A sex offender is released from jail. He’s served his time. And he’s moved into a house in your suburb. Does he have a right to privacy? Or do you have the right to know that someone who has been convicted of a sex crime is living in your neighbourhood?
For the first time, the names and photographs of some the state’s worst sexual offenders – including serial pedophiles - are now available publicly, thanks to an online registry that went live in WA yesterday.
The site is called Community Protection Western Australia and is designed to help parents keep their children safe. But there’s concern from legal groups that the site could lead to cases of mistaken identity and incidences of people taking the law into their own hands.
There are apparently 120 people in Western Australia who are eligible to be published on the site in the near future.
The website.
It will provide information on some of the state’s most dangerous and repeat child sex offenders, including their photos, names and the suburbs in which they live, although it will not give out specific addresses.
The system is broken up into three tiers; tier one includes photos and details of offenders who police have lost track of, and their last known address.
Nine people are currently on that list.
Tier two is where members of the public can request the photograph of offenders living in their suburb and adjoining suburbs.
And, tier three will allow parents and guardians to check whether someone who has regular unsupervised contact with their child is on the register.
But while the Western Australia Government says that the site will help protect children, others are concerned about the vigilante attacks that the site might spark.
This from News Limited:
Linda Black
Criminal Lawyers Association of WA president Linda Black said there was already a good system in place whereby anyone working with children needed police clearances.
Ms Black said she had concerns the new website could lead to vigilantism and cases of mistaken identity.
“You get released a photograph and then you are able to hopefully find the right person, and then when you do, I’m not sure exactly what it is that the government expects you to do with the information,” she told AAP.
“My primary concern is, once people have this information, what is anticipated they will do other than try and run the bloke out of town?
“The legislation boldly claims it will help us protect our children, but I’ve read the legislation twice now and I still don’t see how.”
Bravehearts founder and child protection advocate Hetty Johnston also has her doubts. “Our research has shown that it doesn’t actually stop offenders from offending and that it provides the community with a false sense of security,” she said in an interview with the ABC.
Premier Colin Barnett rejects the criticism. “This is not trying to persecute people, it’s not trying to whip up a storm or angst in the community,” he said. “It is simply saying there is some information which is hitherto not been available to the community.”
What do you think about the site? A good idea, or a bad idea? Do you think that other states should look at introducing their own websites?
Comments
56 Comments so far
I’m searching to get a qualified author, extended time within this area. Superb post! Kirk http://mlab.cca.edu/2009/01/flux-2009/
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I have read some of the answers here. And I do agree that some of them feel isolated and have reasons maybe for doing what they did. Maybe they were molested to. But some of them will keep on till they get caught…they are crying for help. I am a true believer that they need to be found and exposed or taken to court to face consequences of their acts. I have been molested and I believe that one of the steps I need to take to feel better, to get closure is to find the person who perpetrated that horrible act on me. I am quite sure I am not alone in this quest. If they can group themselves and perpetrate those acts why can’t we network and help each other find them, take them to court so they finally either get the help they need or pay their due to society. Why should I have lived all these years with this burden and they can just walk away.
I started today a site where people can connect with each other, share experiences, discuss how to get help etc… I would greatly appreciate if people became members and helped each other out. The scope is larger than Australia…is it worldwide. However I believe we will need to branch it out and have local branches. Hope to see you soon out there.
the site is findthemexposethem (dot) yuku (dot) com
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M.Clark,as a survivor I’d like to comment to you.
I too believe everyone should be held accountable for their actions
and serve their just punishment.
However,this quest you are on?
It will not heal your pain,it will exacerbate it.
I respect the fact you recognize many of these offenders have been abused
as well.Many were.
If you see signs of abuse?Report it.
Going on a quest to expose….will not give you back what was taken.
Fight for better legislation,help for children showing signs of abuse of any type in your schools.Improved child protective services(for children who are victims of physical,emotional abuse,neglect,etc.NOT just sexual abuse).Resources for struggling families,parenting classes and counseling for those in need.
Good mental health services without disparity and stigma.Holding foster parents at higher standards with regular check ins to make sure they are properly providing for the needs of children in their care-basic needs ,emotional needs and educational needs.
Fight against what causes people to become offenders.And never allow what happened to you, define you.We have a choice.Become perpetual victims OR survivors.
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I disagree with this website and just so you know I was molested for a big part of my child hood by a family member. I’m a survivor and some what disturbed by this.
I disagree with this because it’s more common for your child to be sexually assaulted by a family member, your child’s own father, your father, your own male relatives. Those targeted by strangers are usually boys between the ages of 12-15 because they are less likely to say anything, the stats are on bravehearts website. I bet a majority of people trust those men more then what they probably should.
Do you really want to know? There are laws to protect those people from harassment, would it not just stress people out to know a person like that lives on your street? Yeah you could tell your child stay away from that person or that house but shouldn’t they already know to stay away from strangers. Yes it could be a friend a relative but once again you could still have a relative that just hasn’t been caught yet or isn’t considered dangerous enough to be on the site.
I think there is such a thing as too much information. and at the end of the day safely it is about educating our children at a very young age about appropriate touching and inappropriate touching.
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IN California we had an on line registry which identified by map who has been convicted of a sexually related offense, and the nature of that offense. I don’t believe it showed names (it may have), but it did show the house location and the nature of the offense – which I think is important. It may have even shown the age of the convicted person.
It make a difference on what offense the person was convicted. AFter all, an 18 year old having sex with his 15 year old girlfriend can be convicted, but it would not be of concern to the community in general.
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As a specialist forensic psychologist who has worked with very high risk sexual offenders in both prison and the community for over 15 years, I can categorically report that identifying these people to the community at large does little more than increase their risk of recidivism. One of the significant precursors to sexual offending is emotional dysregulation. Being identified as a sexual offender by the community in which they are now trying to assimilate, and subsequently being ostracized at best; hounded and assaulted at worst, simply increases their sense of isolation, hopelessness, and most problematically their sense of injustice and entitlement. All of this acts to take them closer to acts of sexual violence (in a distorted attempt to make themselves feel better – in control, superior, ‘wanted’), not further away. This is why states such as Victoria have imposed suppression orders on naming high risk sexual offenders in court cases. Whilst naming these offenders may provide a ‘false sense of security’ to the community, the reality can actually be far from secure.
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I agree in theory. But the reality is people with the problems you describe should not be exposed to innocent children in society if they are so emotionally fragile that a slight sense of injustice can trigger their criminal behaviour. Some poor child pays the price.
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I couldn’t agree more. Most sex offenders have a very low recidivism rates (Around 5% I think?) and yet people have this irrational fear that every single sex offender is still out to get young children, which in the majority of cases is just not true. Yes, I have experienced sexual assault and yes, I want nothing more than for children to be protected. But the research shows that reintegrating offenders back into society reduces the likelihood of them re-offending and I am all for that. Having a registry open to the public is not the answer.
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I think this is great. I worked at a sexual assault legal centre, and while yes, almost all the assaults were by ‘known perpetrators’, barely any were actually blood relations. They were stepdads, family friends, sister’s boyfriends, neighbours, friends of friends, etc. If there was a way to check the people in your community against a website like this you might find that someone you know is on it. I certainly wish I had of been warned that my dear friend of five years had been previously convicted of rape – and maybe I could have avoided him assaulting me.
They don’t put their names or addresses on the website, so vigilante justice would be hard to execute. And how many people actually do vigilante justice anyway? Societies problem is much more often that people are bystanders than pre-emptively ‘heroic’.
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I can see how vigilante justice can be done- put in your new boyfriends name and he comes up then you know he is a problem. People may then act on it. Do not underestimate the red neck element of out society.
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Yeah, but you’d stop dating him, not murder him (even if you felt he deserved it). Most people aren’t violent law breakers.
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I am not so sure of that. Child crime brings out the beast in people. Look how People get run out of town and threatened now when people find out?
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Tried to comment on the legislation itself, but my comment got eaten.
In short, the situations listed below where the ‘offender’ is a consensual bf/gf a couple of years apart probably won’t actually be recorded on the website.
There has to be repeated offences, or an offence with a jail term of 5+ years.
Even if their ‘offence’ does come under this, the Minister MUST notify them of their registration and they can seek review of this decision on certain elements including their own age and the age of the person involved.
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Having had a look at the legislation, it is very strict on the offenders that are covered. For example, an 18 yo that has sex with a 15-16 yo would not have their information published unless they were a repeat offender, were given a sentence of 5+ years imprisonment or went off the grid.
You also have to be notified that the info will be published and you can seek review of that decision where the Minister can take into account a bunch of stuff that I won’t list here.
What it means is that all those that have committed a sexual offence involving a ‘child’ where the child just happens to be their almost 16 year old bf/gf, or there are extenuating circumstances, they won’t be listed.
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Why is it only child sex offenders? I would like to be aware of rapists in my community too. The problem is they’re only going to list the worst offenders. There are so many men out there who have sexually assaulted women (or children) and gotten away with it. I know the vast majority of men do not behave in this way but it is still scary not really knowing if the guy you’re on a date with has a history of sexual assault or not!
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I think we need to be very careful in labeling all registered sex offenders as evil. I work with young offenders and one young man is on this register because he had consensual intercourse with his girlfriend who happened to be 2 years younger than him. They were in a good relationship and he is a very kind, intelligent young man. Her parents reported him and he was charged. Before making names public maybe we need to review what constitutes being placed on this register as it has the immense power to ruin lives.
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They wouldn’t be putting his name on a public website. It is clearly for the worst, repeat offenders.
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I believe the idea is a good one, but I wouldn’t like to see all sex offenders lumped in the same category. A 19 year old who sleeps with a 16 year old – mistakenly believing she’s 18 – is in a totally different universe to someone who has perpetrated systematic abuse on children or someone who has violently raped women.
The latter two cases, I believe, have given up all their rights, and do not have a right to privacy even outside of prison. Whereas the 19 year old..well…I kinda think he might deserve a second chance.
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There should be no need for this website. Anyone who harms a child should have the key thrown away, never to be released.
I couldn’t care less what human rights activists or civil libertarians say. These animals should never see the light of day again.
This website is like putting a bandaid on a severed leg.
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I don’t find this useful. The simple fact is that my child is more likely to be molested by some one in my family thn a strange off the street.
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Good. Countless studies show that pedophiles on average molest over 100 children each in their lifetime. That is a lot of children Australia wide. I would want to know if one was living next door to me. Sex offenders are the lowest of the low in our community, especially those who prey on children. In my opinion there is no redemption. There is no cure. You do the crime, you are an outcast forever and the world deserves to know you are a danger to society.
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thatAmandaroseThat sounds like a lot- I would imagine it would be more opportunistic crime- when people have access to kids and I doubt many would get to contact that many. I would imagine a lot of incest molestation would be confined to the teen years for the offender and those he has immediate access to- ie step sisters etc. I would imagine a lot would be step father or uncle with kids they contact. I just can’t see it being that high unless they are teachers or coaches etc. I can’t even see how people could get that information anyway as the majority would go unreported and unconvicted.
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not sure where you got your stats but only 5% of children molested are from strangers the rest are molested by family and friends, many are never convicted
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Except the paedophiles are only a very small (less than 5%) percentage of sex offenders. They are the ones you need to worry about. Saying that all sex offenders are hopeless cases shows a complete lack of understanding regarding the issues and contributes to other offenders being driven underground where they are more likely to reoffend. Is that really what people want?
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This is a difficult one.
I personally would not want to know. This is not a head in the sand approach but more about not wanting to live in a state a fear for myself or my kids. I would prefer my kids be educated about personal safety etc.
I do like the third tier option, of being able to check out someone you may have concerns about. I like that option.
I wonder what Daniel Morcombe’s parents think of this site?
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I’m from Perth, and I went onto the website this morning. The very first thing the system requests from you is your driver’s license number, along with other address information, etc. You then get an email to activate your account. Following this, you get another email to view the people on the register in your area.
The picture of the person/people is watermarked with your name. There are no name details given, and no details of the crime committed.
While it is useful for reviewing people around you, and ensuring your neighbours, for example, are not a risk, the information can’t be easily used for vigilante action; except if you know the person in the photo by sight.
Logging into the website, you are asked to accept the terms, which basically state that you will use the information for information’s sake, and will not take any action directly or indirectly ‘against’ the person (hate mail, etc). I would assume that by accepting these terms, you have effectively locked yourself into an ability to be prosecuted if you choose to take action.
Also, with the huge amount of personal detail you have to give to log into the site, if a particular sex offender is attacked, threatened, etc, it would be very easy for authorities to track who has the information. And to then review your computer if they suspect you.
Overall, I logged in out of curiousity. I imagine if I had children, I would want to know the information, especially anything which could keep my children safe.
The details mentioned above refer to the second tier of the system.
The first tier of the system may work as a means for the authorities to reinstigate contact with those ‘missing’ sex offenders, as someone is bound to know them (names are included with the pictures) and dob them in.
I think it’s a useful tool.
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best idea! someone close to me was sexually abused by her mum’s boyfriend, who turned out to have sex offender history- if she had known about him before getting involved it may have saved my friend. serial sex offenders tend to keep reoffending it seems so being able to know who they are helps keep others safe. they lost their right to provacy when they touched a child and stuffed up their life!
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In the US they have Megan’s Law. It’s an informal name for authorities there to make information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders. It was created in response to the rape and murder of seven-year-old Megan Kanka who lived across the street from a registered sex offender. Her parents said if they had this information they would not have let her walk to school on her own. Individual states in the US decide what information will be made available and how it should be spread.
For example in California you can put in an address on their website and it will show where sex offenders reside in your neighbourhood. This may have an impact on the route you get you children to walk to school or whether you would ask this neighbour for help in an emergency. Knowledge is power. Anyone who has ever listened to a police scanner is aware of crime in their suburb. This doesn’t mean you wrap your children in cotton wool but it does allow you to make them aware to be careful and give them parameters to work within.
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Isn’t that exactly what they are meaning by “false sense of security”? Shouldn’t parents be exercising the same degree of caution at all times? Given than there are many, many sex offenders that are either not reported or not convicted, will this disclosure really make that much of a difference?
I don’t know any more about Megan’s story other than what you have written here, and my heart goes out to her parents, but just becuase in her particular instance it was a previous offender doesn’t mean that if he wasn’t living in her suburb this wouldn’t have happened anyway. The same thing could have been done by a first-time offender, or someone that wasn’t convicted from a previous report, or an previous offender living in a different suburb.
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Are you saying you would rather not know whether your new neighbour across the street is a registered sex offender because this won’t effect anything in your parenting choices anyway?
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I am a U.S. citizen.
I am also a former victim of sexual offense.Now a survivor.
So,for my own reasons, I have an interest in these types of legislations, world wide.
Our Megan’s Law and registry in the U.S. has caused more issues and solved little.If an offender wants to offend badly enough?They will.Registry or not,
GPS tracking or not, harassment/label branding by the Community or the Community Protection efforts or hysteria.
These are not the solutions to this problem.It is part of the problem.
And there is,of course, collateral damages.
We have had vigilante beatings,murders,etc due to the online registry.
Children and family members of offenders harassed, bullied, ostracized and even killed. Sex offenses STILL continue in the U.S. It is a deeply flawed system.
It is not one of possible rehabilitation of those who demonstrate they can indeed be or support.Something that is in the best interest of everyone,not just former offenders.It increases the recidivism rates.
Why?
Instead of rehabilitation, assimilation back into the community with opportunities for proper employment and some semblance of a life?It brands one with a scarlet letter to become a pariah with no hope of a life or change.It causes homelessness and the increase of non-sexual offenses due to desperation.
Or incarceration for not having an address or employment when this system prevents just that.This is a system of mindless retribution not solutions or protection.
Because this type of crime causes such anger and fear?
People overlook the social problems this system and those similar cause.
And of course,this system is politicized and lines pockets.
We have had this system for years.
Many are fighting here for REFORM.
Having a registry for police and social services purposes only?
Ok.A public name and shame?No one is anymore safe than they were before it.
And I agree with Lucinda.
Parents should exercise caution at all times because there are offenders who have never been convicted.They could even be members of your own family.
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By the government creating this list they are admitting these people are dangerous these are “the worst” offenders. If they are dangerous, why have they been released back into society?
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Because the vast majority of people put in prison have a non parole term of imprisonment and after that if they have behaved well (and the prison is crowded) they can be released. Even in the US, where imprisonment seems to be quite an industry, people still get released from prison.
Would you have everyone locked up for life? Even if you would, we would quickly run out of room.
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Build more prisons. I don’t care how much it costs. Anyone who harms a child should never be released.
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God, the idea of finding an independent jury in a case like this actually boggles my mind. This is at least one reason why I fully advocate the use of judge alone trials, which thankfully are available in my jurisdiction. At least then there is the minimal amount of risk for prejudice, and I know people will condemn me for thinking like that but with cases like this it just seems as though the concepts of procedural fairness and innocent until proven guilty are completely abandoned and everyone is just out for blood. It’s sad but it’s reality. As far as his past convictions go, from what I’ve read (and I wish I hadn’t read it at all) they’ll have a hard time having them admitted into evidence, but the jury is likely to already know about them because every man and his dog is blogging about it. Vicious cycle.
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Personally I’d rather see chemical castration of repeat rapists and paedophiles. That would be a more effective way of preventing sex crimes.
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Not even repeat! One life severely damaged through assault/abuse is more than enough!
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Do sex offenders not travel outside of the suburbs they are listed as being located near??
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If it were possible to magically or medically “switch off” child molesting tendencies (leaving only the shame of the crime with offenders) – we’d all be better off…..our children might be safer (unless violence was also a factor).
Child molesters never seem to factor in the fact that their victims will grow into furious adults looking for revenge – particularly now that those adults are realizing that there’s no shame in having been a victim…. The maturing of society’s attitudes towards this crime is helping there.
Child molesters will always be that, no matter how many years they serve as punishment – they really have stepped over that “line we must not step over”.
So where do we put them ?……..unless my “magical solution” is found quickly I guess the answer is…….far, far away (and not next to someone else’s child).
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Of course it can be done, and once a guy is convicted of sex offences we should castrate them. It can be done medically or physically, I don’t care which, but some do gooder would complain.
Saving one child or woman (and even the odd man) from rape is worth it.
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What do we do to women that abuse kids. Just today, another story of a female teacher taking advantage of a 13 year old student (male), seems to be happening more and more involving women too.
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We apply the same rules to women as we do to men. If we can chop a bloke’s nuts off then we can cut out a woman’s ovaries.
I doubt it would be applied though.
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Of course not it’s a ridiculous suggestion
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What is the WA definition of a sex offender? Could it potentially include an 18 year old who got caught having consensual sex with a 15 year old?
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Even if it was consensual, it’s illegal, so yes they would be on the register.
The law determines at what age someone is able to consent to sex.
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This is my major issue with it. I don’t think that an 18-year-old who had consensual sex with a 15-year-old (wrong, yes, but on a totally different plane to child abuse) should be on the same register with child molestors and violent sex offenders.
A mistake made by an 18 year old shouldn’t ruin their whole life. Whereas when someone has committed malicious and consistent attacks – they’ve given up their right to freedom and privacy forever.
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I don’t see this providing a false sense of security for ANYONE. I do see it providing a massive panic induced sleepless night for heaps of people though.
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I live in WA and went on the site yesterday and put in my suburb. One, grainy photo of a man popped up for an area of about 15 suburbs. I was lying in bed with my husband last night and a car pulled into our driveway to turn around. I turned to him and said how scared would we be right now if we did that search yesterday and the photo looked a little bit like him.
I am so uncomfortable with this and I can’t understand the rationale. I can see it might lead to a sense of false security with parents and vigilantly action against the perpetrators, and anyone who looks like them. I really see the value in the tier where parents can make an enquiry, but not the local area search.
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This sounds like a band-aid solution trying to cover up a judicial system that doesn’t work and is there to protect the criminal not the victim.
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What Judge Judy said.
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I don’t think any sex offender ought to have notions of privacy after having betrayed the community by offending like that, regardless of whether they’ve served their time. That being said, the risk of vigilantism is high. But then, it’s hard not to see where vigilantes are coming from, given the justice system doesn’t appear to manage sexual ricidivits very well. I wouldn’t be happy having a rapist next door. Who would?
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As a parent, I don’t find this useful, and as a woman, I don’t find it useful.
As a society, it seems we’re always looking for a bandaid fix instead of treating the actual issue. Our judiciary system needs to be scrutinised. We need to learn from the countless studies over the past 50 years on sex offenders and pedophiles, and apply some changes based on what we have learned. We need to learn the difference between punishment and rehabilitation. We need to invest in attempting to fix to the best of our abilities this societal problem.
This information will do nothing but create a sense of vigilantism, and that’s really frightening to me.
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I totally agree CK.
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Such a hard one. I understand where the idea is coming from, but as was raised in the article, the two key things I see coming from it is vigilantism and a false sense of security.
As terrible as the Jill Meagher case was, someone being pulled off the street is so rare. Sex offenders usually offend against people who are in their immediate circle, family or children they have a protective role over. I would think the money would be better spent on a public awareness campaign of things people could look out for to identify if a child is in danger or is being abused.
I really wonder what is going to happen the first time someone is tracked through this site and attacked. Because I may sound cynical, but it seems to me that it is exactly what it is going to be used for.
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Such a hard one. I don’t believe they should have the right to anonymity after they have offended but I also agree that it could do more harm than good to make names and pictures available.
I don’t know if I would actually want to know if a sex offender or pedophile lived in my area. I think I would then live in constant fear that something might happen to me or my child. Sometimes I think ignorance is better than knowing.
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Sounds like hysteria inducing nonsense to me. Most sex offenders are family members so people should always be looking out of their children. I cannot see any good coming from it.
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