Quantum Windbag
Gold Member
- May 9, 2010
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Not to worry though, it helps law enforcement, even if it ruins people's lives.
In addition to dramatically expanding what constitutes a sex crime, many states have boldly crossed the line and require registration for crimes that arent remotely related to sex, pornography, or even public urination. An excellent example of this trend can be found in the Wisconsin case of State v. Smith, where Smith, a 17-year-old boy, made another 17-year-old boy go with him to collect a debt. Smith was convicted of felony false imprisonment for this behavior and, because his prisoner was a minor, the state forced Smith to register as a sex offender. (Smith, also 17-years-old, was not considered a minor. Wisconsin considers accused 17-year-olds to be adults.)
Everyone agreed that Smiths behavior was completely non-sexual. In fact, his obvious motivation in taking his fellow 17-year-old to collect the debt was purely financial. Despite this, Wisconsins highest court rejected Smiths commonsense argument that the purpose of the sex offender registry is to protect the public from sex offenders. Instead, the court held, even people accused of non-sex crimes can be forced to register, because it could assist law enforcement.