The gender breakdown of Massachusetts inmates is very typical when compared with the national average: About a quarter of all inmates were incarcerated for a drug-related offense. The ethnicity of Massachusetts inmates is also fairly typical compared to national averages. The population of Hispanic inmates is on the rise, while the other ethnic prison population is declining.
Sex Offender Laws in the US September 11, End Registration of Juveniles, Residency Restrictions and Online Registries Acknowledgements Human Rights Watch would like to thank all of the survivors of sexual violence, former offenders and their families, social workers, advocates, law enforcement officials, and attorneys who shared their experiences and perspective with us for this report.
We are especially grateful to those who trusted us with very painful and personal stories. Corinne Carey, former researcher for the US Program, undertook the original research for this report.
Ian Gorvin, deputy director of the Program Office, and Aisling Reidy, senior legal counsel, edited the report. Robert Prentky, and Dr.
Levenson for providing guidance and insights in helping us to shape the research and writing of this report. Wetterling also reviewed the report. Human Rights Watch would also like to thank Peter B.
Summary The reality is that sex offenders are a great political target, but that doesn't mean any law under the sun is appropriate. There is no simple cure to the very complex problem of sexual violence. In February she was abducted from her home in Florida, raped, and buried alive by a stranger, a next-door neighbor who had been twice convicted of molesting children.
Over the past decade, several horrific crimes like Jessica's murder have captured massive media attention and fueled widespread fears that children are at high risk of assault by repeat sex offenders.
Politicians have responded with a series of laws, including the sex offender registration, community notification, and residency restriction laws that are the subject of this report. Federal law and the laws of all 50 states now require adults and some juveniles convicted of specified crimes that involve sexual conduct to register with law enforcement-regardless of whether the crimes involved children.
So-called "Megan's Laws" establish public access to registry information, primarily by mandating the creation of online registries that provide a former offender's criminal history, current photograph, current address, and other information such as place of employment.
In many states everyone who is required to register is included on the online registry. A growing number of states and municipalities have also prohibited registered offenders from living within a designated distance typically to 2, feet of places where children gather-for example, schools, playgrounds, and daycare centers.
Human Rights Watch appreciates the sense of concern and urgency that has prompted these laws. They reflect a deep public yearning for safety in a world that seems increasingly threatening.
Every child has the right to live free from violence and sexual abuse. Promoting public safety by holding offenders accountable and by instituting effective crime prevention measures is a core governmental obligation.
Unfortunately, our research reveals that sex offender registration, community notification, and residency restriction laws are ill-considered, poorly crafted, and may cause more harm than good: The registration laws are overbroad in scope and overlong in duration, requiring people to register who pose no safety risk; Under community notification laws, anyone anywhere can access online sex offender registries for purposes that may have nothing to do with public safety.
Harassment of and violence against registrants have been the predictable result; In many cases, residency restrictions have the effect of banishing registrants from entire urban areas and forcing them to live far from their homes and families. The evidence is overwhelming, as detailed in this report, that these laws cause great harm to the people subject to them.
On the other hand, proponents of these laws are not able to point to convincing evidence of public safety gains from them. Even assuming some public safety benefit, however, the laws can be reformed to reduce their adverse effects without compromising that benefit.
Registration laws should be narrowed in scope and duration. Publicly accessible online registries should be eliminated, and community notification should be accomplished solely by law enforcement officials.
Blanket residency restrictions should be abolished. Public Safety and Mistaken Premises Proponents of sex offender registration and community notification believe they protect children in two ways: Advocates for residency restrictions believe they will limit offenders' access to children and their temptation or ability to commit new crimes.
While these beliefs may seem intuitively correct, they are predicated on several widely shared but nonetheless mistaken premises. Given these faulty underpinnings, it is not surprising that there is little evidence that the laws have in fact reduced the threat of sexual abuse to children or others.
Sex offender laws are based on preventing the horrific crimes that inspired them-but the abduction, rape, and murder of a child by a stranger who is a previously convicted sex offender is a rare event. The laws offer scant protection for children from the serious risk of sexual abuse that they face from family members or acquaintances.Prison Writing Program.
Founded in , the PEN Prison Writing Program believes in the restorative, rehabilitative and transformative possibilities of writing. We provide hundreds of imprisoned writers across the country with free writing resources, skilled mentors, and audiences for their work.
Criminal records are all public information - any US citizen can access these records by simply going to the appropriate county courthouse and viewing the records, unless they are sealed or the specific county has stipulations for accessing these records.
Official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Safety advice for Merrimack Valley residents State fire officials offer safety tips for using hot plates, grills, and space heaters. Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more.
Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking for.
Write an Inmate - Free Inmate Penpal Listings. K likes. Loneliness is one of the greatest challenges they face each day. Mail call may be the lowest. What you need for Find an inmate You will need to provide the inmate's full first and last name or their commitment number. Be advised, website is not run by the Department of Correction and any questions should be directed to VINELink support.