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Daniela Rocha

Guzman

P.2 AP English Language

6 November, 2018

Dangers of a Sex Offenders Presence

In the United States, one in every five women and one in every 71 men will be raped at

some point in their lives, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. The people

who commit rape or any other sexual crime are titled as sexual offenders. The general minimum

penalty for sexual offenders is probation and maximum penalty of 15 years. The American Legal

System ought to set more punitive sentences, making sexual assault a capital crime, due to the

danger these criminals bring to communities, to themselves and general populations in prison.

California’s criminal justice system currently separates sex offenders into three different

tiers depending on severity of the crime/s committed. Tier 1 is misdemeanors such as public

urination or nudity. Tier 2 is attempt of sexual acts towards one who can not give consent,sex

trafficking, child pornography and sexual abuse. Tier 3 is forced sexual acts, kidnapping with

sexual intent/acts, and sexual contact with a minor of 12 years of age or younger. Offenders who

fall under Tiers 2 and 3 can be listed as a registered sex offenders for a period of time ranging

from 20 years to life. The justice system can do more to punish these criminals by making Tier 2

and 3 crimes liable for life sentences and potentially the death penalty.

When a sex offender is released into the public, restoration is priority. Limitations are

established prior to releasement which include proximity to schools, parks, and any family
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events. To ensure these rules are abided by, a Sex Offender Registry allows the public access to

most recent information concerning sex offenders. This Sex Offender Registry otherwise known

as Megan’s Law, was enacted in 1996 after seven year-old Megan Kanka was raped and killed

by a “​known child molester who had moved across the street from the family without their

knowledge” (Megan’s Law 1)​. California is required to notify the public and local law

enforcement of specified registered offenders who may be a potential risk. Every other state in

the U.S. follows some form of Megan’s Law. Now everyone and anyone is allowed access to this

information for safety purposes, especially for children’s sake. The law was originally

established to protect society from child sex offenders but is now holding all sex offenders liable

of their actions.

The Sex Offender Registry creates a safer community but that does not mean citizens

should lower their guard. There is a 37% reoffense rate for offenders with previous sex related

crimes, according to the HRT. This shows a possibility of 276,930 new sex offense cases within

the release of America’s current sex offenders. Like most, there is worry that children may be

harmed. Luckily there are laws such as Megan’s Law to protect kids not only from sex offenders

with crimes towards children but also “regular” sex offenders.

The presence of sex offenders is not only risking safety within a community but also has

a negative impact on the communities economy. According to the National Bureau of Economic

Research, “when a sex offender moves into a neighborhood, houses within a one-tenth mile area

around the sex offenders home fall”. This is caused by America’s Megan Law, which evidently

affects local property value. It does not matter if the offender is reformed or not, there will be a
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4% decrease in value. Neighbors may find it difficult to live near an offender for the simple fact

they are criminal.

In some cases, members of a community take it upon themselves to seek vengeance .

This puts the offenders at risk when released into society. Growing up we learn crimes are

unacceptable and those who commit crimes are dangerous. Because of this, there is a negative

behavior towards criminals especially sex offenders. This form of behavior may lead to the harm

or even murder of an offender. The article “4 men charged with murdering Redondo Beach sex

offender” by Larry Altman reviews the the death of John Haig Marshall, a registered sex

offender. On November of 2017, four men were charged for the murder of a sex offender in

Redondo Beach, California. The victim, John Haig Marshall, had five years previously drugged a

young friend, shaved his body hair then continued to rape him. “ [Marshall] had also molested

more than a dozen other victims since the 1970’s” (Altman). Unlike the four men, Marshall was

never eligible for life in prison because his crimes were not “severe”. Not only does this case

allow people to understand negatives of releasing sex offenders but also difference in charges

between crimes.There is an unjust when it comes to the sentencing of sex offenders, who too

take away the lives of their victims. The four men who killed Marshall could potentially be put

away for life. If Marshall was rightfully charged for his crimes, these four men would not have

seeked revenge on him.

Adding onto how difficult rehabilitation is for sex offenders, countless numbers of jobs

hesitate on hiring convicts. It is understandable as to why sex offenders are not the top choice of

criminals to hire, given that about 45% of EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commision)

28,000 harassment claims are sex-based. This statistic does not even include the 84-97% of
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people who choose to never report a formal complaint. A workplace is meant to be a safe

environment. The average reoffense rate of sex offenders is too high to risk for employers. So

not only will the release of a sex offender put them in a potentially dangerous situation with

neighbors but also leave them with little chance of being employed. There is no positive outcome

for this sort of situation.

Sex offenders also have a difficult time when fitting into jail because even other criminals

see sex crimes as non-tolerable. Surviving prison is difficult enough but when a sex offenders

crimes relate to the harming of a minor/child, there is a high risk of being molested. When these

offenders are released to general population, “regular” criminals are likely to harm them as an act

of vengeance for victims. Because rates of being sexually assaulted are so high, it is likely other

criminals know victims of sexual assault or are even victims themselves. Shaun Atwood, a

London author who focuses on prison life states “There is no mercy for sex offenders in prison.

Some of the most brutal violence I’ve seen” (Atwood 4). Atwood had previously been in jail

after being caught as one of America’s Ecstasy kingpins and decided to share his knowledge of

jail with the world. Along with other prisoners, he too felt a hate towards sex offenders. A hate

that could lead to murder. According to the article “​Sex offenders 'marked men' in California

prison as many are killed at higher rate” by the ​Associated Press in Sacramento, ​sex offenders

make up 30% of homicide victims in jail when released into the general population of criminals.

As a result, state governments are left with expensive medical bills to pay for. It is cheaper to

charge sex offenders with the death penalty. According to CBS News an annual cost of an

offender in California is $173,000 meanwhile a criminal under the death penalty costs $90,000

annually. If sex crimes were to become capital crimes, society will not have to deal with the
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troubles of sex offenders’ attempted rehabilitation. Being separated from G.P. prisoners til

execution is the cheaper and more reasonable option.

The opposer may argue sex offenders deserve second chance at life but there are not

enough resources to fulfill the rehabilitation of sex offenders. There are sex offenders out there

who are registered for actions as small as urinating in public. In these situations, it is necessary

to address the intensity of the crime. It would not be fair to charge delinquents with lifetime

sentences for minor idiotic actions. When rape is the sexual crimet acted, that is when it is

necessary to charge with long term sentences or even the death penalty. As stated previously

there is a 37% chance of sexual offenders having a reoffense. This is why it is safer to just keep

them off the streets and also cheaper for the taxpayers.

One crime , such as sexual assault, becomes a large scale issue. This affects not only the

criminal and victim but also anyone near the presence of the sexual offender. Organizations like

SOMP (Sex Offender Management Program) focus on the separation of sex offenders from

general population, keeping the offender and others safe. It is necessary to further fund these

organizations for a finer and safer society.

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Works Cited

Atwood, Shaun. “What Happens to Sex Offenders in Prison?”. ​Shaun Attwood​. Penguin Books.

fffff​16 February 2016.shaunattwood.com/surviving-the-usas-deadliest-jail-adult/. 23 September

fffff​2018.

Altman, Larry. “4 Men Charged with Murdering Redondo Beach Sex Offender.”. ​The Beach

​ eporter.​ Unkown. 31 January 2018. tbrnews.com/news/redondo_beach/men-charged-with

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fffff​-murdering-redondo-beach-sex-offender/articffffle_23e2595c-fa1a-11e7-b3fb-5f89e1d55ba4

fffff​.html. 23 September 2018.

Francis, David R. “Megan's Law Hits Local Property Prices.”. ​NBER​. NBER. 7 May 2012.

fffff​www.nber.org/digest/jun06/w12253.html​. 23 September 2018.

Black, Basile. “Get Statistics.” ​Sexual Assault Statistics | National Sexual Violence Resource

​ enter (NSVRC)​. NSVRC. 5 January 2013. ​www.nsvrc.org/statistics​. 23 September 2018

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Greenblatt, Alan. “States Struggle To Control Sex Offender Costs.” ​NPR​. NPR. 28 May 2010.

fffffff​www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127220896​. 23 September 2018.

Yoder, Steven. “New Evidence Says US Sex-Offender Policies Are Actually Causing More

Crime.” ​Quartz.​ Quartz. 21 December 2016. qz.com/869499/new-evidence-says-us-sex-

fffffff​offender-policies-dont-work-and-are-are-actually-causing-more-crime/. 23 September 2018

Yoder, Steven. “New Evidence Says US Sex-Offender Policies Are Actually Causing More

fffffff​Crime.” ​Quartz.​ Quartz. 21 Dec. 2016.qz.com/869499/new-evidence-says-us-sex-offender-

fffffff​policies-dont-work-and-are-are-actually-causing-more-crime/. 23 September 2018

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Sacramento, Associated Press in. “Sex Offenders 'Marked Men' in California Prison as Many

fffff​Are Killed at Higher Rate.” ​The Guardian,​ Guardian News and Media, 16 Feb 2015.

fffff​www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/16/sex-offenders-killed-higher-rate-california-priso

fffff​n. 23 September 2018