Hi, I'm a Mom of an offender. My son was 12 years old when he molested his 4 year old cousin. He touched her and that was it. I foolishly thought at the time that since he was 12 years old and since he was getting the psychological help he needed that this would all be ok. He is 23 now and everything is far from ever being ok ever again. He is a level one. That means in my state that he doesnt come up on any public registeries. But he still must register every 6 months. If he gets a job he has to tell the police and then they call his employer to inform the employer that he is a sex offender...then he loses his job. He was suppose to get off registry in 10 years but then they changed the laws in my state that all sex offenders must register for 15 years. They did this a few months before he was suppose to get off the list. He was crushed. He is depressed, has no friends let alone a girlfriend, His physical appearance is the most shocking to me. He went from being a happy slim child to being an over weight bareley showering man with dark old man circles under his eyes. He never smiles anymore. He doesnt laugh. They have taken everything away from him. He has paid over and over and then some for what he did as a 12 year old and wakes up everyday to pay some more. Today another straw for his overladen back...since he is not on a register no one can see him except they carried out checks by the police and the local news took a pic of the front of his house so the news outed him. People have started commenting on the story on facebook, they are figuring out who lives in the house. He has been outed. Frankly Im scared for him. I'm scared this will be the last straw. I'm scared this will be what pushes him to suicide. I love my son. I'd give my own life if he could just live his in peace. My anxiety has gotten to the point Im dropping things and forgetting things. I'm so scared all the time for him. So scared.
Mom -
Which station was it? vicki.henry@womenagainstregistry.com
Kait its gonna be on the news tonight. Its on facebook right now. A few people have put two and two together and asked some family about it. They didnt know what to say so they just denied it.
Called the newsroom at KAIT TV and they don't have a story like that tonight. They said there was a story yesterday and gave the name of the city. Is that it?
The city was Batesville. Maybe it did air the day before and I only saw it on Facebook yesterday. I don't watch the local news so that could very well be the case.
Absolutely horrifying that the government is permitted a pass on child abuse.
A 12 year old!
Some are not allowed to go to school or live with their family/siblings.
Some states are trying to pass a law that keeps these kids from foster care.
About 200,000 children are robbed of their self-esteem/self worth, hope for the future by the government when they are put on the list.
This abuse is swept under the rug.
Where will these children be when they feel they have no future and are discouraged to make friends. How do we stop this. The government counts on the major shame that they put upon the kids and their families to keep them in their lane.
Meanwhile - this law takes common sense off of the rails! This is nuts!
How do we (parents) band together to change the law by changing public opinion?
I'm so sorry to hear about the struggles your son has gone through. Reading your story was heartbreaking and my thoughts go out to you and your family. My name is Ricky and I'm a reporter for UC Berkeley's Investigative Reporting Program. We're working on a story about people who were put on the registry when they were kids, and the struggles they've faced navigating the system. Hearing from you would help me gain a better understanding about what it's like being the mother of a child who was placed on the registry at a young age. If you're interested in telling your story, you can email me at Ricky_rodas@berkeley.edu
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