The first reference to the disease was in 1550 B.C., by 4000 B.C. many were infected. Those afflicted were made to wear clothing that identified them- Some were made to wear bells so as to announce their presence- Historically, Biblical…
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Child or Adult, Age Just Doesn’t Matter On The Registry
Recently I read a study from Johns Hopkins/Bloomberg School of Public Health/Dec.6, 2017 titled “Children on Sex Offender Registries at Greater Risk for Suicide Attempts, Study Suggests.” The article discussed how children who are legally required to register as sex…
Scammers Targeting Registrants
Scammers- They come in all shapes and sizes and use any means possible first to scare and intimidate you and then to separate you from your hard earned money. There are email scams that inform you that you’ve won big…
Sex Offender, Registrant or Registered Citizen: Does Society Care About The Label?
First I struggled with the label “sex offender”. The words sit in the mouth like a heavy after-taste. Then “registrant” became the catch-all phrase. It sounded less ominous, not quite as frightening but few outside our circle even knew what…
Witch Hunt Mentality Equals A Win For Registrants
Because of a hysteria driven, over-zealous mother, the New York State Senate recently passed legislation that prohibits placing school bus stops in front of the homes of registrants. Some may call it a “win” for this witch-hunting mother and others…
The Dating Debacle for Registrants
Who do you tell, what do you say and when do you say it? That’s just one of the many dilemmas facing single registrants trying to reintegrate back into the dating world. Getting out there an socializing is risky business…
West Virginia’s Fake News Regarding Sex Offenders
I thought it started out as a good news article from The Exponent Telegram in West Virginia. A judge was reading sex offender rules to a defendant at a sentencing hearing. The author of the article correctly noted that defendants…
A Heartless Man Without A Soul
CBS/ South Florida recently had Ron Book/Chairman of Miami-Dade Homeless Trust debating with host and investigative reporter Jim DeFede about the Miami-Dade homeless encampment that has recently been shut down. You would think someone who’s chairman of something called the…
Check Your State’s Sex Offender Treatment Board For Conflicts of Interest
A few weeks ago I wrote about registrants being used as what amounts to “uncompensated lab rats” for VASI/Visual Assessment of Sexual Interest screening in Tennessee. My concern was not only that registrants are being forced to take visual assessment…
Taxpayer’s Money Wasted on Duplicate Registry Compliance Checks
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…
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…