[Note: Friends of Justice is a personal blog. I speak only for myself.]
Exclusive focus on the young offender—rather than a rejection of the entire sex offender regime—avoids the larger, less politically popular truth. “Sex offender registries are harmful to kids and to adults,” says Emily Horowitz, associate professor of sociology and criminal justice at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, and a board member of the National Center for Reason & Justice, which works for sensible child-protective policies and against unjust sex laws. “No evidence exists that they prevent sex crimes either by juvenile offenders or adult offenders.”
Read the Counterpunch article by Judith Levine (NCRJ Board Member) and Erica Meiners.
Thank you so much for this excellent article. The bigger picture is that the registry does not work in keeping the public safe. As you know and point out, many studies show that the registry does much more harm than good to millions of innocent people not just the injustice to many convicted of nonviolent and even victim-less crimes. Please keep up your excellent work!