We just found out due to the Adam Walsh Act my husband has been re-classified as a tier 2 offender and must register for 25 years. While other states have implemented these new classifications already, our state has been fighting lawsuits which delayed it until now.
Despite the fact that he was deemed low risk to re-offend by a psychosocial assessment conducted by a court appointed psychologist. This act classifies the offender based on the crime itself and not the circumstances or any evaluations.
I wish people understood that the majority of registered offenders do not re-offend. Also, majority of children who are victims of sexual abuse have been abused by family and friends, not some stranger.
It frustrates me that there is not a public registry for other crimes. Why don't people who are arrested for driving while intoxicated (a common crime in my state, which threatens the lives of many people) have to put a bumper sticker on their car, providing "community notification" to other drivers so they can then choose to "stay away". Why not make a public registry for those convicted of domestic violence or those with restraining orders against them?
I am just venting now, but I am anxious to see what our lives will be like once he is on the public registry.
