Is non-violent sex offender registry unjust?

[vaiveatoish]

Is it unfair or unjust to force first time, non-violent sex offenders to register in the same way that violent offenders should?
Keep in mind that a large percentage of these people have never been in trouble with the law in any way, shape, or form. These people have had their lives completely destroyed, they have lost their jobs, their homes, their rights to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, even freedom of religion. They have paid hefty fines, done time in jail or prison, been ostracized and publicly humiliated, and in many cases have lost their families.
The court system of this country lumps them into the same category as rapists, child molesters, even murderers, and others who have committed crimes which should be punished most harshly. And in many cases they are minors, young adults or respectable citizens who made a single mistake but had no criminal intentions.

[denzell]

The sex offender registry is abused and ruins lives.

Real case scenario: A boy in high school is being harassed by a girl. She reaches out and twists his nipple. He "returns the favor." He is labeled as a sexual predator. She receives no punishment at all - not from the courts and not from the school.

This kid is not a danger to anyone. He simply reacted to being attacked. If women can't be held accountable for their actions, then we need to change the laws to protect men from being abused.

You can't call him a sexual predator, but not her unless you want to legally admit that females are inferior to males. If that's the case, then there are a lot of other things that must change legally.

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[eorl]

I think someone needs to learn more about the sex offender registry. They (non-violent offenders) are NOT lumped into the same group as the violent ones most likely to re-offend.

There are 3 levels of sex offenders, and only the worse need to register for life. Your example would only need to register for 15 years. And, if they move, they just have to register where they move to. There will be no neighborhood notification. Again, that is for the Level 3 offenders.

As for having their lives destroyed, even a non-violent offense is still a serious offense. They still have a criminal record because of what they did. That part will not change. If they don't want it to ruin their lives, the simple solution is to not commit the offense.