Ohio wants special car plates for sex offenders

[LUVMYSIGP225]

Originally Posted by nikon777

Well Ohio has plates for drunks as well so why not.

Ahh, yes. Ohio's "Party Plates". What a dumba$$ idea. Only first time DUI offenders and maybe second time offenders get them, because they are the only ones that qualify for driving privilges to work and school after a DUI. Usually a young college kid or high school kid that screwed up once and the experience scared him $hitless, and he probably won't do it again. Society loves to brand people and mark them for public display. Just like the CCW holders list in the Cleveland paper letting everyone know who has a CCW permit.

Meantime, they just sentenced a DUI offender here in Ohio for the 20th time. 20 DUIs. WOW! He doesn't care about Party Plates. He just buys beater cars and steals plates to put on them. He is the real threat.

[Timmy44221]

I think the "party plates" are a good idea (I am also from Ohio). THey are orange (the DD ones) and they are nice, when I drive home between midnight and 3am (prime time drunk driving time) I can watch out for those cars. Also I see no problem with public humiliation for crimes.

As for sex offenders. There was initialy talk of pink plates, but the breast cancer people got all up in arms and didnt wnt people to think they represented their group. I think overall its a good idea, but It could draw to much attention and incite violence.

[MrBug]

To heck with all the dancing around. What about a hot branding iron? Brand a big D for Drunk, M for Molester, T for Thief across their forehead. That way if they are riding a bicycle or walking you can still tell who they are.

No, I don't want molesters around my children but I also don't want us to become the kind of society that would do any of those things in my first paragraph. It's a whole lot more than a slippery slope we are talking about. It's a headlong avalanche back into a society that lynches, publicly beheads, chops off offending appendages and such. Where do we draw the line?

[TeflonKid]

If there is no chance for somebody to better their life they wont even try. If you punish somebody forever for a crime, why would they want to change? hell they already screwed, might aswell get some kiddy ass for their trouble. If ya can't put it behind ya then why would ya put it behind ya?

I lost my virginity at 13 with a 13 year old, I guess some would call me a sex offender then? We called it being a horny stupid teenager.

[Son of Norway]

Originally Posted by MrBug

To heck with all the dancing around. What about a hot branding iron? Brand a big D for Drunk, M for Molester, T for Thief across their forehead. That way if they are riding a bicycle or walking you can still tell who they are.

No, I don't want molesters around my children but I also don't want us to become the kind of society that would do any of those things in my first paragraph. It's a whole lot more than a slippery slope we are talking about. It's a headlong avalanche back into a society that lynches, publicly beheads, chops off offending appendages and such. Where do we draw the line?

Some people want us to be just like Nazi Germany or radical muslims. Shameful. Whoever proposed this should be held accountable at the next election.

I agree with your post.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by KP Ling

Horrible idea! For one, as Dan mentioned, it means you never, ever finish serving time and so you have no incentive to reform yourself if all society is going to do is pass new restricitions on you every few years. Again, not all sex offenders are horrible people...I know one guy who had to register as a sex offender simply because he chose to take a squirt in his backyard one night (he was drunk and had a 6' privacy fence). A neighbor's young daughter happenend to see it and so the cops arrested him, he was tried and because of the girl's age, even though he was only charged with public exposure a misdemeanor, he now has to register himself the rest of his life as a sex offender. Try applying for a job or being confronted by angry neighbors who do not want you in their neighborhood by saying, "Wait! Hold on...I only took a squirt in my backyard.

Utah recently tried and convicted a twelve year old boy and 13 year old girl for having sex. ( http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4783650 ) The law in Utah reads that anyone who has sex with someone under 14 is a sex offender and so now both these children are registered sex offenders for the rest of their lives for concensual sex with one another. How can you be both victim and perpetrator of the same crime? I know children at this age should not have sex, they are not mature enough but their age also shows that there was probably only curiosity and no criminal intent between the two. How are these kids going to get into college or explain their situation? This goes to reason three there should not be special license plates for sex offenders.

Sex offenders are easily the most despised class of criminal and so are easy targets for DAs or other office holders running for election. Again, if you start sentencing people to a certain punishment, they fulfill the terms and then later you rearrange the deal; they have no incentive to behave since they see society as unforgiving and unwilling to accept them back. This is the same logic for felons and why they repeat so often, they lose rights to never get them back and so do not feel completely part of society. With this lack of a "way back" they become ever more criminal since it is the only path they know and is left to them. Sentences should be clear and finite, not constantly changing or else the punished will find ways around the increased punishment or feel resentment and so go back to their old ways out of spite.

Also, if they are forced to get special license plates, then they will simply start walking, riding bikes, catching rides, taking the bus, etc. and become even more anonymous than they had been. Remember the law of unintended consequences, all government programs produce the opposite effect of what was intended, i.e. welfare has only made poverty grow and this program that seeks to make sex offenders drivers more visible will only make them stop driving and become less visible.

You also set up a precedent that has no end. If you believe that sex offenders should have special license plates, then why should shoplifters not have to wear a scarlet letter "T" (for thief) the rest of their life so they can be more closely watched? Why shouldn't hot check writers have to buy special checks which tell the retailer their history? Why should chronic speeders not have to get a special license plate as well and get a governor on their engine tharestricts their speed to 55mph? See, this principle could go on and on and ensnare all. Remember what Paine said, "He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself." When you allow even the lowest of the low to be punished ad infinitum and become a whipping boy for politicians trying to strike a "get tough on crime" re-election stance, then one day there will be nothing to stop you from also being a popular scapegoat and perpetual enemy of the state.

I totally agree.
I feel everyone should get at least one chance at redeeming themselves, and possibly even two chances depending on the crime committed. We all make mistakes, but most of us learn from them. But screw up a third time and your out of here! PERIOD! And I don't mean sitting in a cell for the rest of your life watching Soaps all day. I mean the Death Penalty so the rest of us don't have to pay for you to be guarded or fed for the rest of your life.

[sewerman]

well the idea to highlight sex offenders is commenable , maybe just brand a big scarlett `A' on their forehead for "*ss wipe" or something like that.

[FrankRizzoXD40]

As for my opinion, I am going to have to agree with the majority of people who have posted so far--I don't think it's a good idea.

They could get run off the road.

What if someone borrowed a car of a sex offender?

There are lots of reasons.

Instead I would expand and improve the online database of registered sex offenders and continue to support police officers when they go door to door with flyers to let people know that a sex offender is moving to their area.

I would also require monitoring braclets for the most severe sex criminals, so that we know where they are at all times.

Thanks for all the responses. I was thinking I would get a lot of responses like "Well I HATE sex offenders, but....I don't think this is the way to go..."

Frank

[aiformula]

Originally Posted by Gerald

I totally agree.
I feel everyone should get at least one chance at redeeming themselves, and possibly even two chances depending on the crime committed. We all make mistakes, but most of us learn from them. But screw up a third time and your out of here! PERIOD! And I don't mean sitting in a cell for the rest of your life watching Soaps all day. I mean the Death Penalty so the rest of us don't have to pay for you to be guarded or fed for the rest of your life.

Well, since license plates are an annually renewable item, I don't see an issue. Once the probationary time post jail is served, then they can be removed.

[philman]

Originally Posted by jednp

kind of funny, a person convicted of drunk driving shouldn't even be able to register a vehicle, let alone be able to get special plates. I'm sure it does a great job of keeping them from drinking and driving!

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