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…
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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…
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…
Sex Offense + Civil Commitment = A Second Prison Sentence
Time served should be just that, a sentence of time decided by the court that has a beginning and an end. Apparently this is not so for sex offenders. Some sex offenders seem to be getting caught up in the…
A Camper In The Woods: A Counselor’s Definition of “Housing Success”
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…
Changing the Question “IS” the Answer
Have you had any contact with children? That’s the standard question to registrants from P.O.’s and polygraph technicians. Shouldn’t the question be, “Have you had any “Inappropriate” contact with children?” Wouldn’t that solve a lot of the registry woes? It’s…
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…
Registrants Not Allowed to Celebrate Halloween/ Fall Holidays
Hear ye, Hear ye, All Registrants, You Are Not Allowed to Celebrate Fall ! According to the Halloween/Fall Holiday paperwork one registrant received, Registrants can not celebrate the Fall Holidays! Not just Halloween, THE FALL HOLIDAYS! What does that mean?…