What Do You Think?

susiestar

Roll With It
My state (OK) requires that aggravated or habitual sex offenders have their driver's licenses renewed yearly and their sex offender status printed on their license. The law requiring this was challenged in federal court. The challenge was based on the premise that being a sex offender was belonging to a protected class and the government was singling out these members of a protected class for special requirements, just the way that race used to be used under the Jim Crow laws.

I think this is a stunningly awful use of a very creative legal mind. I saw a short blurb about this on the news and looked online to see if this was something proposed or in effect.

I am not mentioning this to have a political discussion on the merits of the legal arguments. I am not sure if other states do this or not. I wonder if this would be helpful as a way to start to protect our children a little bit better? Sure, you don't see people's licenses very often, but if you were to see this, it would be memorable. I am sure it would get around the community if it was seen. This might open up some conversations, at least. What we were doing up to now hasn't been working. It would also let law enforcement know at every contact that they were dealing with a sex offender who is either habitual or has committed an aggravated offense. This would help them when doing road blocks or setting up perimeters and checkpoints for Amber Alerts. I could see it possibly being helpful.

What are your thoughts? Will this ever be helpful?
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I just found the new channel that was on when I walked past the tv and read the article. For what it is worth, this label on the driver's license has already saved one child. A man was acting strangely and purchasing children's items when the clerk noticed the label on his license. The clerk notified the police after the man left. The clerk did not know at the time that there was an Amber Alert for a small child missing from a playground nearby. The police went to the man's address and were able to save the child.
 

ksm

Well-Known Member
I live in a nearby state, and we have a website that shows where people live. Not just sex offenders, but people on probation for felonies and drugs. I haven't been to the site for a few years, but was surprised to see so many locations near us.

Ksm
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
A protected class? For heaven's sake! The federal protected classes are sex; race; religion; color or national origin; age; and people with physical or mental handicaps. There can be others added by the states, but I can't imagine what "protected class" you'd belong to because you were a sex offender! A quick google search told me that Oklahoma uses race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information or disability. No sex offenders there! That's a unique argument, that's for sure.

Okay ... had to look it up more...Court tossed the case yesterday and said about the same thing I just did. This is a quote from a news article:

In court papers, Velchik says Carney and his attorneys also tried to liken sex offenders to minorities like racial minorities, women and gay and lesbian couples who have received discriminatory treatment from the law in the past.

“These arguments are absurd,” said Velchik. "The court correctly rejected these arguments, the opinion was unanimous for that reason."

I actually think they had some pretty good arguments - cruel and unusual punishment, etc., but the court (correctly in my opinion) did not agree.

There are many ways to get on the registry. I think it might be better for everyone if the registry was a bit more restricted to only felonies or aggravated crimes, etc. The fact is, you can get put on for indecent exposure here in Missouri. I had to fight a case once with a couple that was parking and the guy was charged with indecent exposure. I got it dropped, but had I not convinced the prosecutor, or if the guy had not hired a lawyer and just went in and pled guilty, he could have been on the register for nookie in his car at midnight by the lake.
 
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susiestar

Roll With It
We also have the website that lists offenders and what crimes they have committed. It shows what level of sex offender you are. The level corresponds to the seriousness of your crime. If you just urinated in public, you are not on the list for life and it isn't very serious. If you rape women repeatedly, that is very serious and you are on it for a long time, probably for life.
 
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