Reply #61: This is what I think [View All]

I think that the list of sex offenders should be made availabe to law enforcement, public schools, and businesses that cator to children (ie, day care centers, summer camps, privateschools, theme parks, Chuck E Cheeses, Pediatricians, Family Doctors, and toy stores). Those establishments must have that information to protect children.

As for neighborhoods I have mixed feelings. On the one hand I don't support lynch mobs coming into town and engagin in vigilante justice. On the other hand I do think parents have the right to know so that they can protect their children. If I had children I would want to know if Mr. Jones living around the block from me was a sex offender. I would want to protect my children.

A compromise that would satisfy no one would be to tell people in a neighborhood that a sex offender is there without mentioning the name or the specific location. But that would never satisfy either side.

So, ultimately, when push comes to shove, I side with telling the neighborhood. Parents should be able to have the information they need to protect their children from being harmed.

At the same time I would also state that the offender, unless he/she harms more children, must be left alone. And that anyone who tries to harm him or her or prevent him from going about his or her daily business would prosecuted, fined, and/or (depending on the circumstnace of the incident) put behind bars.