The federal government in the United States passed a law requiring sex offenders, which helps monitor and track them after being released into the community. Initially, the law was applicable for the adult sex offenders but has expanded to include children convicted for a similar crime. Additionally, the law requires that the individual will still have to register as a sexual offender after the transition into adulthood. Nevertheless, some differing opinions argue that juvenile sexual offenders should not be registered because the act hinders their social development. Different scholars have justified the transfer of sexual offender registration into the adult life.
Registration of juvenile sexual offenders in their childhood and even after transition to adulthood acts as a way of protecting women against sexual abuse. The United States authorities argue that a third of cases associated with sex offenses are children (Meiners, 2015). Moreover, the authorities further noted that youths also make a large percentage of adults convicted for sexual offenses. Accordingly, there is a possibility that juvenile sexual offenders are likely to engage in similar activities even after their transition into adulthood. Subsequently, the government should lay down measures that should protect the society from the reoccurrence of sexual offenses by protecting women. Registration of sexual offenders serves as a punishment throughout one’s life (Harris et al., 2016). For instance, the individual will consistently live under governments watch because the registered individuals should be consistently monitored. Therefore, it is vital that sexual offenders be registered as juveniles and after their transition into adulthood to protect women and minors from abuse.
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The presence of laws advocating for registration of juvenile sex offenders even after their transition into adulthood plays a critical role in sensitizing them to avoid engaging in the offence due to the perceived risk. Nevertheless it is essential to create awareness among children about the law to achieve the intended objective. Being registered as a sexual offered negatively influences the individual’s social life because it will not be possible to conceal the involvement in the specific crime (Russell & Marsh, 2018). Therefore, the perceived stigma associated with the registration helps the government to hide such crimes and only engage in what is right. Furthermore, the awareness created when sensitizing children about the registration laws play an essential role in promoting right decisions. Counterarguments states that children engage in sex because they lack control of their emotions and do not have emotional intelligence required to make very sober decisions. Hence, the registration of sex offenders as juveniles and after transition into adulthood helps to prevent a surge in such offences because the target group is oblivious of the consequences.
Registration of sexual offenders plays an essential role in reducing the recurrence of such criminal activities and protecting women from abuse. The United States records a high number of sexual offences among teenagers and youths. Thus, registering the offenders will deter this crime as individuals will be concerned about the stigma associated and refrain from engaging in the act. Additionally, creating awareness about such crimes play an essential role in enabling the teenagers make right and informed decisions. In a nutshell, the registration of sex offenders will help in creating a stable society where people will refrain from engaging in activities that can lead to one’s incarceration.
References
Harris, A. J., Walfield, S. M., Shields, R. T., & Letourneau, E. J. (2016). Collateral Consequences of Juvenile Sex Offender Registration and Notification. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment , 28 (8), 770–790. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063215574004
Meiners, E. R. (2015). Offending Children, Registering Sex. Women’s Studies Quarterly , 43 (1/2), 246–263. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43958491
Russell, K. N., & Marsh, S. C. (2018). When Juveniles Commit Sexual Offenses: Considerations and Recommendations for Judges. Juvenile and Family Court Journal , 69 (2), 37–48. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfcj.12111
