Disclaimer to view California's Registered Sex Offenders - Megan's Law - California Dept. of Justice - Office of the Attorney General
"Legal and Illegal Uses. The information on this web site is made available solely to protect the public. Anyone who uses this information to commit a crime or to harass an offender or his or her family is subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability.
Any person who is required to register pursuant to Penal Code section 290 who enters this web site is punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000, imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment. (Pen. Code, � 290.46, subd. (i).) "
A friend with limited internet access asked me to check their neighborhood. My first hits from Google were for PAID sites that give you a samle report for free but charge for a full report that puports to include photos! These are people who, while obviously convicted of the unthinkable, have been through the justice system...they served their time.
How does this help them, after hopefully being reformed by prision, return to try to become a functioning member of society?
What's the avergage rate of repeat offenses? Would the effort and money be better spent on treatment instead of simply incarceration?
Also spooky and confusing, the disclaimer for the CA offical site above seems to mean either:
A) that if youre on the registry, you are barred from using the web site ??
or
B) if youre supposed to be on the registry and, presumably, havent registered yet, you can go to jail for checking to see if you're already registered ???
Does this thing have an expiration, or are you forever to be listed?
A bizzare new flavor of FEAR.
