Mothers talk about their sons
My son will be on the S.O.R. (sex offender registry) for 10 years. His act was not a violent one against a child, nor was there any drugs or force involved. It was ALL consensual!
It was very stupid on BOTH of their parts! BUT and HOWEVER, my son will be treated like the offender who molested a child, or performed a violent crime against a child.
A punishment for this 'crime' should not involve being on a S.O.R. along with the 'dangerous' predator or habitual offender! He is a level one (1) offender, but if you read what a level one (1) consists of, it also includes TRUE crimes against a child!
This case did NOT involve a child! This WAS his girlfriend! They both did something STUPID together! This rips out a parent's heart.
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My son was given seven years of deferred adjudication with probation, and will register as a sex offender for life. He was required to move out of our home immediately because of younger family members, and not even allowed to visit us when the younger members were home.
He has been required to attend weekly therapy with much older offenders whose crimes involved forced, violent offenses and offenses against very young children. Hearing some of these crimes really upsets my son.
Texas does not even differentiate my son's crime on the registry from others. His offense is listed as the same crime as a violent, forced rape. Life has been a constant battle since.
My son, who was attending community college when all this happened, was forced to drop out because he was unable to focus. He lost his job because of the sex offender status and had a difficult time finding another. A family member hired him to do warehouse work, which he continues to do. He is now in charge of the warehouse and has employees working under him.
He has three years left of his probation, which will mean he can visit with family when it is over. But the effects of the lifetime sex offender status will never end.
Did my son break the law? Certainly. Should he be punished? Definitely. But should his consequences be the same as those for a violent, forced rape or an offense against a young child?
In Texas, the crime is not differentiated at all. Is that reasonable? Is using a lifetime of resources to monitor someone like this a sensible use of taxpayer money? Is it reasonable to classify this offense with violent, forced offenses and offenses against young children?