For those registrants that are out on parole, home visits by a parole officer come with the territory. Let’s just say there are good P.O.’s and bad P.O.’s. Some arrive on your doorstep inconspicuously, badges slightly hidden so as not…
Category: registry
Registry Restrictions VS Parental Rights
Recently I wrote a piece on Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin’s denying and then limiting a father who also happens to be a registrant, access to visit his ill child in the hospital. A father who was doing right by his…
How To Eat An Elephant
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. That’s how solving an enormous problem has often been described. You just keep at it, taking one small bite at a time until the entire problem is devoured. That’s…
Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin RX Is “Cruel & Unusual Punishment”
Having a seriously ill child is heartbreak enough, but a father prevented from visiting his sick child makes this story even more tragic and it should never have happened in the first place. This is “bad medicine” at it’s worst! Stuart…
Registrants: Uncompensated Research Subjects
Are registrants uncompensated lab rats? TN sex offender treatment includes the use of VASI/Visual Assessment of Sexual Interest screening. From the little amount of information available online regarding VASI, it’s similar to the AASI/Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest developed by…
Do Conditions of Parole Violate the First Amendment?
For those registrants under parole, commonly referred to as “supervision”, it comes as quite a shock when you are first informed that you can’t have a smartphone or access to the internet, all violations of parole for most registrants. Access…
TN Sex Offender Treatment: A Conflict of Interest
When TN registrants are court mandated to attend sex offender therapy, you would assume that therapy is being delievered by a professional, unbiased counselor or therapist. But, no, if you read the “Philosophy of Sex Offender Treatment” put out by…
Aging on the Registry Can Be Hazardous To Your Health and Freedom
One of the hazards of aging is memory lapses. If we’re fortunate enough to make it into our 50’s,60’s and beyond, we may start noticing that we forget little things, where you left the car keys, where you put your…
A Camper In The Woods: A Counselor’s Definition of “Housing Success”
One More Suicide Is One Too Many
Fear of life on the registry may be responsible for another life cut short. On Tuesday, 1/30/2018 the news reported that former “Glee” TV show” actor, Mark Salling died of an apparent suicide. Mark had been found guilty of possession…
Registrants and PTSD Screening
Periodically registrants in Sex Offender Group Therapy (you know, that “one-size-fits-all” group therapy that most registrants on supervision are mandated to attend after release from prison) are asked to fill out a screening questionnaire. The questionnaire asks about their basic…
TN TBI Blames Partial Budget Shortfall on “Uncollected Sex Offender Fees”
Thank you TN for dropping this blog piece right in my lap, it makes my job so much easier! The state of TN Comptroller of the Treasury/ Jan.2018 Audit is complete and it’s not looking good for TBI. Although there’s…
Does Social Justice Exist for Registrants?
There are dozens of definitions of Social Justice. Wikipedia defines it as the concept of fair and just relations between the individual and society. This is measured by the explicit and tacit terms for the distribution of wealth, opportunities…
Sex Offense: An Unpayable Debt?
“No matter how much time you’ve spent in prison, you haven’t exactly paid your debt to society.” This was recently told to a group of registrants by a counselor in a sex offender therapy group. So, are sex offenses an…
TN US District Court Case May Be Pivotal for Registrants
A case filed in US District Court, Nashville, TN last week has the potential to be a pivotal point in changing the registry, not only for John Doe who is filing the suit, but for all registrants. Plaintiff John Doe…
If We Are Sex Offenders, They Are Sex Offenders !
Sexual Misconduct. Sexual Harassment. Inappropriate Sexual Behavior. Sexual Advances. Propositioning. Groping. Indecent Photos. Non-Consensual Sex. We are at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to those of power, fame and fortune being knocked off their pedestals for sexual…
Be An Educated Consumer When It Comes To Court Mandated Sex Offender Therapy
Any Group Therapy is supposed to be a “safe” environment. A setting conducive to treatment, a place where one feels safe and secure enough to open up about their issues not only to the therapist who oversees the group but also…
Registrants Forced to Wear “Imaginary Blinders”
I sure you’ve seen horses wearing blinders. Their purpose is to keep the horse looking straight ahead and focused, keep the horse’s side view blinded so that it doesn’t become distracted by anything in it’s peripheral vision. It prevents the…
The Registry Sabotages Chances of Employment
I overheard a P.O. tell a registrant “You need to make finding a job, your job. Get out there from 7AM to 4PM, knocking on doors, looking for a job.” I wanted to tell her to “Snap Out Of It…
The Indignity of the Registry
Nothing says Indignity like being on the Registry! There’s the indignity of Compliance checks. Unannounced visits, intrusive walk-thru’s of your house, questions that, if asked of anyone else, would be deemed totally inappropriate . I’m not yet sure how I’m…