As a offender who has been sentenced for a crime and paid my debt to society by completing a 13 year prison sentence along with 3 years of supervised release, I often feel that the registry laws do force a burden that is in effect equal to the death sentence.
Here in Pennsylvania, I now have gone from 10 year registrant to a lifetime (when I was released in 2004 I had to register for 10 years); now laws keep changing. and I must register for life every three months. Also my car and all email accounts and place of work must be updated, along with any time I’m out of my home for vacation and where I’m spending that time.
I must pay for the gas to go register along with the usual hour wait to get the registering updated. Not to mention the attitude you get from the state cops who are forced to do this job that they wouldn’t care to.
I must also do extra yard work from the people that throw trash into the yard. since my address is in sight of any person feeling the need to relieve their stress by bashing some one else.
Was I wrong in 1992 when I committed my offense? Without a doubt. Did I understand that? Not fully, and today I can say maybe the death sentence would have been a better choice at time of plea agreement.
Just to add to my original post Since new PA laws effecting all offenders tier levels. I have learned first hand that a vacation is almost out of the question.
I traveled to a friends residence in florida so i had to do research on the laws there as well.
In PA i had to notify when i was leaving and returning and upon landing in fla i had to register at the county jail and had to be booked and released was written on the paper but no arrest.
Now i was detained in the day room area i believe while a warrant check was most likely done. the whole event took a hour and half at least.
And another hour was spent in the state police barracks registering in PA.
Now my friends address is a target for damage from who knows all.
I also heard the town mayor of fort Myers say they are going to pass a ordinance that no sex offender will be allowed within 300 yards of parks. his comment was were going to smoke them out.
How do these politicians get away with this???
So vacation really wasnt much of a vacation more like a education in learning to cover all the angles because if you miss a step and fall out of grace with knowing every possible trap set forth towards you it can be considered a crime of a felony punishable by 20 years in prison That my friends is psychological rape.