I'm actually really glad that their is some insight to the S/O lists. People really need to read the offense before passing judgement on a person & their families. Think about the children that have to live everyday in school having to defend their parents & what happened. Is this at all fair to the children? I say no!!!
I just don't understand why on earth you would have a person on a site that HAS NEVER been convicted of a crime with a child.Point is why is a person on the site that has an abduction of a child charge? From my understanding the crime didn't even happen in Texas. What is wrong with this picture?
My point in being Goliad has 14 registered S/O. Has the people of Goliad went through every person & seen exactly what charge that they have? Do they truely have the common curtisy to ask what happened? No they pass judgement & spread rumors that are not true.
Now don't get me wrong I am not defending the S/O in anyway. I am simply stating that their are people on their that are not suppose to be registered.
I WILL protcct my children at all costs, & I have in the past from a S/O (which got off by signing away his parential rights, long story). I spent two years in court to protect my children & won, & I will do what it takes to protect them again. THEY ARE MY LIFE!! Then moved to get away from him. People are right when saying that a person closes to you will & can hurt you the most.

I have a great idea. Why doesn't the Advocate do an article and maybe an interview about and with someone from this group called TX voices. Help us ALL learn more abouth these issues. Maybe someone from that group would answer questions. Come on Advocate be a proactive help and possible solution to a problem that everyone is concerned with.

I'm so glad this article has been printed. The best part of the article is "Should some offenders, like those convicted of statutory rape or even in some rare instances a teen who posts naked pictures of herself on the Internet, be classified the same as violent offenders like rapists child predators?"

This COMMENT is in response to a front page article, a letter to the editor, and a segment done on the Newscenter 25 recently. Not all sex offenders has hurt or raped a child. It is discriminating to say all of the sex offenders are direct threat to our children. There are so many different situations for example, such as a young love when the guy was 18 and the girl was 17 and the parents found out and reported it. Or what about in the old days when our grandparents had our parents at the age of 15 or 16? Is that rape too?
I understand about HIGH risk offenders and offenders that have hurt a child. I do agree that they should be stricter with them about where they live. I have two children of my own and I would feel uncomfortable living next to a HIGH risk offender. I would die before letting my child get hurt. There are also a lot of bad people who never get reported to authorities, how will we know about them?
What I’m trying to get across here is that just because a person is slapped with the label “Sex Offender” and required to report address changes and update TX DL every year doesn’t mean that person is a bad person. All these cases have different circumstances and it doesn’t give anyone the right to say that ALL sex offenders should be removed from the city.
It is already a requirement for offenders that are still on probation or parole to live at least a 1000 feet from a school zone. What should be done is that High risk offenders on probation or not, should not be allowed to live anywhere within 2000 feet of a school, daycare, or parks. You cannot kick all 172 sex offenders out of town, it isn’t logical and it’s against the constitution.

Great Editorial Thanks for some common sence writing!!

Thank you Victoria Advocate for bring to light the fact that not all sex offenders are pedophiles or rapists. In fact, only a small percentage ever touched a child or forced a woman. Tens of thousands are young men who touched or chatted online with a slightly too young girlfriend.
The reason so many people think all sex offenders are dangerous perverts is because they listen to legislators looking for easy votes and media stirring up hysteria for ratings.
Then there's the thousands of dishonest people making money from the unfair misery our justice system inflicts on these young men. That's the vast majority of the counseling providers and those administering all the tests such as the polygraph. While sex offenders pay many fees, the tax payers are still footing the bill for policing these young men who pose no threat to anyone much less a child.
Law enforcement needs to focus on pedophiles and rapist rather than chasing after young people who have done no more than young people have always done, whether we approve or not.
As responsible citizens we must educate ourselves on this issue and demand that the laws be reformed to better protect our communities.
reformsexoffenderlaws.org

Thank goodness some sense here. Thank you. I always ALWAYS thought that only pedophiles and violent people were on the registry. I've since learned the truth and so many are NOT violent nor ever hurt anyone. What IS the point in the registry if it has proven to be not working and puts on there fellas who had sex with their girlfriends consensually or chatted consensually, stuff that doesn't mount up to a hill of beans in ANY day and age -- I, myself, would have put at least 8 fellas on the registry when I was a teenager...my friends would have as well. It isn't working - why not just have a VIOLENT offender registry and if they are SO violent that they WOULD DEFINITELY hurt someone, do NOT let them out of jail, period! We wouldn't need a registry at all then eh?

All men are in danger of being on the registry in Texas for the dumbest stuff now - and most are just stupid things like tinkling out your back door (yes, I know of a guy that happened to, he's on the registry -- his OWN HOME), tinkling on the side of the road, the chat thing has to stop - that's just insane -- that's a THOUGHT crime when they just chat about sex and do NOTHING...we've gone way overboard because our legislators are old and don't use the internet much. If they did they'd get an eyeful and FAST on what teens are doing (and young people age 25 and under) online on a REGULAR basis.

Hope they change this mess - it's sad to see lives all over ruined for such misdemeanor or NO criminal behavior.

What about convicted gang members, murderers and robbers? They are very dangerous people and we are not told where they live!

Just a note to RUKIDDINGME: You cannot tell what the actual crime was by looking at the registry. All you can tell is which one of perhaps 20 broad categories into which all offenders are grouped. The specifics of each incident are not disclosed, so all you can actually do is guess, and that is a dangerous approach. Yes, you can know where they live and even where they work, but that's not enough to make a fair assessment of their risk to your safety or lack thereof, which is usually closer to the truth.

I applaud the Editorial board for the Victoria Advocate, at using some common sense and understanding that all offenders are not the same. Should we banish all people that have made mistakes in their life? Drugs hurt more children and families , so banish all drug offenders, Dui offenders and while we are at it Tax cheats. All people deserve a second chance and sex-offenders on this dreaded register are not all the same, please citizens’ of this great state educate yourselves to the true dangers and not the myths.

This is so refreshing...it has made my day! Thank you for your understanding and for not jumping on the band wagon with all the other RSO haters who have no idea what they go through on a daily basis. Where they can live is just one of many issues that they deal with. Try living in a small town and not driving or working within 1000 feet of a school, park, daycare, etc.

Victoria editor, very well said. I read your comment and it makes a lot sence. NOT ALL S/O's are violent. I feel that a man or woman should be given another chance, we ALL have made mistakes in our lives, and many of us have never been convicted for our past, because it was within the families. Thank you, Manny

Thank you Victoria Advocate for standing strong as you do against a policy that would devastate families in my home town. I am a fiance' to a registered sex offender who made a stupid judgement call and did 10 years in the Texas penal system and now has to register for life, A man who wouldn;t think of hurting a child, who is very productive in his job profession, and would give you the shirt off his back if you needed or just wanted it. Not all rso's are violent and the laws must be changed as far as registration.We have so many on the registry that law enforcement have a heck of a time keeping up with the violent ones. If the registry laws were changed then they could spend more time watching the ones who are violent rapist, murderers ect.. Thanks Victoria Advocate!!!!

I aplaud the Victoria Advocate for stating that they would like to see well thought out laws past and not media hyteria driven or vote grabbing legislators passing laws that cost taxpayers a lot of their money and the laws do not protect anyone. The city council in Victoria could educate themselves by reading TxVoices website and then make a more informed decision about whether or not to enact residency restriction laws. Again, kuddo's to good journalism from the VICTORIA ADVOCATE.

Bravo, Advocate; well done. It is refreshing to see common sense is not totally dead and buried.

Thank God there is someone that can think things thru and not go on a whitch hunt and open concentration camps.I agree there are predators that should be locked away. But there are those that should have never been on the registery. Nor should have even gone to jail or a trial. What we do here will have long term consequences for our future generations. Our familes and country. We all want a safe society. But are we willing to hurt others to get it.

No one can tell by looking at the registry what crime was committed. The Texas laws lump so many sexually based items together that when you see an 'aggravated sex assault of a child' you don't know whether someone raped a child or if it was someone who had consensual sex with someone he/she thought was an adult. Activities which were considered pranks or simply recklous behavior in the past are now felonies that follow people their whole life and the registry does not allow us to see truth. Ordinances which limit where registered sex offenders live give a false illusion of security. Parents think their children are safe yet the biggest danger actually lies with people the child knows and trusts. "Pedophile" and "sex offender" are not the same thing. To be truly vigilant as a parent requires knowledge. Don't make assumptions - get the truth. Check out www.txvoices.com to get more facts. I appreciate the Victoria Advocate for bring reason to the table.

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who is listed on the dreaded "sex offender" registry is a dangerous predator or pedophile. Thank you Victoria Advocate for bringing up the differentiation issue. Indeed, hundreds, possibly thousands of individuals who are required to register have committed offenses which should have been nothing more than misdemeanor charges. A 19 year old who had sex with a girl whom he believed to be 17 is charged with the exact same offense as a 50 year old man who raped a 14 year old. Texas laws group everyone under the same big evil umbrella. Residency restrictions are not the answer. Allison Taylor, executive director of the Coucil on Sex Offender Treatment states that over 90% of sexual assaults are committed by someone the child knows and trusts. Looks like these feel-good residency restrictions will cost the tax payer and devastate entire families without providing any real benefit to the community. The fear-mongering "sex offender" hysteria needs to come to an end! Texas is adding an average of 100 individuals to the registry each week. Your loved one may be next.

Many times matters that would have been settled by a young man "doing the right thing" voluntary or with the encouragement of a shot gun are dealt with by the juvenile justice system. These young people are far different the 60 year old predator who targets youngster for abuse or exploitation. These type of regulations encourage offenders to go underground or not seek treatment as the persecution becomes ridiculous were danger will increase NOT diminish.