By Chris . . . In 2013, I was convicted of having consensual sex with a 27 y/o adult. I was a probation officer having a mental break down and she was on probation with my department.
I was on her probation officer when the relationship occurred. I didn’t have power over her, nor did I intimidate her into doing anything she didn’t want to do. But here we are. The government apparently has nothing better to do than to worry about what two consenting adults are doing in a bedroom.
The judge thankfully realized the uniqueness of what occurred and I received two years of probation. I underwent a sex offender evaluation and was determined to have not be a danger or have any behaviors requiring S.O. treatment.
But I still had to register as a sex offender. My state has one of the more lenient registration laws in the country. Of course sex offender laws are really intended to keep child predators from harming children, right?
So being the dangerous public menace I am, I cannot take my son to watch a high school basketball or football game. But I can take him to the school playground on a Sunday when school is out to play basketball. So I cannot go to the school when children are supervised but I can go when children may be running around the school yards on the weekend without their parents. Does that make sense to anyone? It is the definition of insanity.
Now I get to pay $40 every time I want to report any change to the sheriff’s office. Nothing like squeezing money out of people who have problems finding meaningful employment because of how we have been labeled. Name one other situation in which you have to pay someone, anyone, to report an address change or e-mail change? If this is not punishment, I do not know what is.
Employment has been a huge problem since this happened. I couldn’t even get a job at Kmart. When they won’t hire you, you know you are in trouble. Finally I’ve resorted to starting my own business which has had mixed results so far.
I’m tired of sitting on my hands waiting for something to change. I do not have any money, but I do have a voice. I’m going to form a group in my state to advocate for changes to the criminal justice system which include getting rid of sex offender registration. I’m smart, communicate well and fearless. Maybe I can use that all to my advantage to help with some kind of change.
It is a matter of time until we all win this fight. Keep your heads up. Stay positive and keep fighting. We will overcome this soon.
Did you do it during work hours, huh?
“The government apparently has nothing better to do than to worry about what two consenting adults are doing in a bedroom.”
And Probation Officers have nothing better to do than earn their paychecks by being the government’s legalized bully system. Now you’re getting a taste of your own medicine because if you had been the P.O. for someone else with a similar case as yours, you’d put ALL the same restrictions on them as they’ve put on you.
“I’m going to form a group in my state to advocate for changes to the criminal justice system which include getting rid of sex offender registration. ”
Why not also form a group to petition to get ride of the probation department? Being that you worked there once, you know first hand that it’s a waste of tax payer money and you cannot and do not “monitor” your clients 24/7. Even with ankle monitors, you wouldn’t know if your client is snorting cocaine but you’ll see on the monitor that he’s at home so you feel “safe”.
Another thing you are well aware of is that if a person refused a short prison term with probation to follow, they can. And they can opt for a longer prison term with NO probation to follow. If everyone did that, your buddies at the probation office would be out of a job. There is no law that REQUIRES that a judge add probation to ANY conviction.
Part of me doesn’t feel sorry for you. Now you see how the probation dept is nothing but a bully system just WAITING for a dumb reason to violate people. And many times, if they can’t find a reason, they’ll fabricate one and they know the judge will side with them because they are working for the courts.
Seems like a he said she said ordeal and the man got weak, when in fact they are the ones’ that suppose to guide and do what the courts say. Mingling with those under your probation authority is going to get one in trouble. Now from what I know about probation officers they are only servants that to take their orders from the judge and while its your discretion to measure out discipline or rules she overcame you with her sexual charms.
I don’t know who’s plan it was but we are all weak in area’s. This is an example for all of us. While this is a different scenario than those duped up in internet offenses or on hand offenses it is still up to the discretion of the judge. I think you were lucky as it could have been worse.