Cathy Seipp writes about it in today's WSJ.

It's a consistency issue. Can I also learn about common garden (no children, or meaningful sexual component involved) paroled murdurers living near me, for example? Other serious criminal convicts?

I wouldn't be surprised if there is genuine sex offender lobby. After all, the laws are burdensome (I'm not commenting on the morality of the laws here) for them and seems like everyone, with an ax to grind, lobbies.

I feel I should have the right to know if there are any lawyers living near me.
Don't get me wrong- I'm certainly not rich enough to live in a lawyer-type neighborhood, but if there are any within 10 miles I do feel threatened.

Having served on a jury involving a sex crime, I agree with Frank on the consistency issue. The life long stigma with registration was a major issue in deliberations.

Personally, I think if the thought is a person committing a sex assualt can be rehabilitated (thus the rational for anything short of life without parole), then lets assume the person is rehabilitated. Otherwise, acknowledge that some criminals cannot be rehabilitated and treat them as such. Sexual criminal registration is just a muddy middle ground that serves only a small minority.

Again having served for such a case, I have no problem with severe penalties. The trauma seemed to me far greater than what most people can grasp or would ever want to know.

I think there should be several levels on this penalty. You can't just lump all sex offfenders together. There are many differerent circumstances to be aware of and no juvenile say for instance that just turned 18 should have to walk aroundlike a terrible criminal record like that all his life.Make the punishment fit the crime. If this country continues to be blind we will need 100's of more prisons built.

Make the punishment fit the crime

What you must mean is "Make the punishment fit the crime and fit the criminal". Yes, if the age of consent is 18, then an 18-19 year old having sex with a 17 year old should be treated very differently (although still illegal) than a 30 year old having sex with a 17 year old. Although AFAIK most statutory rape laws make such distinction already.

Ilya,

That really is the rub here isn't it. Sex Offender registration rarely differentiates between severity of the crime, since it is a classification for type of crime.