Looking over the top 10 paid iPhone apps list today, the list appeared pretty typical: A bunch of games, a camera app, etc. Then I noticed one called Offender Locator [iTunes link], mostly because it has a creepy icon. I figured it was a game — it’s anything but. It’s an app to show you registered sex offenders living around you.
While all 50 states require that sexual offenders register themselves, and allow anyone to access the information online, most people never look at it. That’s why it’s surprising that this app is a top seller — especially considering that it’s not free (it’s $0.99). Certainly, it’s good to be aware of these people living around you — especially if they have committed acts against children, and you have children — but it’s interesting that it’s the iPhone that is making such information “popular.”
The app allows you to see a list of offenders based on your current location (using the iPhone’s location services), any contact’s address, or it allows you to manually enter an address. The app then scours the database and lists the sexual offenders based on their proximity to the location you gave. You can click on any of these names to get a picture of the person, their information like date of birth, height, weight, and a picture. And you can also see the specific sexual crime they were charged with.
But, as you might imagine, such an app is not without controversy. First of all, there’s a disclaimer when you first load it up warning that all of the information may not be accurate. The reason it gives are that the sexual offender lists are continuously updating, so some parts may be out of date or incomplete.
An even bigger problem is that the app may not be legal in all states. As someone who reviewed the app notes, “This app is not legal, at least under CA law. Selling the personal information of people (even ex-criminals) for profit is forbidden.” It is rather odd that this app costs money when the information is available freely on the web. As a top 10 app, the developer is likely making thousands of dollars a day off of this app.
Am I the only one who is bothered by sex offender registries?
It seem rather uncool to brand people with a scarlet letter after they’ve already made their restitution, especially since you can be declared a sex offender without having harmed anyone (urinating in public, texting dirty pictures, etc).
I think that can only happen in america.
Plus i also think it’s going to be a great app for nymphos
LOL… I would actually be ready to pay for something like that
It’s Friday night… I’m horny… hmmm
When McDonalds launched the McLocator app the mobile “search” game was changed and a new standard set.
“Locator” is the official default mobile search engine term. Internet and Mobile discovery has always revolved around “location” not “search.” Location is the Foundation of all next generation digital media innovation.
Video from the man that invented the internet. Index to 6:00.
http://www.ted....lks/view/id/484
Slow my friend: Tim Berners-Lee did not invent the Internet – just HTML+HTTP.
Yeah… I agree with you! If they were considered harmful, they should be in jail. Otherwise, they deserve to be treated equally and like everyone else.
Non the less, this iPhone app is rather strange. It’s very weird that it has become very popular.
must be very popular among females and moms/pops, i guess
yeah true who fear a lot and would buy for personal safety!
i urinate in public all the time. what exactly am i sexually offending? myself?
According to the law, you’re offending anyone in the vicinity that might have seen your penis.
i wish they could explain, in reasonable terms how a penis is offensive, but a swastika is not
Obviously you don’t have kids. I happened to live about a mile from where Megan Kanka was dumped (you know Megan’s Law) back in the early 1990s so I’d prefer to know where all these guys are. It’s also not surprising it’s a popular app– it’s pretty standard operating procedure to check these sites. I don’t give a rat’s ass about uncool when you’re talking about molesting kids.
well said.
MG your’ off again. I do have kids.. and if someone is a risk he gets locked away, and if not, then not.
Fact is that most sex offenders are sex offenders because of minor offenses.. it is wrong and lynch mob. and it does not surprise you that you have the same lynch mob redneck attitude…
I direct you to the point-by-point rebuttal to the typical “PROTECT THE KIDS” argument you seem to be putting forth, made by Lisa K., below.
Maybe you should know where you child is running around, unsupervised, instead of brandishing mostly retards who ran naked across a football field or had sex with a teenager while they were a teenager themselves.
Violent sex offenders are usually locked up for life, those that are not, should be on the registry. However, there is only one registry. The public doesn’t distinguish between the ones that are a danger and the ones who were stupid kids.
Thats entirely untrue! On a daily basis, violent offenders are released from prison…and BTW, the app distinguishes between violent and non violent offenders. Society in large also makes that distinction.
As Ben states, the app describes what the offender’s crime.
You fucking douche, none of the people on those lists were ON a list when they offended! So in fact you are NO SAFER than you were before, you’re just more scared now. You’re a bunch of idiots.
But you don’t know where “all these guys are.” What you have is peace of mind that you THINK you know where all these guys are.
The problem with these lists is that most of the people on it are NOT molesting children.
As someone has already pointed out, it contains people who NEVER touched another person. Also on the list are guys who were 18 when they had sex with their 17 year old girlfriends, and her parents found out.
These lists are so glaringly unconstitutional. But the liberal mantra dictates that if it makes you feel safe, that’s all that counts.
The state of Florida is currently forcing people to live under bridges in Miami because they are on these lists and can’t live anywhere in the city because of proximities to schools and day cares. But can’t move away. Their probation officers visit them under these bridges. And think this okay.
Thank you for supporting the oppression of the new under class.
The fact that you blaimed this on the “liberal media” strikes me as odd as a British observer, especially when it’s the “Far Right” who tend to glorify all this prospect of vigilantism… Or is that the Libertarians? Hmm. Then again, I very much doubt that a Libertarian would support an online database of every so-called sex offender, especially when a lot of the people on the list have got on there for making some stupid mistakes without actually harming anyone, if this is true.
This all leaves a nasty taste, to be honest. Paedophiles and rapists should be in prison for much longer and indefinitely monitored as psychiatric patients I think, but people who ran around in a drunken naked stupor, etc, should not be subjected to this for the rest of their lives.
Something you may not be aware of about American culture is that it’s currently fashionable to blame anything you don’t like on “liberals” — even if it was originated, pushed, supported, and enacted by the Religious Right and its neocon/Republican allies. Those are just facts, and facts don’t matter; what’s important is the constant reiteration that anything you perceive as wrong is the fault of The Liberals. See also “Big Lie tactic”.
Liberal Mantra?
I’m a liberal. I think it’s horrid. I also recall that it was Pete Wilson who signed Megan’s Law; not exactly a Liberal.
It’s the right who think we ought to be tapping phones, and locking people without trials; because it makes them feel safer.
I do have kids, and I think offender registries are a terrible idea. If the law is just, then the punishments are all that should apply.
Not only is the ostracizing stigma of being listed horrid, but the actual things for which one can be registered is amazing (as pointed out, taking a leak in public counts).
“But think of the children” has been used for lots of things (as for where Megan Kanka’s body was dumped, that’s a silly thing. Where she was abucted might give one pause, had one had a child near that location at the time), most of them specious.
The odds of any child being attacked by one of the people on these lists is small. Far smaller than the odds of that same child dying from a bicycle accident, or drunk driver.
Then there are the people who are falsely put on such lists, which was bad enough when it was just an address and a name, but to attach a photo… terrible. There have been harrassments and attacks on people so listed. Some of whom weren’t offenders, some of whom were guilty of things which were between adults, but that list is seen as nothing but pedophiles and uncontrollable rapists.
To have it on something as portable as an iPhone is asking for disaster.
While my heart goes out to the Kanka family, and the families of any victims of sexual assault, I have done my research. Almost all victims of sex crimes know the offender. The number of victims that are murdered are microscopic and your children have a greater chance of being killed by a drunk driver or by an errant bullet than by a registered sex offender. I would be all for a registry of illegal gun owners and drunk drivers, and let’s throw drug dealers and spousal abusers. But i guess this won’t happen, because it seems easier for politicians to go after the smallest group of criminals, sex offenders.
I couldnt agree with you more. I think its ridiculous that a small mistake can ruin somebodys life like that. The registry goes beyond alerting worried moms. It can have a huge impact on your ability to get a job because a lot of employers will not hire you if you are on the list. Its sad really.
I agree/disagree with you at the same time. People who urinate in public shouldn’t fall into the category of a sex offender. However, real sex offenders should be listed in a public database so that everyone knows about them.
Would you buy a home next to an apartment of a rapist/murderer/pedophile even if he completed his sentence?
That depends on whether you’re talking about a place with a justice system as pitiful as that in the USA, which cares more about filling prison beds than rehabilitating people with serious anti-social behaviors/mental illnesses.
I agree with posters above, you are either a danger to those around you or you aren’t. Under a better system, the list isn’t necessary.
I would even argue that the list isn’t necessary with our current system. I’d love to see some solid research into the recidivism rates of sex offenders, where the new target was in close proximity to the offender’s place of residence.
Nick, “rehabilitation?” Are you “f*****” kidding us? There’s not enough tax money going around to make government employee payroll, there’s not enough money going around to subsidize healthcare for the elderly, and you’re talking about rehabilitating a bunch of sexual deviants? You’re right about the USA being different. Other countries and cultures would do a much more effective job of ostracizing these types of offenders. An extreme example, which I don’t necessarily disagree with, is Africa, where they get stoned to death.
Africa is a big continent with over 50 countries and various legal systems. If we are talking about killing people for their crimes, I guess many African countries will have a better record than the USA, China, Iran, etc.
Ostracizing a portion of the population is not how civilized cultures drive positive change, and your off-handed suggestion to kill people for sexual misconduct suggests to me that you bring nothing valuable to the table in terms of discussion.
That said, I’ll direct you to a non-US example of handling this situation: The Violent and Sex Offender Register in the United Kingdom. Sex offenders spending less than 5 years in jail report to the Register for 10 years. Those spending less than 6 months in jail report for 7 years. The Register is private and can only be accessed by the Police, Prison Services, and the National Probation Service. The public have no access to these records because they don’t need to have access. Knowing where a sex offender lives does not make you safe.
Rehabilitation programs are showing great promise and research is bringing about more and more effective programs. This one, for example, reduced recidivism rates by almost 50%: http://www.apa....03/newhope.html
Feel free to go back to your inane ranting about tax revenue.
The only rehab/recidivism-reduction program I believe we should spend tax dollars on is castration- either medical or by prescription medication.
You want to see some real research. Here you go. Just go to the department of justice’s website at http://www.usdoj.gov and type in “sex offender recitivism” in the search box. That will pull up their stats. Truth is they have the lowest reoffense rate of any offense except murder. And that’s the department of justice saying that, not exactly a pro-sex offender organization.
Why castration? The decision to offend is made in the offenders head, not his genitals. That doesn’t do any good.
Yes.
This was a comment made to a kid in a video I made about how sex offenders shouldn’t get rights…
“one thing to bring up about this is tha if your going to fuck a little boy you are seriously fucked up in the head and you should never be aloud to leave jail again…maybe they get assraped and see how they like it….and yes i realize that i am only talking about this aspect of your video but im 14 and their are three sex offenders on all different levels one i think is cyber ped and the other two are actual like i had sex with a little boy….and one of those lives about 6 houses down from me”
We need an australia for sickos…
he made to my video..sorry
I’d put you in this “Australia for sickos” place first. Go back and read your comment. It’s just weird. I hope you’re getting help.
Yeah, I mean, how much Dateline NBC can you watch?
Excuse me but you can SEE what the offender did. If it was RAPE or AGGRAVATED RAPE AND ASSAULT I think that is way more important for me to know than if he just peed in public.
I guess some people like to stick their heads in the sand because they don’t have the guts to face up to the reality of life.
Seeing what the offender did does NOT tell the whole story. “Child molestation” can be as simple as an 18yo who had sex with his girlfriend on her 16th birthday. “Aggravated sexual assualt” can be something as simple as two drunk adults having sex, but since the woman was seen as incapacitated (even with the same blood alcohol level as the man) the man is guilty of aggravated sexual assault if she later decides to press charges.
Another thing I’d like to point out. The websites that give the age of the victim are even worse than the ones that don’t because the age of the offender keeps getting larger yet the offenders age doesn’t change so what could be an 18yo guy with his 15yo girlfriend in 30 years looks like a real disgusting perverted adult man messing with a little girl. It doesn’t tell the whole story. Unless you know the facts….don’t pre-judge.
If I tell you I got into a car wreck, do you suddenly know all of the details of that wreck?
I meant to say the age of the offender keeps getting larger but the VICTIMS age does not change.
This app is bordering on the sick.
Not to mention it’s not really an app but just a web maps app embedded . Why would you do this?
Tempted to add this to the list of reasons why the iphone sucks – http://iphonessuck.com
Yep, especially when a murderer can move in next door and you’ll never know about. But if he was 18 with his 17 yo girlfriend you certainly will!
Ahhh!!! Amerika!!
There’s like 500 of them in Queens, NY.
The link to the app is “free” on iTunes.
Perhaps the folks at http://twitter....om/govision2020 can comment if this paid app was altered to be free due to complaints into Apple’s review team?
really? i still see it as $0.99 Jay. Screenshot?
i also see €0.89
I also see it as $0.99.
I am the face behind twitter.com/govision2020 … There is a paid version and a free “lite” version . There has always been both a paid and free version. The free version is more of a preview of the full app. You are limited to the number of searches you can do in a day, and how many results it will return. The paid version is not limited.
Where is my Untertroll Locator app?
this app makes me uncomfortable, that said, is it repackaging and selling the info or is it selling an app facilitating access to the info and would that then be legal?
I think registries are a bad idea in general. But I can understand why there’s public support for them. What I don’t understand is why anyone needs this information at their fingertips, 24 hours a day, wherever they are.
Nice, I have to say, this might help people that want to move somewhere but don’t know where exactly to go. Maybe this might make their jobs a little bit easier.
It’s taking advantage of peoples fears obviously.
only thing missing is that someone takes upon themselves to remove these people from the planet…
Extrajudicial killings are not the norm in Western societies. Have you considered moving to North Korea, or going back in time to, say, Germany in the 30s? I think you would feel much more at home.
Sadly, neither are judicial killings.
Let’s face it, most of the offenders in these registries would have faced the gallows if we actually had a justice system that worked. Instead, we just put ‘em on a list and hope everything works out for the best…
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The best “Sex Offender Registry” this country could have is an Obituaries Page.
“This app is not legal, at least under CA law. Selling the personal information of people (even ex-criminals) for profit is forbidden.”
I’m not a lawyer, but probably just because it’s illegal to sell this kind of information doesn’t mean it’s illegal to create and sell an app that allows someone to view this kind of information on their iPhone (which is what they’re doing).
You have to pay for background checks, which even if provided by the state is for a profit (There are vendors who provide the service as well, but all they do is siphon the data from the states/fbi).
Wow, I am shocked that people are commenting AGAINST sex offender registries. I find them to be scary things from a number of different angles, but if you are in a conversation with friends and you speak out against them people think you are a pedophile or that you support pedophilia! So, I have typically learned to shut my mouth out of fear of being branded something that I am not. Some points I have raised with people include:
1) Sex offender registries have just created a “white pages” for those with similar interests. I bet they might even be sharing their tips for getting away with crimes.
2) It lulls people into a false sense of security. If you look at the registry and no one is listed in your area, do you feel relieved? Why? You shouldn’t. They are out there. If parents are feeling safer because their neighborhood is “in the clear” they are foolish. The DoJ even states on its website that this stuff “may” (read isn’t) not be accurate.
3) On a related note, people want to move sex offenders thousands of feet from schools and parks. I have never heard that a sex offender must forego walking, bicycling, or his/her driver license.
4) This opens up the opportunity for vigilante justice. Some people just cannot accept that someone has served his/her time and after that, he/she is free to go as long as he/she does not violate the rights of others.
5) What are the next “registries” that will be made public? A speeder’s registry complete with photo of driver and car? A “gay” registry in places where homosexuals are vilified?
6) People equate “sex offender” with pedophile, but as someone else posted, urinating in public, while gross, can get you a registry entry in some jurisdictions.
6) Yes, strangers molest children, however, most victims are molested by family and friends. We spend too much time worrying about the bogeyman because of how the news sensationalizes (e.g., Adam Walsh) and because when it occurs in families it can be covered up.
Sex offender registries are scary things. And for the record, I am not nor will I ever be on one.
Here’s the basic rule of thumb – always check multiple offender locators.
There’s another Sex Offender Locator application on Facebook, made by the same people. http://apps.fac...om/sexoffenders
Hear! Hear!
I’m sure the SpamLocator guy is kicking himself for not thinking of this first. Or, maybe he’s finally made it into a post.
sometimes don’t you just want to find a sex offender?
Funny how so many anonymous Techcrunch commenters disapprove of the sex offenders database.
Hmm.
Maybe they’re anonymous because of people like you (jokingly or not) subtly labeling them sex offenders or sex offender apologists.
Amen Nick. The topic is taboo and people are unwilling to publicly “side” with the sex offender, even when it isn’t an attempt to justify their behavior. America is filled with punitive measures that don’t work or cause new problems. You just can’t come out in a public group and say “do you really think these are a good idea?” without people looking at you with that “how could you choose those sickos over the children!?!?!” look while clutching their children to them as they dismiss you for being a lunatic. Regardless of which side is “right” to call your opponent a pedophile for being concerned with sex offender registries is bad argument form.
The app doesn’t show people where I am when I’m masturbating in the car, right?
The reviewer who claims “selling” this information is illegal under CA law isn’t quite right.
The disclosure terms on the California Megan’s Law website–where such a disclaimer would be prominently highlighted–list no such not-for-profit requirement.
The valid uses for this information are to “protect a person at risk,” which this application could clearly claim to do.
The limitations on how this information can be used are here:
- http://www.mega...px?lang=ENGLISH
- from the statute here:
http://law.onec...enal/290.4.html
interesting, thanks.
it’s interesting because it re-enforces your point of view? Sex offender registers, like no-fly lists, are a smoke screen. it’s the appearance of doing something, it’s not actually doing something. sort of like working at techcrunch is the appearance of working whilst it’s not actually work.
If you hate TechCrunch so much, why are you reading this article? This is for you: http://tinyurl.com/ld347l
The purpose of the sex offender registry is not to keep people safe. It is not to inform parents. It is not so people can exact vigilante justice.
The purpose of the sex offender registry is to deter potential sex offenders by giving them one more reason not to commit a sexual crime in the first place.
There is a very easy way to stay off of the sex offender registry, or even to maintain a clean record altogether. I’ll let you have three guesses as to what that is, and the first two don’t count.
This debate has nothing to do with “choosing sides” or “siding with pedophiles.” It has to do with the fact that these “people” committed crimes, often violent ones, against other people. Everyone, and I mean everyone, should know what they have done. And this should not only apply to sex offenders, but all other “people” who have a criminal record.
I am not talking about speeders or petty crimes like these. I am talking about assaulting a public servant, theft/robbery, B&E, DUI, substance abuse, prostitution, etc. etc. etc. Anything that gets put on a criminal record should be freely available to the public, and the public should be encouraged to access it regularly.
Note: please notice that I used quotes in some places above. That is because I do not believe that some of these criminals are worthy of being called people. Many of them are less than human and should be treated as such.
Actually, no, most of these offenders are non-violent. Get your facts straight. You obviously have no clue what you’re talking about.
The purpose of the registry is to ostracise and embarass. Nothing more. Nothing less. It has never been proven to have kept a single child safe. But it has been proven to have killed kids who live in the houses of sex offenders who are victims of vigilante violence. And most of the time, the offender is not harmed, but their family is.
But if they are getting paid, then its ok to call it work, no? It may not be a socially useful activity, I agree…
thre is a free lite version http://itunes.a...664011&mt=8
So what could be the lite version of sex offenders’ app… it shows only 3 in 5 offenders on the map?
It only shows the people who peed in public…
what about the people who paed in public?
I don’t know. The public has the right to know. There are tons of news stories of sex offenders getting caught again doing the EXACT SAME THING they were sent to jail for.
If I am a parent, it is better to be safe than sorry with my child. I could care less about the sex offenders’ feelings.
Ever grab your wife’s butt in public? You are a sex offender.
Ever fool around with a female acquaintance in the back seat of a car outside of your garage? You’re a sex offender.
Ever flash you buttox or flash you breasts? Sex offender.
Ever make a sexual gesture towards someone in public? Sex offender.
Just because you didn’t get caught doesn’t change the fact that under our current system’s eyes you are a sex offender. The only difference between you and the dumbass who also did something impulsive and silly was that they got caught. I could go on and on. There needs to be a separate registry for violent sex offenders (Rape, molestation, sexual abuse) that isn’t connected to the retards who do stupid things.
If you are going to invoke “THINK OF THE CHILDREN”. Then I too will invoke it. Idiots, people who are willing to forfeit others’ rights for the sake of your peace of mind should be put on a registry. Please sign yourself up.
“Ever grab your wife’s butt in public?” Nope.
“Ever fool around with a female acquaintance in the back seat of a car outside of your garage?” Nope.
“Ever flash you buttox or flash you breasts?” Nope.
“Ever make a sexual gesture towards someone in public?” Nope.
Hmmm. Something (perhaps common sense?) tells me that I didn’t need you to inform me that these are all sexual offenses. It’s obvious really.
“There needs to be a separate registry for violent sex offenders (Rape, molestation, sexual abuse) that isn’t connected to the retards who do stupid things.” How can you have two separate registries for the same group of people? Sounds like you just named the same group twice.
Ever grab your wife’s butt in public? You are a sex offender.
Ever fool around with a female acquaintance in the back seat of a car outside of your garage? You’re a sex offender.
Ever flash you buttox or flash you breasts? Sex offender.
Ever make a sexual gesture towards someone in public? Sex offender.
Just because you didn’t get caught doesn’t change the fact that under our current system’s eyes you are a sex offender. The only difference between you and the dumbass who also did something impulsive and silly was that they got caught. I could go on and on. There needs to be a separate registry for violent sex offenders (Rape, molestation, sexual abuse) that isn’t connected to the retards who do stupid things.
If you are going to invoke “THINK OF THE CHILDREN”. Then I too will invoke it. Fools, people who are willing to forfeit others’ rights for the sake of your peace of mind, like you should be put on a registry. Please sign yourself up.
Bingo! There are new stories on the topic. The news seems to LOVE sex stories, they sell papers. Guess how many times they report on the registered sex offender who never offends again? Rarely if ever. It isn’t news. People conclude that something must happen more often than it does because you hear about it more often–it comes to mind more easily. It doesn’t actually mean that what you hear about more often actually happens more often. Wake up and smell the coffee. News covers the sensational story. This is the same phenomenon that has people freaking out over strangers taking/harming their kid and ignoring “Uncle Fred” or “Cousin Timmy.” From a news perspective, every “Megan” or “Adam” story seems to get a movie, whereas the “Uncle Fred” story gets “and in other news” mention.
Eh Lisa??
I get people not wanting simple ’sex offender’ violations to show up on the registry. Most registries have “levels” of offenders, or post the exact crime. I agree even that these ‘little guys’ shouldn’t be posted. If you really have a problem with it, go do something about it. But do you really have a problem with violent offenders showing up??
The reason these should exist, and should be public knowledge, is that a REAL sex offender, such as rape and molestation, is far more than a single mistake, or an act, but more of a mentality that would require a lot of psychiatic help to fix, if it can be fixed at all. They created this list because there’s a high probability that the perpetrators will commit the crimes again after their prison sentence, and it’s of a particularly disgusting nature.
Some reports should be done to validate how much this information helps the public versus how much it hurts the offenders, but at the very least we should always have photos of sex offenders publically available that are searchable by city…
James, you seem to support of an idealized sex offender registry rather than the reality. Court records are available online, there is no need for a separate registry–the information is already out there without creating additional bureaucracy, misinformation, and false sense of security. As I said previously, just because your neighborhood has no red dots doesn’t mean your neighborhood is free of sex offenders. So, are you more lax with your kids because there are no red dots in your neighborhood? Why? If you do, you are foolish. Shouldn’t you be as vigilant whether there are red dots or not? If you are more lax when there are no red dots aren’t you being lulled into a false sense of security? If you aren’t more lax/strict, then what is the point of these registries? If they aren’t going to change your behavior, they are worthless. So which is it? Either one is a fool for being lulled into a false sense of security or they have no effect on behavior.
The belief that there is a high probability of recidivism is, in part, (note that I said, in part) a perception rather than a reality. Again, the news reports of recidivism for sex crimes zeroes in on repeat offenders and therefore these seem to be more common than they really are. The news sensationalizes repeat offenses because they make a good story, they set the groundwork for people to criticize the judicial system (i.e., that guy should never have been let out). As for the rest (the real repeat offenders) it speaks volumes about the punitive model that is used in the US; it doesn’t work. There is no desire to rehabilitate, there is a desire to punish and bring pain. The notion that all sex offenders cannot be rehabilitated is pure balderdash. If you look at the actual crimes that get you on a sex offender registry, you will see that most are actually not repeated.
That is because with 650,000 sex offenders, even with a 3.3 percent reoffense rate and a 24 hour media, that’s still decent number if you hear about every single one on the news (which you do). But 90% of offenses are within the family and 85% of new offenses are by people NOT on the registry. So yet again, get your facts straight before you use something like the registry as a feel-good tool against people who made a mistake.
Where is the murderer registry? Or the DUI registry? I’d much rather know if my neighbor has driven drunk rather than know if they got caught with a prostitute. They’re much more likely to run over my kid drunk than to touch them.
good to know i shouldn’t pee in public when i visit the u.s.
It’s important to understand that most registered sex offenders are neither paedophiles nor child molesters.
I’m confused, whats the difference between a pedophile and a child molester? One looks, and the other touches?
A pedophile is someone who is attracted to children. Since sexual attraction is not a requirement to molest a child, they are seen as very different by people who actually know the difference. There are many pedophiles who never molested a child (and are not on the registry) and made people who molested a child who are not pedophiles.
People just don’t understand the complexities of offending. Sure, some offend because of the sexual desires they have towards their victim, but some offend because they are stressed out, they are drunk, they are taking strong meds for pain and whatnot and it has clouded their thinking, etc etc. Chemical castration will never stop an offender because the decision to offend was not made in their pants, it was made in their head no matter if they were attracted to the child or not.
Following on from some of the pro comments on here I am so glad I chose not to be a part of your ‘great’ country!
Why am I on the list ?
This app scares the shit out of me. No way anything like this would be permited in Europe.
Gosh, you can even get personal information and a picture of these people ? That’s simply mad. Fascism is just so close.
Robert, you get a home address! So the vindictive vigilante has an envelope with some “special contents” sent and tips off law enforcement that “he heard” that so-and-so was overheard setting up a shipment of “special contents.” Good luck explaining to a jury how you didn’t arrange for said contents. They would look at you like “well who would just send that to you, a sex offender, c’mon fella, ‘fess up.” I revile the sex crime, but creating a white pages for sex offenders is a ludicrous solution.
Looks like a “must have” app to me dude!
RT
http://www.anon-tools.tk
This app scares the shit out of me. No way anything like this would be permited in Europe.
Gosh, you can even get personal information and a picture of these people ? That’s simply mad. Fascism is just so close.
OH! You’re my new favorite blogger fyi
Profiting on peoples fears. FACT. I created a software app that shows pics of missing kids as a way to actually HELP society. It was endorsed by the NCMEC. . I asked for Adam Walshes’s endorsement. I was told he wouldn’t even speak to me unless I paid him 50k. U think he really cares? Adam Walsh is a turd. The oxygen leaves the room when he enters.
I also personally know the guy who created the first sex offender registry for the WEB. They all profit from this “service” with very little value to the public. (linda k execellent points)
They’re laughing all the way to the bank cuz everybody is so paranoid. A convicted sex offender should never see the light of day.
I think you mean John Walsh. Adam Walsh is his son who was abducted and murdered.
Good point. He was abducted and murdered, but there is no proof, beyond the statement of a convicted murderer who confussed to hundreds of crimes he is known to not have committted, that Adam was ever molested. So the basis of the Adam Walsh act is potentially flawed and based on nothing at all. How can they prove Adam was molested or even sexually assualted when all they found was his head?
I dispise John Walsh. Rather than suck it up as his wife screwing up and letting Adam go alone, he uses his sons murder to ruin the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who had nothing to do with his sons disappearance.
As I recall NJ Megan’s Law database requires that users agree to a TOS before accessing it. This app, while not technically illegal, would almost certainly create a problem for the creator should the NJ state government press the matter.
I have small children so I want to know about sex offenders. Scarlet letter? Please. These are people who have attacked innocent children. As far as I am concerned they should lock them up and throw away the key. I live in Arizona btw which doesn’t coddle these scumbags like some other states.
You’re and idiot too. Terry, and morons like him are the reason our country will fail. Can’t think for themselves, must have the TV think for them.
Terry, do you know what proportion of those in the registries are there because of a crime involving children? Didn’t think so.
I haven’t seen you cite a figure…
that’s because nobody knows or bothers to check because it’s none of your business. someone committed a crime, did their time, paid their fine, what else do you want? blood?
far too many people are of the “pitch fork and torches” variety, reacting without thinking, keeping guns under the bed because there’s a one in a million chance something awful is going to happen, I really do pity you and your fear!
Sad It’s none of my business, becuase the FACTS are startling: According to the US Dept. of Justice
“The median age of the victims of imprisoned sexual assaulters was less than 13 years old”
Here’s the link for you Nay Sayers.
http://www.ojp....crimoff.htm#sex
Yes, and that same website shows that re-arrest rate (re-conviction rate is even lower) for sex offenders is 5.4%. For DUI arrests its over 30% and drug arrests over 60%. Only one crime is lower than sex offenses, and that is murder.
So don’t ignore the facts you don’t want to talk about.
In the same paragraph….read all the way to the end there little buddy…..
“Of the 9,691 male sex offenders released from prisons in 15 States in 1994, 5.3% were rearrested for a new sex crime within 3 years of release”
Americans have never cared about civil rights. Is there anything new under the sun?
Humans like to stereotype regardless of citizenship. See comment above for support.
Many of the things that people get labeled sex offender for here in Arlington, VA, are considered simply innocent past time, recreational activities in my home town in India. That’s why places like Cambodia are creating such a niche industry in the specialized sex products they provide.
if they’re are dangerous, why aren’t they in jail? If they’re not – why put them on a map? will never understand all these double standards in the US …
Fit the offenders with an unremovable GPS tracker linked that to a “locator” to view on the iphone – now THAT would be a killer app – seeing where they are in real time…………. then again wasn’t that something like Orwell’s vision – so not likely to happen.
Good idea Malc. I would like to put one of those tracking devices on my wife’s ankle and track her every minute she’s away from me so I can have some assurance that she’s not being unfaithful. Oh, and it would be helpful if the GPS device is also fitted with audio and video, which can be streamed to my iphone. Then of course, the ideal place to put the device on her would not be her ankle, but rather around her pelvis.
We have a low tech version of it here in Lagos it is similar to the European chastity belt; however, it is made of cowhide rather than steel. We just put it on our wives when we go to the fields to heard cattle.
Oh yes, definitely. We should place 18yo kids who had sex with their 17yo girlfriends on GPS devices. Oh yea, in a country that is borrowing trillions from China. Yea. Right.
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sex offender registries are so lynch mob….
It just shows how ass backwards redneck the US is… it is wrong from so many points of views…
This is news? I’ve been using a sex offender app called Watch Out for months now.
As a Mom, I at first thought this was useful, but after time and more complete knowledge of what is considered a sex offender, I find it indiscriminate.
In cases of statutory rape, you are registered. Public indecency (peeing) you are listed, and a host of many more that aren’t a danger to society as a whole.
For those soccer Moms that are paranoid – keep your kids in sight and educated. That’s the ONLY weapon you have.
As for the databases, they are WAY off too. Only giving you addresses that the “offenders” say is their current residence – if they are true offenders, most likely its their Mom’s home and not truly where they live.
http://constitu...ers-on-i-phone/
According to:
Appmodo.com : Apple pulls popular Sex Offender app from store
Apple has pulled another popular app from its App Store. The app that had consistently held its own on the top 10 paid apps for weeks, is now completely gone. “This app is not legal, at least under CA law. Selling the personal information of people (even ex-criminals) for profit is forbidden.”
So why was this app get accepted in the first place?
You can find a review of Offender Locator here http://www.thei...fender-locator/
These people who are in favor of registries are Sex Crime Nazis.
What they’re doing is unconstitutional. Period.
The Supreme Courts that found them constitutional in most cases were not viewed as particularly conservative, which answers everyone who says the laws are unconstitutional.
Registration was a condition of the original sentence or a condition for parole, which answers everyone who says that they already paid the sex offender already paid their debt to society. Registration was either part of their “debt”. Or they were forgiven part of their debt in return for agreeing to register.
The registries are overbroad no doubt, but I don’t understand an argument that says since most molesters are known to their victims we shouldn’t try to help people protect their children from those who they don’t know. Also, most of the registry laws named after children are named after children who were molested and killed by repeat offenders. Since these all came about since I have been an adult, it’s hard to characterize them as one in a million occurrences.
This is not to say that the registries work.
Any society that is willing to put anyone in jail for a crime could be characterized as being against civil rights because every such society will make mistakes and put someone in jail who did not commit the crime. So for those of you who think American’s aren’t interested in civil rights, I merely respond that those of us who think draw the line about which rights a CONVICTED criminal should or shouldn’t have at a different point than you.
For you Europeans, your history with protecting your citizen’s civil rights is too new to be viewed as anything but a slight blip above an appalling historical norm. Keep it up for another couple of hundred years and then talk to me.
Probably, immigration will cause the “egalitarian” views you claim to disappear before I die.