Week 9 Discussion 1 National Public Sex Offender Registry

Discussion 1: Sex Offender Policy

The first national registry to identify sex offenders publicly
appeared in the United States in 2005. Prior to this, individual states
were maintaining their own sex offender registries, resulting in
inconsistent levels of information among different states. Today, the
Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Registry provides information on all
registered sex offenders throughout the United States.

Like other aspects of criminal justice policy, criminal justice
professionals can critique the appropriateness and effectiveness of the
national sex offender registry. They can reflect upon
the emphasis placed on the national sex offender registry versus the
lack of demand for other national registries. Criminal
justice professionals may also explore justification for putting
extended sanctions on sex offenders after they have served their time
as well as the potential dangers of placing children on sex offender
registries.

For this Discussion, review the Learning Resources and analyze the
legal and ethical implications of sex offender registries. Review this
week’s Learning Resources. Research other countries’ use of national sex
offender registries. Consider the use of domestic and international
public registries as a crime control policy.

Post by Day 3 your critique of the
use of a national public sex offender registry as a crime control
policy in the United States. Then, identify another country that
employs a sex offender registry, and compare its requirements to the Dru
Siodin National Sex Offender Registry. Finally, explain whether you
believe the use of public registries is an effective crime control
policy and why. Justify your response.