Its amazing that this can happen at this point in history. When will we learn?

Good article - very impressed with the author

Personally I have always wanted to live on an island far remote from people.

Personally I have always wanted to live on a deserted island. Drop me on a deserted island with some equipment and let them all go away... In the old days I would probably been a mountain man or exployer.

Personally I would like them to buy the land put in their own power , water and agriculture. In short go off the grid.

are you kidding red? if someone saw them doing that they would get pissed off and say that the RSO's there do not rate it and or they will say because they have their own power they are not suffering enough

Instead of my son living in a city where he can walk to the store or take a bus to where he wants to go. He goes to Kung Fu school that is less than a mile away. He goes to nightclubs and listens to live bands and hangs out with his friends he just met here in the city. He's only 25 but his life is a lot better than if he lived out in the middle of nowhere, where it would take him 30 minutes to drive to a town to buy milk.. which wouldn't happen because he doesn't drive.

There are pros and cons to everything. It really depends on that person.

I agree Nak it seems counter-productive to the goal of reintegrating offenders back into society. Of course we all know that is not the aim of politicians. It's to push SOs out to the margins of life. Out of sight out of mind.

The author said something in his podcast that I struggle with. He said the offenders were more interested in talking about what ways they are suffering with no mention of how their victims were or had suffered. That does not play well to the general public. Which is why I am of the opinion we need to make our mantra no more victims. That the mantra needs to be our first objective. I think what logically follows from that will lead to better things for everyone in the country including RSOs.

then the author wasn't listening because they one RSO talk quite a bit about the victims

I think you've got a good point, Independent. "No more victims" suits everyone. I think that is the "mantra" of the Circles of Support and Accountability.

As far as people talking about how their victims have suffered...well, how can you know if you have been banned for life from communicating or even talking about your victim? I wonder if anyone can address how that is.

Remember too that there are plenty of RSos that have no "real" victim. Not that they directly victimized.

His point is still something we can learn from. The outside public perceives us to be more concerned with how this is affecting us than how it is affecting our victims. Whether that's true or not is not what my point is. My point is perception vs reality. We need to be aware and conscious of how what we are saying is being perceived. I think making no more victims out mantra will go a long way to assuaging public opinion that we are only out for ourselves. I don't mean this as a ploy or lip service--I actually believe 100% if we focus on no more victims, good things will happen in public policy towards sex offenders.

And whether you can talk to your victim or not, it doesn't mean you cannot empathize with them and the hurt they may be going through.

Ok – this may not be the popular belief but I think it is very important to post varying ideas so that all on the forum can know that some of us feel much differently than others. I do not think that one way or the other is bad or good or the “right” way to make a difference in these archaic laws. I also do not think that we have to remind anyone that for the majority of sex offenses there is a physical victim no more than we have to remind anyone that there is a victim in a murder, armed robbery, or home evasion etc. Obviously we would not have laws in any county unless there was a victim involved.

I also do not think that We as a group should constantly talk about how bad thing are for us (as in whining) however I do not see talking about how bad things are as whining – I see it as making a point that no other type of crime follows one, labels one, and effects one’s everyday life AFTER they have served their sentence and paid their debt to society. It is not about forgetting the victim or ignoring the victim it is about education for others that these laws are violations of each RSOs civil and Constitutional rights. I have never heard an RSO say that they did not think they should have to atone for their crime (except those that were falsely accused) or that they did not think about their victim (except those that have no direct victim) - There are many that were arrested in a sting that there was no real victim (a lot of these make up the FL registry) many are casual possessors of CP that have never had any contact with any victim. The guy that pees behind a tree has no real victim etc. In FL if your victim (even forcible rape) was 16 or older you are not subjected to living restrictions but if the people in the CP were probably 16 or older it does not apply to you. That is just one example of how these laws are confusing and restrictive. When people talk about how bad it is they are not whining and detracting from the victim – they are saying treat me fairly like anyone else that has served their sentence.

To me that is the best argument against these laws – the truth. They are unjust all the way around and I for one and not going to play their game. It is not about the RSOs or the victims – it is about recognizing that these HUMANS have paid their court sanctioned sentence and are entitled to continue their lives like any other person that has broken the law and served their sentence - that should be the end of it.

The only victim in my son's case was him. Along with a bunch of others who are in the same position as he is. I won't bow down to 'think about their victim' . No apologies from here.