[Rocket1968]

One of the victims, Elliott, was convicted of having consentual sex with a girl less than a month away from the age of consent. He was 19 at the time. He was hardly a predator type. That is the problem with the registry in Maine, there is no way to differentiate between the real predators and those who, like Elliott, used poor judgment. There is no suggestion that he was considered an ongoing threat.

[PLK]

One of the victims, Elliott, was convicted of having consentual sex with a girl less than a month away from the age of consent. He was 19 at the time. He was hardly a predator type. That is the problem with the registry in Maine, there is no way to differentiate between the real predators and those who, like Elliott, used poor judgment. There is no suggestion that he was considered an ongoing threat.

Common sense died when political correctness came into vogue. Can't have some sex offenders "profiled" as being worse now, can we????

[TNCMAXQ]

There was a story reported here on FR about a senior citizen in IL who was going to have to be listed as a sex offender because he simply grabbed a girl by the arm. She rode into the street on her bicycle and laughed at him when he almost ran into her. He was so mad he got out and grabbed her arm to yell at her. This brat goes screaming to her parents who then had the man arrested and the state said he should be on the sex offender list. How absurd. So there is a chance that guys who are not rapists/abusers could be victimized.

[Hoodlum91]

In Massachusetts, if a guy got cited for relieving himself on the side of a road he had to register as a sex offender.

I'm not sure if they've closed that loophole yet.

[Jim Noble]

That is the problem with the registry in Maine

That's a problem with all of them, and it's the same problem as schools teaching "your Dad's scotch is a drug just like cocaine".

The powers HATE being made to do something they don't want to do (in this case, making a sex offender registry, or giving negative messages about drugs in schools).

So, they make it as useless as possible.

[Sullytr]

I totally agree! I think the registry needs to be abolished. Too many non-violent offenders and rather innocent people are placed on it. The real rapists and predators should remain in prison. And for those who aren’t are a real threat, to society, once they’ve served their time, should have the chance to redemption. William Elliott did not deserve to die over having consensual sex with a teenager only shy of two lousy weeks, the age of consent. I don’t know much about the other victims story, but neither did he deserve to die. These individuals are in no compassion, the most heinous rapists/ murderers, as those who killed Megan Kankakee. I don’t care what anyone thinks. This registry was originally implemented to protect children and families, but now all it does is more harm than good!