I am really amazed that you would publish a cartoon like this that does encourage HATE, reinforces ignorance about the sex-offender laws, which is already too much and encourages vigilantiism. Do you know how many people are on the registry who are not dangerous at all, esp. to children?
These laws are out of control.
The number of truly dangerous pedophiles is relatively small and contrary to public opinion are more likely to live in your house or be in your family/neighbors. Check out the registry. You’re liable to see someone who looks like your mailman, grocery clerk,etc. And the numbers are growing exponentially. As long as opportunistic politicians and a soundbite, drama-driven media, ala Fox/Nancy Grace types can make reputations out of this issue, it will continue to reinforce overreactions. The prison system, esp. the Super Max system has become a for-profit business, which gives more political power to state officials and also brings in additional funds. It’s one of the main reasons that prisons are so overcrowded. Crimes that in the past that would have gotten a fine or short stay in jail now put people in prison for much longer periods. The registry is so bloated that the criminal justice system is kept so busy dealing with the numbers who are on the registry that are no dangerous, it keeps them from focusing enough on those, like Garrido, who are.
And men who are not dangerous do not belong on the registry.
The truly dangerous make up between 1-5 percent of the total population of people forced with the label and stigma of sex offender. Most do not deserve the label just as many who are in U.S. prisons don’t belong there either. People on the registry (far too many innocent or not dangerous) have been murdered, committed suicide, had their homes set afire, been evicted, lost their jobs, etc. Stephen Marshall killed two men who were on the sex-offender registry in Maine. One of the men Marshall killed, Joseph Gray, was on the registry for raping a child. The other, William Elliott, was listed because he’d slept with his girlfriend before she turned 16. Eighty-seven percent of people who were arrested for sex crimes had not previously been convicted study of such an offense, according to a 1997 study. Just 14 percent of all sexual assault cases involved strangers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Stats.
Who is ACTUALLY on the Registry?
1. Romeo and Juliet liasons, false accusations of vindictive teens against an older teen (18 or 19)
2.False accusation by vindictive parents in child custody cases and/or family feuds – There are more of these than most people would believe. There are many reports of people who admit to having lied about being molested when they were younger. Now they would like to have the person wrongly convicted on their testimony set free.
3.Mutual consensual sex – but being 3 years and one day older than the willing teen (can bring and has brought multiple felony indictments)
4. Sex between consenting teen prostitute (who looks older and even may have lied about her age) with an adult male
5. Criminal charges that later are dropped for insufficient proof but not appealed in time, so still on registry
To learn more, go to RSOL (Reform Sex Offender Laws) or F.A.S.T. (False Allegation Support Team)
Watch MSNBC’s documentary, Witch Hunt w/Sean Penn. Learn the truth about the way the laws have changed for the worse and are now abusing innocent people or people who are not clearly no danger to children.
Patricia Winchild, Maryland
