billboards for sex offenders in missisippi

Former Member

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4733522.stm

yes in america, registered sex offenders photos and crimes will be put on billboards, as if this will somehow help stop reoffending :banghead:


me thinks its a re-election ploy


another thing i find dodgy is

He says he wants the state's health department to check the ages parents list on new-borns' birth certificates and report to him any cases of statutory rape.

The age of consent in Mississippi is 16

which is extremely dodgy as it assumes an under 16 has no ability to consent, and they wonder why their sex education is so bad and they have so many teenage pregnancies

Former Member

Their age of consent is 16 in Mississippi? i thought it was 18 all over America. Well i didnt know that.

I am not sure about this sex offenders thing. On the one hand i despise Paedophiles and what they do, on the other hand, what if it is a 17 year old or 18 year old dude with his girlfriend who is like a few months away from becoming legal age for sex. Does he go up on a billboard and marked for life?

Former Member

I wonder how much they will be paying out in damages when they put up the first wrong photo?

Former Member

I though they had weird places in america where the age of consent was as low as 14 and you could even enter polygymous marriages at that age? Anyway, am I confused in thinking that 16 as the age of consent isn't weird and that it's the same as in England?

Former Member

katralla wrote:

I though they had weird places in america where the age of consent was as low as 14 and you could even enter polygymous marriages at that age? Anyway, am I confused in thinking that 16 as the age of consent isn't weird and that it's the same as in England?

Polygamy is illegal in the US and has been since the mid 1800s I think. It was practiced by Mormons but was abandoned by their Church over a hundred years ago, now I think only a small breakaway sect of Mormons advocate polygamy.

The age of consent varies by state, link

It also seems to vary on circumstances in a lot of states, example:

Colorado: 15 (17 if partner 10 years older and not spouse)
Florida: 16 (If partner under 24), 18 (all other adult partners)
Idaho: 16 or 17 (if partner less than 5 years older), 18 (all other adult partners

Former Member

Here a table of the age of consent from around the world:

click

Former Member

Disillusioned wrote:

Colorado: 15 (17 if partner 10 years older and not spouse)
Florida: 16 (If partner under 24), 18 (all other adult partners)
Idaho: 16 or 17 (if partner less than 5 years older), 18 (all other adult partners

Far too confusing... poor Americans.

Former Member

Disillusioned wrote:

Polygamy is illegal in the US and has been since the mid 1800s I think. It was practiced by Mormons but was abandoned by their Church over a hundred years ago, now I think only a small breakaway sect of Mormons advocate polygamy.

The age of consent varies by state, link

It also seems to vary on circumstances in a lot of states, example:

Colorado: 15 (17 if partner 10 years older and not spouse)
Florida: 16 (If partner under 24), 18 (all other adult partners)
Idaho: 16 or 17 (if partner less than 5 years older), 18 (all other adult partners

all of those actually seem quite reasonable

Former Member

that's pretty messed up.

Former Member

nicx1811 wrote:

Far too confusing... poor Americans.

It makes sense that in some states, Colorado for instance if two people of the same age, a 15 year old and a 16 year old for instance it’s legal but it’s illegal for a 15 year old and a 40 year old. I don't think that is particularly confusing, tbh I'd favour similar kind of laws here I think.

Former Member

Not that confusing - as I imagine most people will know their own states law and if you live in Texas I don't think you worry overmuch about what the laws are in New York

Former Member

wheresmyplacebo wrote:

yes in america, registered sex offenders photos and crimes will be put on billboards, as if this will somehow help stop reoffending

This reminds me, in a sense of the News of the World publishing pictures of convicted paedophiles. Let's not forget that in one case, they named the wrong person, and an innocent man's life was destroyed as a result. I believe it was a bad idea to publish those pictures, and I believe the same about this.

they wonder why their sex education is so bad and they have so many teenage pregnancies

At least the USA is actually trying to do something about it. What do our authorities do in this country? Meekly dish out condoms like Smarties. Nothing about saying "well, sex at the age of 14 isn't really a good idea, you know". The US government is at least trying, which is more than can be said of ours. Quite simply, Britain, with the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe, is in no position to lecture the USA on this issue.

Former Member

stargalaxy wrote:

This reminds me, in a sense of the News of the World publishing pictures of convicted paedophiles. Let's not forget that in one case, they named the wrong person, and an innocent man's life was destroyed as a result. I believe it was a bad idea to publish those pictures, and I believe the same about this.At least the USA is actually trying to do something about it. What do our authorities do in this country? Meekly dish out condoms like Smarties. Nothing about saying "well, sex at the age of 14 isn't really a good idea, you know". The US government is at least trying, which is more than can be said of ours. Quite simply, Britain, with the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe, is in no position to lecture the USA on this issue.

You’re really starting to sound like the editorial of the Daily Mail now stargalaxy...You’re blurring two separate issues; that of paedophilia and teenage pregnancy. I'm not sure if even the Daily Mail does that actually. *shrug* I don't buy it.

Former Member

Disillusioned wrote:

You’re really starting to sound like the editorial of the Daily Mail now stargalaxy...You’re blurring two separate issues; that of paedophilia and teenage pregnancy. I'm not sure if even the Daily Mail does that actually.

Seperating the two again, going back to the paedophiles issue... I think the law is right to say we should not have access to a register of sex offenders. There would be a section of society that would inevitably misuse such a list. As for the billboards, such ideas have been floated before for burglars and thiefs. In their case, they may see it as a badge of honour. For a paedophile, it could be an advert for the mob. You might as well publish his name and address on it at the same time. Such an idea could encourage lawlessness, and is wrong.

And for the record, I don't 'buy' the Daily Mail.

Former Member

How backward.

Former Member

stargalaxy wrote:

Seperating the two again, going back to the paedophiles issue... I think the law is right to say we should not have access to a register of sex offenders. There would be a section of society that would inevitably misuse such a list. As for the billboards, such ideas have been floated before for burglars and thiefs. In their case, they may see it as a badge of honour. For a paedophile, it could be an advert for the mob. You might as well publish his name and address on it at the same time. Such an idea could encourage lawlessness, and is wrong.

I agree with you. While I’d advocate tougher sentences – especially for criminals making a career out of crime for instance I don’t think public humiliation on billboards is necessary. This isn’t something we can learn from the US on. In other areas we can learn from the US however, mandatory sentencing laws (three-strikes law) would be an excellent idea.

stargalaxy wrote:

And for the record, I don't 'buy' the Daily Mail.

My mistake, sorry.

Former Member

NQA wrote:

Not that confusing - as I imagine most people will know their own states law and if you live in Texas I don't think you worry overmuch about what the laws are in New York

UNTRUE! I can't even begin to count the times I've been kept awake at night worrying about marriage laws in Idaho. :nervous:

Former Member

Disillusioned wrote:

In other areas we can learn from the US however, mandatory sentencing laws (three-strikes law) would be an excellent idea.

Hands up who hasn`t had a pee "in public" ? For the rest of us,there are places where we would be on our way(strike one) to "THE LIST" :nervous:

http://www.statenews.com/article.phtml?pk=28143

A current state law makes the act a disorderly conduct offense. A violation puts someone convicted of public urination in the same category as prostitutes, vagrants and peeping Toms. Currently, a third violation of the disorderly conduct law qualifies a person to be named on the state's sex offender list.

Former Member

I think it's wrong to put them up.

You are bound to get some self-righteous bully who thinks they can save the world by bashing sex offenders... And soon enough the wrong person will get attacked.

Former Member

AllAmericanRageJunky wrote:

UNTRUE! I can't even begin to count the times I've been kept awake at night worrying about marriage laws in Idaho. :nervous:

Is that one of the states where you're allowed to marry your sister

Former Member

Your sister is your mother.
Your uncle is your father.
You all fuck one another.
The redneck family.

Former Member

You fuck your dad
You fuck your mom
Inbred, inbred
Southern scum

Former Member

Little_one wrote:

Here a table of the age of consent from around the world:

click

So in some part of canada people can have sex (even homosexual sex) as young as 12?

And in part of America they can have sex as young as 14 (mostly the prairy states)?

Former Member

Disillusioned wrote:

In other areas we can learn from the US however, mandatory sentencing laws (three-strikes law) would be an excellent idea.

No, its a shockingly bad idea, it removes the judge from the sentencing, it means that someone arrested three times for cannabis posession can get years in jail and its part of the reason the US has 1% of its population in jail.

Former Member

bongbudda wrote:

No, its a shockingly bad idea, it removes the judge from the sentencing, it means that someone arrested three times for cannabis posession can get years in jail and its part of the reason the US has 1% of its population in jail.

The USA has a population of around 300million, if I remember correctly. That would mean at least 3million people are doing time. Wow, it puts things into perspective.

Former Member

The three-and-you're-out law is one of the most repugnant, unfair and uncalled for pieces in legislation in modern history.

People have been sent to 25 years in jail for not paying for a slice of pizza.

Some justice.

Former Member

And almost every single one of them is either producing goods for large corporations or the military.

Former Member

Aladdin wrote:

The three-and-you're-out law is one of the most repugnant, unfair and uncalled for pieces in legislation in modern history. People have been sent to 25 years in jail for not paying for a slice of pizza. Some justice.

Whereas in this country, if you run a girl over with a car, you get 12 weeks. We're at one extreme, they're at the other. God help us.

Former Member

Little_one wrote:

Here a table of the age of consent from around the world:

click

I didn't know Spain had lowered to age of consent to 13 for everyone and all kind of relations!

Must be the work of the socialist government

No wonder the Catholic Church and the right wing Popular Party are spitting blood

Former Member

stargalaxy wrote:

Whereas in this country, if you run a girl over with a car, you get 12 weeks. We're at one extreme, they're at the other. God help us.

For motoring offences maybe, but if you compare the jail time UK people get in comparison to that of the Dutch or the Spanish we are much harsher.