offender reports exist, that's why people establish safety watch and neighborhood patrols exist to help people protect themselves, their assets and, most importantly, the lives of their loved ones which might be under threat from someone we all know.
