With over 400,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, the value of the sex registry is obvious. However, with many statistics incorrect, CriminalPages.com lists the top 10 states with the highest number of sex offenders. Sex offender registries are in place to ensure that every released sex offender report their whereabouts to law enforcement, so that the government can then, offer this information to the public. While each state varies as to how public and available this information is, a citizen looking to see who’s living and working in their area can do so with the right amount of research. This information is now available to the public on CriminalPages.com.
Up until now, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of this data was always accepted as optimum-that is, until recent studies showed that much of the registry information found from sex offender registries was grossly miscalculated, misrepresented, and unreliable.
Generalized Sex Offenders
One of the biggest issues with state registration of sex offenders is that all sex offenders are required to register, regardless of their potential danger to children. So, this means those committing child rape, prostitution, engaging in consensual teenage sex, urinating in public, etc are all lumped into one category-meaning the numbers that a person may find in their neighborhood could be more or less safe than they originally imagined-and they would never know which.
Repeat Offenders
Many of the people on state sex offender registries will be repeat offenders-it’s true; but that other amount of offenders who were involved in non-violent crimes-such as public urination, prostitution, or consensual teenage sex-will not; so any number of statistics drawn from the pool of 400,000 registered sex offenders is misrepresented.
People You Know
Most all original and recent sexual registry law regulation on the public awareness of these individuals focuses on protecting children from the strangers; when, in actuality, most all of sexual offenses committed against children involve a family member or someone they know well. So, the error is also in the psychology of who is committing these atrocities. Not considering people that you know as part of stats in your state registry is another problem with the system.
Recent Sexual Registry Laws
There have been a number of laws in place to effectively optimize the registration of sexual offenders for community awareness and protection; but holes still persist in the framework, making the accuracy of sex offender registries most often accurate.
* Online Registries: All states must have sex offender registry information online for the public that includes an offender’s criminal offenses, a photo, their address, age, etc. This said, not every municipality and state has this system in place yet.
* Restrictions on Residency: Many states and cities in the country have enforced restrictions on how close to a public place of gathering for children a registered sex offender can live and work. So, for both violent and non-violent offenders; residency is restricted from areas near schools, daycares, and playgrounds.
* Adam Walsh and Megan’s Law: Megan’s Law was put into effect to ensure that the public could be made aware of sex offenders living in their cities and reduce the possibility of repaet offense through this knowledge. The Adam Walsh Act was passed in 2006 to correct any inconsistencies that states and cities might have had in how they were making this information to the public.
Extensive research conducted by Criminalpages.com contends the information commonly associated with more popular sex offender registries is skewed. “Our research seems to have thrown conventional sex offender statistics on their head”, says Mathew Johnson, Director of Research for Criminalpages.com. “People need to know where sex offenders – sex predators – are living. Unfortunately, the statistics are wrong. One list in particular claims New York has the highest number of offenders per million residents. Our research says otherwise.” The above reasons are holes in the system that are contributing to this misinformation-that is not only wrong, but downright dangerous!
The Real Statistics on Sex Offenders
If you have any interest in the safety of your family and yourself, you need to be able to locate the real and verifiable statistics on sex offenders in your area. The research from Criminalpages.com lists the top 10 states in terms of sex offenders per million residents (from lowest to highest) as:
10. Iowa
Iowa has 2089 sex offenders per million residents. It has been enforcing sex offender laws that then-Governor Tom Vilsack (D) termed “the nation’s toughest against sex offenders.” Among these laws, is a doubling of prison terms for sex crimes committed against.
9. South Carolina
There are 2241 sex offenders per million residents in South Carolina. According to the State Criminal Code, all information regarding all adult sex offenders (17 and older) must be registered for public scrutiny, but only 40% of and can accessed online.
8. Utah
With 2254 sex offenders per million residents, Utah has the dubious distinction of being ranked 8th among the 10 states with the most registered sex offenders. In addition to a name, photograph, and address, the registry provides the make and model of the offender’s car.
7. Texas
The Texas Department of State Health Services claims approximately 250,000 children in Texas are victims of sexual predators every year. The state claims 2270 offenders per million residents, but suffers from a lack of rigorous enforcement. Some estimates claim approximately 40% of sex criminals in the state are not registered with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
6. Delaware
The First State has 2456 sex offenders per million residents on file. Delaware is one of the few states that require sex offenders to register their new addresses – in person no less – within 3 calendar days. Most states grant offenders 5 to 10 days.
5. Florida
With 2610 sex offenders per million residents on file, it is disconcerting the state of Florida does not place restrictions on where sex offenders can live following their release from prison or probation. Likewise, released sex offenders are not barred from any kind of employment, as long as they do not work directly with children.
4. South Dakota
All 2846 sex offenders per million residents in South Dakota must register with the state for the remainder of their lives. While some states expunge non-violent sex offenses, anyone convicted of a sexual offense in South Dakota must inform the Sex Offender Registry within 5 days of moving – for the rest of their lives.
3. Wisconsin
Though Wisconsin penal codes mandate a minimum sentence of 10 years for convicts who assault children, the state is home to a staggering 3156 sex offenders per million residents. There are only two other states that can claim more sex offenders.
2. Montana
Montana is home to 3746 sex offenders per million residents. In a renewed effort to better inform and protect the public, the Montana Department of Corrections has allowed sex offenders’ residents to be pinpointed online using Google Maps.
1. Arkansas
With 5954 sex offenders per million residents, Arkansas is home to the largest concentration of sexual predators and convicts in the United States. Oddly, the Arkansas Crime Information Center only requires an offender’s name and address be displayed for public scrutiny. With so many offenders, many children’s rights advocates insist the state should be providing more detailed information, including an offender’s current place of employment.
By way of comparison, the state with the least amount of sex offenders was Minnesota, with only 22 offenders per million residents.
About Criminalpages.com:
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