My name is Jonathan Meyer, and I am a 40-year old man living in West Michigan. In 2012, I was convicted of Criminal Sexual Conduct, for having an inappropriate relationship with a teenage employee of my old company. I served six years in prison, and paroled in 2018. I finished parole in 2020, and am trying to move on with my life. The current SOR is basically punishment in perpetuity for the rest of my life, and does nothing to protect the citizens of Michigan. I do not support SORNA as it is currently written. The Michigan legislature can do a much better job on the revised SOR.
A.Current State of the Michigan Sex Offender Registry.
The current Sex Offender Registry (SOR) is a faade. It gives false security to the public, while actually making it easier for predators to assault our children. Here are some more issues with the current SOR:
1.An offender has to report to law enforcement, in person, up to 4-times per year, even if there are no changes to their situation.
2.The police can check-in on offenders whenever they want.
3.It prevents a registrant from getting a quality job opportunity.
4.It prevents a registrant from living in normal society, or even renting an apartment.
5.It prevents a registrant from attending worship services at certain churches.
6.It prevents a registrant from buying a house in a good neighborhood.
7.The offender must publicly register their current house and other property.
8.The offender must publicly register their car, boat, plane, or motorhome.
9.The offender must publicly register their home, cell phone, fax, etc
10.The offender must publicly register their email(s) and social media accounts.
11.The offender must publicly register their job, and notify their employer.
12.The offender must publicly register any/all of their volunteer opportunities.
13.The offender must publicly register any/all of their educational opportunities.
14.The offender must register their vacations or business trips.
15.Vigilantes have access to offenders personal information.
16.Offenders information can be used for blackmail & extortion.
17.Offenders cannot participate in neighborhood social networks like nextdoor.com.
18.Offenders cannot participate in social media like Facebook.
B.The FACTS
Only 4% of CSC crimes in Michigan are committed by someone on the SOR.
About 90% of children who are victims of sexual abuse know their abuser.
Only 10% of sexually abused children are abused by a stranger.
Approximately 30% of children who are sexually abused are abused by family members.
The younger the victim, the more likely it is that the abuser is a family member. Of those molesting a child under six, 50% were family members. Family members also accounted for 23% of those abusing children ages 12 to 17.9
About 60% of children who are sexually abused are abused by people the family trusts.
The Stranger Danger theme is a hoax.
The recidivism rate for CSC is 3.2%, which is among the lowest of any crime.
Offenders are deemed safe enough to parole by State psychiatrists.
Offenders participate in mandatory counseling while on parole.
Parole agents monitor the offender for signs of relapse.
C.Proposed Solution:
Any parolee or probationer would be on the public SOR list, in harmony with the OTIS system. Once the offender has satisfied their obligation with the State, they can be removed from the SORA public view. Only law enforcement, municipalities, and volunteer organizations may access offender information. This system is already in place, and is used for special cases, such as an offender being a minor. Offenders would still maintain a yearly check-in on their birth month with their local law enforcement agency. The revised SOR also allow electronic updates for any other required information. If the authorized therapist for the State of Michigan deems the offender is no longer a threat, they can petition to be removed from the registry.
D.Conclusion
I do not support the SORNA as it is currently written. I am more than willing to testify about my experience with SOR and what does / doesnt work. I know that the Michigan legislature can do a much better job with this issue.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jonathan K Meyer
228 N. State Street
Zeeland, Michigan 49464
616-510-0106
jonkmeyer@charter.net
Women Against Registry Family Foundation.
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Our organizations, Women Against Registry and WAR Family Foundation, do not support or condone illegal sexual activity based on state and federal laws, to include child or adult sex trafficking. We are not and have never been affiliated with any organizations that promote, support or condone sex between adults and minors.
