Via Boing Boing:
The Family Watchdog is a website that shows the names and addresses of registered sex offenders in the US. Oh, and their pictures. And sometimes their work addresses. All delivered up in a way that says, “These predators are stalking your children. And if you don’t take steps to protect them, you’re a very, very bad parent. Our map will show you where these animals live (one of the testimonials actually uses that word — animals), and then you can order our video, and find out how to protect your children from these predators.”
Now, I have strong, and mixed, feelings about sex offender registries. On the one hand, of course I want to know if the guy next door is a danger. And there are people on these lists who are truly dangerous. But there are also people on these lists who aren’t at all dangerous, but are having their lives ruined by being on these lists. (As someone on Boing Boing pointed out, in some states, peeing in public will land you on the sex offender registry. So will having sex with a 16 year old when you’re 18. Hell, I work with a retired cop who thinks a lot of the crimes you’ll have to register for in California are bullshit — and in California, the registration is for life. Think about that for a second.)
The maps shows clusters of sex offenders concentrated around schools (creepy), but it also shows clusters in low-income neighborhoods (which suggests to me that A) low-income offenders are more likely to be convicted of crimes that will land them on “the list,” very likely due to less-than-competent legal counsel, and/or B) people whose names are on these lists have difficulty finding jobs that would allow them to move into higher-income neighborhoods).
In many instances, the dots on the map are linked to addresses and mug shots, which raises serious privacy concerns. Many of the listings fail to show what the person’s offense is, meaning that despite the differently-colored dots on the map, you don’t know whether you’re looking at someone who whacked off in a porn theatre (Pee-Wee Herman — who, granted, did also plead guilty to “possessing obscene materials,” due to his collection of vintage erotica, some of which involved teenage boys) or someone who ass-raped a teenager in a hot tub (Roman Polanski).
I think the thing that bothers me most about this site, though, is its smug assurance that it can keep your children safe. (“Your family’s best friend,” says the slogan next to the friendly bulldog in the upper left. “Protect your Community, Protect Your Family, Protect Yourself.”) As though sex offenders were the only danger facing your children. As though every sex offender who might harm your children is listed here. (California, at least, points out on its sex offender registry site that 90% of the children sexually abused in the US know their abusers, and that nearly half are abused by family members.) As though only children need fear sex offenders. You have to dig for the disclaimers that admit that not every offender in the country will be listed and that not every sex offender notifies the state every time he or she moves. I can’t find a disclaimer that says that some of these people may have been falsely convicted, or that some of them might have very common names, and you shouldn’t assume that the Dave Jones who shows up here as a serial rapist is the same Dave Jones who lives up the street. The only privacy statement involves the privacy of the people who register for updates (oh, yes, they’ll be happy to let you know when a new “predator” moves into your neighborhood, for a small annual fee) or who buy their video. It draws no distinction between “offenders” and “predators,” and provides no definitions of the offender categories it includes (Offense Against Children, Rape, Sexual Battery, Other Offenses).
Out of curiosity, I attempted to locate the only convicted sex offender I know — a man with a history of sexual misconduct with minors (two that I know of — one was 5, the other 15). His name isn’t on their list. So I ran his current address. He lives equidistant between two schools, but he’s not on their map. A couple of his neighbors are — I see a few convictions for sexual battery, one for statutory rape, another for felony sexual assault on a child. And I think about the people who may live nearby, checking this site to find out if they’re safe, and thinking they are, because the nearest offender is half a mile away, when actually he’s right next door.
Is a “National Sex Offender Registry” a valuable service? I suppose it could be. But this feels exploitative to me. I don’t like it.
