From MD Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA):
Washington's WTOP 103.5 reports that over 800 sex offenders will be removed from the Maryland sex offender registry.
A Court of Appeals ruling declares that retroactively requiring sex offenders to register violates Maryland's constitution; therefore, the process of removing names of offenders convicted before 1995 has begun.
Some victims' rights groups are very concerned about the ruling. However, others believe it was always an imperfect system.
For the full story, click here.
MCASA was in the news story:
"Most sex offenses are not reported, most sex offenders are not convicted, and so most sex offenders are not on the registry," says Lisae C. Jordan, Esq., executive director of the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
"We always worry that the registry created a false sense of security," she says.
Communities can protect themselves from sexual predators through prevention, education and awareness, Jordan says.
"Things that will make people more aware of how sex offenders operate," she continues. "The things we can do to help stop them, and the things that will send a message to potential sex offenders that we are going to stop them ... arrest them and convict them."
"Unfortunately, you need to be suspect when someone is trying to get you to allow them to be alone with your child, or take care of your child and do things that might be helpful to you," Jordan says. "But you really need to make sure that the motives there are not ones that will be harmful to your kid."
While strongly promoting prevention, Jordan says she's concerned the Court of Appeals ruling will make the sex offender registry less useful.
"We're going to have less information and there are some very scary sex offenders who we used to know about and were able to easily find that we're no longer going to be able to keep track of," Jordan says.
Washington's WTOP 103.5 reports that over 800 sex offenders will be removed from the Maryland sex offender registry.
A Court of Appeals ruling declares that retroactively requiring sex offenders to register violates Maryland's constitution; therefore, the process of removing names of offenders convicted before 1995 has begun.
Some victims' rights groups are very concerned about the ruling. However, others believe it was always an imperfect system.
For the full story, click here.
MCASA was in the news story:
"Most sex offenses are not reported, most sex offenders are not convicted, and so most sex offenders are not on the registry," says Lisae C. Jordan, Esq., executive director of the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
"We always worry that the registry created a false sense of security," she says.
Communities can protect themselves from sexual predators through prevention, education and awareness, Jordan says.
"Things that will make people more aware of how sex offenders operate," she continues. "The things we can do to help stop them, and the things that will send a message to potential sex offenders that we are going to stop them ... arrest them and convict them."
"Unfortunately, you need to be suspect when someone is trying to get you to allow them to be alone with your child, or take care of your child and do things that might be helpful to you," Jordan says. "But you really need to make sure that the motives there are not ones that will be harmful to your kid."
While strongly promoting prevention, Jordan says she's concerned the Court of Appeals ruling will make the sex offender registry less useful.
"We're going to have less information and there are some very scary sex offenders who we used to know about and were able to easily find that we're no longer going to be able to keep track of," Jordan says.
