I was a close relative to a man who told me a very sad story about his life. He seemed a broken man. With hopelessness in his very soul, and a bleak outlook towards the future he wrote his story as follows.

I was only 12 years old when I was charged with two counts of sex abuse for behavior that had ceased at age 9. After enduring physical, mental, sexual, and emotional abuse in the custody of the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), I completed my treatment at 16. Despite being classified as a no-risk offender, & being allowed to return to my home where the victim also resided, I was forced to accept a false charge for failure to register before returning home. This was presented to me by my probation officer after my graduation from treatment as an ultimatum. I was to sign documents allowing the state to charge me with failure to register as a sex offender, which I was not guilty of. This would allow me to return to my home and family, which I had been working to achieve for far too long to have any consideration for any other option. The fact that up until that point, I was in state custody, and given the paperwork to register at the required time frames like clockwork, held no bearing on the filing of the charge. 

The alternative being that I do not sign the documents allowing the phony charge. At which point I would remain in the custody of OYA, and would be placed in a maximum security youth center until I was 25 years old. At which time I would still be required to sign the release allowing the phony charge for failure to register. Otherwise I would then at 25 years old, be moved to an adult prison until I signed the papers.

Signing this document was to allow the state to register me as a sex offender in the adult system. It would allow them to continue keeping me under, "supervision" despite having completed treatment and being labeled as a no risk offender.

I was 9 when I quit offensive behavior, 12 when I was charged due to statute of limitation laws and coercive interview tactics, 16 when I graduated from treatment and returned home which I understood meant that I had fulfilled the states requirements and my debt to society was finally paid. I was led to believe I would be able to live a normal adult life after that. Which didn't turn out to be the case.

I am now 33 years old. Not even close to the same person I had been at 9 years old when the crimes were committed. Since completing my treatment and being forced onto the adult registry, I have been denied the right to pursue true happiness as it is my right as an American to do. Despite being rehabilitated, and labeled as a no risk offender, I have lost numerous housing opportunities because no rental management company will allow my name to be on a lease agreement. I have lost many romantic relationship opportunities due to the inability to hold on to any job opportunities past the discovery of my label. It has also lost me well earned career advancement opportunities. Because I am a registered sex offender, I cannot be the assistant manager, manager, supervisor, or any other workplace role that would give me a level of pay that would allow me to become self sufficient.  There are very few people who are willing to look past what is shown on a background check, or give me the opportunity to explain my situation, prior to dismissing me from their lives. This affects all aspects of my life. From potential friendships, potential partners, and family connections, all the way to potential employers, work colleagues, and possible customers I could have worked for. Anyone who looks me up, see's 2 failure to registers on my record. The first of which was a bogus charge that never actually happened. And the second wouldn't have happened had the state held true to their word and released my obligation to register upon completion of my treatment program.

I have accepted the fact that I am now roughly halfway through my life. I am afraid that unless I take action to reform these laws, I will become another lonely, homeless vagrant wanderer. Which is said assuming I choose to continue living as an isolated, cast aside individual with no hope for a better tomorrow. I have debated my willingness to live that life again, and again over the years as my prospective opportunities dwindle. I have talked to many of the homeless population in various cities and have heard similar stories.
 
This is not just my story; it's an issue affecting many young lives across Yamhill County, the state of Oregon, and I'm sure elsewhere. It's time we reconsider how our system treats juveniles who have committed sexual offenses under certain circumstances.

Current laws require past, present, and future juveniles who have committed crimes of a sexual nature to register as sex offenders for their entire lives. This lifelong label can cause significant harm to these individuals' futures—limiting employment opportunities and stigmatizing them within their communities.

According to Human Rights Watch (2013), youth sex offenders are four times more likely than their adult counterparts to commit suicide due to social isolation and stigma associated with registration. Moreover, research shows that most youth offenders do not reoffend sexually as adults (Letourneau et al., 2013).

We propose that past, present, and future juvenile offenders adjudicated of sex crimes below a class A felony, and having committed these crimes prior to age 15, as well as have successfully completed a treatment program prior to age 18, and furthermore have not committed any further crimes of a sexual nature, will not be required to register as sex offenders for the remainder of their life. Secondly, i propose that we seal records of said youth from public scrutiny - protecting them from undue prejudice while still ensuring community safety. This includes any charges for failure to register committed as an adult.

For those who were once lost but found their way back on track after paying our dues - this change could mean everything. If you wish to have an impact on minimizing the homeless population, and providing hope to those who have exhausted it within themselves; if you agree that it's time we give these young individuals a chance at redemption rather than condemning them into adulthood based on mistakes made during childhood, please sign this petition urging lawmakers in Oregon to reform juvenile sex offender registration laws.