teen has consensual sex with female teen

[TaraJo]

I've always hated a lot of the laws around sex offender lists. I remember reading a newspaper article a few years ago about a guy who got put on the sex offender registry. Now, one of the rules about the registry is that you can't be within x-distance of schools, daycares, playgrounds or some other places where children tend to go. Most people just nod their heads and go along with this, but when you look at it from the perspective of someone trying to get by with that millstone tied to their neck, it ain't a great idea. He couldn't find a place to live that he could afford and wasn't too close to one of those areas. He actually had to live in a tent outside of town, just because he couldn't find anywhere else to live. And since then, it's just gotten worse; I see stories from time to time, passing harsher and harsher stipulations to people on the sex offenders registry while any relaxing of those rules is condemned.

And the icing on that cake is that the surest way to get someone to re offend is to put them in a situation where commiting crimes is the only way for them to put a roof over their heads. Sure, there are homeless shelters and programs that should be able to help him, but they're all within areas where he legally isn't allowed to live. I would actually be surprised if this guy doesn't wind up back in jail; not because he's done something especially hurtful, but because his own situation is so desperate. Hell, part of me would think committing a crime and going to prison would be preferable to being forced to live in a tent on the outskirts of town. Suicide would be a legitimate option, if you don't like the idea of prison.

And the final, maybe worst part about it is that the sex offender registry is for life. You don't get off it after a while, with good behavior or anything like that. You could be 90 years old, with alzheimers so bad you can't even recognize your own reflection, you'll still be a registered sex offender.