To whom it may concern;

 

The current news story of Kaitlyn Hunt has brought to the forefront the huge disparity in types of sex crimes for which the stigma follows the offender forever. From teenagers experimenting with their sexuality, to dangerous sexual predators for whom recidivism is practically a given, there is a wide range of risks to society.

 

The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act has required states to adopt uniform registry rules in order to receive funding, but many are reluctant to stigmatize the group least likely to reoffend or to become adult offenders. Statistics show that experimenting teenagers are part of that group.

 

As a parent, when I check a new or future neighborhood for sex offenders, I am unable to differentiate between the groups. To solve the problem, I offer the following solution: A color-coded registry system.

 

·         Blue- teenaged offenders/ consensual experimentation

 

·         Orange- Rape, sexual assault, 1st offense

 

·         Red- Adult/ violent offender/ Child molester/repeat offender

 

There should be rules limiting the consequences for blue offenders regarding where they can live and work. Those limits are necessary for other types of sex offenders, but not necessary for the blue group. This will give states the freedom to uniformly apply laws to each group, satisfying the Adam Walsh requirement, and also give parents some peace of mind, while fairly distributing consequences to appropriate circumstances. It will also narrow down for Law Enforcement the groups required to be questioned under certain circumstances.

 

I believe this solution will resolve many of the issues involved in reporting sex offenses. It is important that we track ALL sexual offenders, since they show little self-control, but to lump them all together without regard to the nature and circumstances of their crime is unfair.

 

Sincerely,

 

Lesley Mays