Sex Offender laws are serious in California. A law on the books known as Megan's Law states that sex offenders, on top of jail time, fines and probation, have to register with the state and their local communities as sex offenders. There has been a great deal of news lately over the Pope's recent comments regarding priests who have sexually molested children, as he stated he was ashamed of their actions. In fact, in Louisiana, the state is trying to put a man to death for raping his 8-year-old step-daughter.
For those who've been abused by a priest, there are websites that can help people deal with this terrible reality. However, there are also laws protecting sex offenders from being unlawfully harassed, attacked or from having their information misused. Sex offenders must register with the state, and their information is available on websites which allow parents and community groups to know who is in their neighborhood in order to protect them.
The information provided regarding these individuals is not to be used by any person to "commit a crime to to harass an offender or his or her family" If this happens, they are subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability. Many sex offenders wear a cyber scarlet letter, meaning they can be discovered by anyone, found out, attacked and harassed by any individuals who wants to abuse them.
While no one condones what they've done, those accused of a sexual offenseand those found guilty of a sexual offense still have rights under the Constitution and under the laws of The State of California and the city of Los Angeles.
Here are some of the laws protecting sex offenders:
- Any person who uses the Megan's Law website to commit a misdemeanor shall pay a fine of between $10,000 and $50,000.
- Any person who uses the information to commit a felony can receive up to a five-year prison sentence.
- A person cannot be rejected for a home loan, car loan, job, education or benefits if they are a registered sex offender.
I live in a small town in Iowa. The local chamber of commerce elected a registered sex offender, who's crimes were against children age 0-14, to be its president. The man neve stated his status to the organization and since they found out, they have not done anything to remove him from office. He has gained access to daycare centers, schools, libraries and nursing homes by virtue of attending chamber of commerce meetings at those facilities, as well as attending chamber sponsered events designed for children and families, ie: easter egg hunt and christmas party, county fair, etc. I'm SO appauled by all of this. I sent an email from my home address to the chamber, simply stating my opinion, not making any threats, except to boycot their businesses as long as this persists. As I predicted, the president intercepted and responded to my email. In his response, he stated he would forward my mail to the other chamber members, which he never did, so I forwarded the mail myself. Now, I have a chamber member sending emails to my boss (the county attorney) trying to get me in trouble at work for expressing an opinion from my home as a citizen of the town and county, which they don't agree with. I feel like I'm being harassed. The chamber member says I'm committing a crime by stating my opinion and could be civilly sued. In his response, the president states himself that this is not a paid position, and he volunteered himself to do the job. I've read the information on the Iowa Sex Offender search website and don't believe I've done anything wrong, as the chamber is not his employer and I am not harassing him, simply stating my opinion. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Thank you.